What's New

This Special Issue welcomes articles that present new approaches to spatially explicit modelling of land change, highlight novel contributions to land change modelling using historical approaches, compare and contrast different modelling approaches, and make other unique contributions to land change and land systems modelling, such as frameworks, methodologies, and model coupling approaches. 

Those intending to submit should consider including data, model code (via common repositories such as GitHub), and appendices to facilitate replication, reuse, and expansion upon their submitted work by others.

For more information, see https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/special_issues/land_change_modelling

Measuring, analyzing, and mapping the societal risks and vulnerabilities of climate change has become part of the standard toolkit of climate risk and vulnerability assessments. This Special Issue focuses on the spatial assessment of climate risks and related vulnerabilities and the use of spatial data and analysis in field-based assessments. Papers may cover a range of spatial scales–from local to global–and represent any world region, and may be produced by authors from any discipline. The deadline for submission is 30 November 2019.

Papers must:

•    Define the problem space–that is, the system of analysis (what is vulnerable or at risk?), the valued attributes of concern (why are they important?), the external hazard (to what is the system vulnerable and exposed?), and a temporal reference (when?)–and the purpose of the assessment;
•    Describe the analytical framework applied;
•    Provide adequate detail regarding the data and methods used;
•    Address the uncertainty in underlying data and methods;
•    Present one or more maps portraying results;
•    Address the policy relevance of the mapping/spatial analysis.
Case studies and mapping projects are especially encouraged that:

•    were developed in conjunction with stakeholders (i.e., transdisciplinary science) and/or where mapping results were applied in planning and decision-making contexts;
•    utilize statistical techniques/novel methods to identify the drivers of risk and vulnerability;
•    use future scenarios for climate and/or socioeconomic systems;
•    integrate various streams of data (ranging from survey data and official statistics to Earth observation data);
•    seek to validate mapping results.

In addition to case study or location-specific applications, we invite papers that explore spatial methods as well as papers critically reflecting on climate risk and vulnerability mapping.

For further information or to submit a manuscript, please visit: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/Climate_Risk_Mapping

Measuring, analyzing, and mapping the societal risks and vulnerabilities of climate change has become part of the standard toolkit of climate risk and vulnerability assessments. This Special Issue focuses on the spatial assessment of climate risks and related vulnerabilities and the use of spatial data and analysis in field-based assessments. Papers may cover a range of spatial scales–from local to global–and represent any world region, and may be produced by authors from any discipline. 

Papers must:

• Define the problem space–that is, the system of analysis (what is vulnerable or at risk?), the valued attributes of concern (why are they important?), the external hazard (to what is the system vulnerable and exposed?), and a temporal reference (when?)–and the purpose of the assessment;

• Describe the analytical framework applied;

• Provide adequate detail regarding the data and methods used;

• Address the uncertainty in underlying data and methods;

• Present one or more maps portraying results;

• Address the policy relevance of the mapping/spatial analysis.

Case studies and mapping projects are especially encouraged that:

• were developed in conjunction with stakeholders (i.e., transdisciplinary science) and/or where mapping results were applied in planning and decision-making contexts;

• utilize statistical techniques/novel methods to identify the drivers of risk and vulnerability;

• use future scenarios for climate and/or socioeconomic systems;

• integrate various streams of data (ranging from survey data and official statistics to Earth observation data);

• seek to validate mapping results.

In addition to case study or location-specific applications, the editors invite papers that explore spatial methods as well as papers critically reflecting on climate risk and vulnerability mapping. 

For further information or to submit a manuscript, please visit: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/Climate_Risk_Mapping

The Scientific Editors and Editorial Committee of the journal Cadernos Metrópole invite researchers from areas of knowledge that approach the urban and regional issue to send texts to the organization of volume 22, number 48, about the theme, “The metropolis and the environmental question”.

The field of planning, territorial organization and governance has witnessed the exponential growth in the number of research studies, articles, theses and dissertations that not only interact with the environmental issue, but, on the contrary, view the politicization of the relationship between nature and the capitalist production of space as the central locus of their analyses and reflections. Therefore, their point of departure is the premise that society and nature are inseparable and that humankind and nature transform each other, in a constant process of production and reproduction of space.

Large cities, metropolises and macro-regions have tensioned the conflicting relationship between natural resources, capital and the increasing demand for the consumption of their resources, like energy, food and water. The effects can already be felt in different parts of the planet, with the intensification of water shortageperiods, which tend to become more and more frequent in a scenario of climate changes. This movement does not produce crises, conflicts and uncertainties only in large cities or urban spaces, but in the entire complex system of production and reproduction of these natural resources, in rural spaces, and in medium and small cities.            

In a dialectical sense, if the process of capitalist production of space has been changing based on a new relationship with the natural resources, practices and reflections in the sphere of planning and governance also require new paradigms, new meanings, new actions and research agendas. The present issue of Cadernos Metrópole aims to contribute to the construction of the field of praxis and theory in environmental planning and governance from the perspective that does not dissociate the transformation of nature from the production of space in capitalism, that is, from the perspective that does not separate the environmental question from the social question.

For more information, see http://revistas.pucsp.br/metropole/announcement/view/323

Authors are invited to respond to a call for abstracts for a special journal edition on emerging understanding about slow onset events, climate change impacts, and loss and damage.

The editors of Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (COSUST) and the UNFCCC Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism are soliciting contributions for a special journal issue on environmental sustainability in relation to slow onset events. The overall aim of the special issue is to bring together literature review and synthesis articles that: (a) evaluate the nature of slow onset events and highlight emerging topics in the scientific literature on slow onset events; and (b) identify the gaps and challenges in understanding slow onset events and their local, national, and regional impacts, and possible approaches to manage these

Accepted papers will enhance the knowledge base and highlight potential approaches to assess and address slow onset events at the local, national and regional levels. Through concise review articles of recent literature, authors should provide scientific information that can support the development and accessibility of tools, which inform national planning and policymaking processes in assessing and addressing the impacts and risks associated with slow onset events and response options.

More information: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/current-opinion-in-environmental-sustainability/call-for-abstracts/call-for-abstracts-slow-onset-events 

This 12th conference on the integration of geography and statistics will be held at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel in Manchester, England. The conference will bring together geospatial and statistical experts to exchange ideas to further enhance the development of spatial statistics for Europe. The motto of this year’s conference is Statistics + Location –> Insight + Impact, which aims to highlight how our insights into the population and the world in general are greatly enhanced through the integration of statistics and place. The conference will be investigating the following themes:

• Visualisation for impact 

• Better geodata, better policy

• Leaving no one behind

• The geospatial census

• GeoData science

• Future geospatial thinking

• Geospatial architecture

For more information and to register, visit https://www.efgs.info/efgs-2019-conference-manchester-uk/

Dr. Sylvia Hood Washington, Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Justice, invites you to submit a manuscript to a Special Issue on Chronic Disease and Climate Change.

Scientific and observational evidence documents the adverse and potentially irreversible population health outcomes associated with environmental health risks attributed to climate change. Acute health problems associated with climate change may lead to long-lasting chronic conditions in affected individuals. Increasing heat exposure can also worsen the clinical condition of people with pre-existing chronic diseases and those with mental health disorders.

Climate change is characterized by weather extremes, such as drought, wildfires, poor air quality, sea level rise, flooding, severe storms, extreme heat, and water security. Many vulnerable environmental justice populations such as the poor, communities of color, indigenous peoples, women, and the elderly, also suffer from higher incidence of chronic diseases. These can include, but are not limited to, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, primary and secondary lymphedema, lipedema, obesity, asthma and COPD, and mental health.

Dr. Washington invites you to submit papers that will examine these key topics:

• Short- and long-term impact of climate change on populations with cardiovascular and lymphatic disease

• Emergency response justice for chronic disease patients with limited mobility

• Health impact of extreme heat, flooding, and tornadoes/hurricanes on medical delivery systems and health care

• Climate change impact on mental health in underserved and environmentally marginalized populations

• Educating medical students, residents/fellows, and practicing clinicians about climate change as a risk factor for chronic illnesses, and their role as “change agents”

Please visit the Journal website for manuscript submission guidelines at https://home.liebertpub.com/publications/environmental-justice/259/for-authors

The editors intend to publish two Special Issues of the journal in 2020. This is an invitation to scholars who are interested in editing a Special Issue.

Articles in CPoS should compare populations or components of change across one or more of the following dimensions: Geographies, Groups and Times. By population is meant usually resident or temporary human population, for which information is collected by official agencies or researchers. Studies are characterised by innovation and rigour in knowledge of the field, research questions, arguments, data collection, analysis, findings, presentation, discussion, and policy implications. The editors welcome proposals for Special Issues of Comparative Population Studies on a suitable demographic theme.

The journal is a peer-reviewed Open Access, Online publication, free to download. The journal provides swift turnaround from editorial staff of submitted or revised papers. English language editing is available, if necessary. Papers are prepared for publication using high grade software. No fees are charged to authors.

Send a Proposal (~800 words) for a Special Issue to CPoS@bib.bund.de, for the attention of the Managing Editor. The proposal should include: (1) the title of the Special Issue, (2) a summary of the Special Issue topic, (3) reasons why the topic is important and timely, (4) the value added by a Special Issue, (5) a list of title and potential authors of 4 to 6 papers per Special Issue and (6) what the Editorial Overview paper will contain. For details of paper length and format, see http://www.comparativepopulationstudies.de/index.php/CPoS.

Editor: Nobert Schneider, Federal Institute for Population Research, 65185 Wiesbaden, Germany Managing Editor (2019): Philip Rees, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK E-Mail: p.h.rees@leeds.ac.uk

CPoS will publish papers as accepted with the overview paper published when the issue is complete.

This year’s theme is Challenges of the 21st Century: Democracy, Environment, Inequalities, Intersectionality. Twenty years after the start of our century, the optimism of the Millennium has faded and the challenges we face for living together on a limited planet are even more urgent. The environmental crisis and climate change are now a worrying reality. How can we live together on a limited planet? Land and food have become again major objects of struggles. Environmental and socio-territorial conflicts have multiplied against extractivist industries. Who are the actors who bring innovative solutions to keep our societies thriving within the planetary boundaries?  How does the global environmental crisis lead us to re-think our world and our discipline?

For more information visit: https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/forum/porto-alegre-2020

Humans continue to change the surface of the Earth at a rapid pace, and in turn our settlements, infrastructure, and activities remain highly sensitive to environmental variability and change. Monitoring and prediction of urbanization, population movement, rural development, and related changes in the Human Planet are therefore vital. The Human Planet Initiative of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is working to harness new data sources, technologies and analytic approaches to address key needs for improved understanding and modeling and for better tools for decision making in support of sustainable development.

The second Human Planet Forum provides a unique venue for expert groups working on different aspects of these issues to meet together to share progress, assess areas of common interest, and coordinate activities and plans. Key topics include:

1. Advances in slum mapping

2. Downscaled future scenarios of population and economic activity

3. Global definition of cities and rural areas

4. Mapping of secondary and tertiary administrative boundaries

5. Validation and intercomparison strategies for human settlement and population data

6. Applications, decision support, and stakeholder engagement

7. Development of Human Planet Atlases in the 2020-2022 time frame

The program will include a mix of keynote talks, panel discussions, working meetings, and interactive sessions.

For more information and to register, see https://www.eventbrite.com/e/human-planet-forum-2019-understanding-human-presence-on-planet-earth-tickets-65420716123

The Population Association of America’s annual meeting is a premier conference of demographers and social and health scientists from the United States and abroad. Here senior, mid- and early-career demographers are afforded the opportunity to present their research in oral and poster sessions, hear of others’ findings, and network with their peers. Since PAA’s first conference in 1930, much important research has been presented on topics ranging from migration to sexual reproductive health to race and gender issues.

Topic 8, Population, Development, and the Environment, includes seven sessions: Health, Environment, and Development; Conflict Crisis and Demography; Population, Development, and Environment; Coastal Population and Demographic Change; Social Inequality in an Era of Environmental Change; Climate Change and Migration; and Innovative Data and Methods in Population and Environment. 

More information including how to submit: http://www.populationassociation.org/2019/07/29/paa2020-call-for-papers/ 

Agenda for the INQUIMUS Workshop - Data, methods and tools for dynamic risk assessments: What are requirements, and how to tackle persisting challenges?

Understanding and reducing disaster risk are key priorities in international policy documents and agendas, and the need for improved knowledge and information on drivers, hotspots and dynamics of disaster risk has been repeatedly stressed by scientists, practitioners and policy makers. As a result we have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of risk assessments over the past decades aiming to inform the identification and planning of risk reduction and adaptation options. While the need for integrative, transdisciplinary approaches for understanding and assessing the inherent complexity and dynamic nature of risk (in all its dimensions of hazard, exposure and vulnerability) has been widely acknowledged, the development and application of methods and tools to better understand and assess that complexity has not kept pace yet. Today, the majority of risk assessments are still based on static (e.g. index-based) approaches and often do not represent the inherent complexities (e.g. feedbacks and coupling, inter-indicator relationships) and space-time dynamics of risk and its components adequately. Dynamic modelling approaches (e.g. agent-based models, Bayesian networks, system dynamics approaches, etc.) offer new opportunities not only for more dynamic risk assessments (e.g. human-environmental interaction, space-time dynamics), but also for simulating the potential effects of human behavior and risk reduction/adaptation options on risk patterns and trends.

The INQUIMUS workshop 2019 aims at:

• Reviewing and discussing the state-of-the art (incl. data, methods and tools) regarding dynamic risk assessments, and the simulation of the effect of risk reduction and adaptation options

• Identifying remaining challenges, and

• Exploring opportunities for future research and transferring established approaches

Call for Abstracts

Participation is mainly by invitation. However, organizers would like to provide room for additional participants to share their insights and present their findings. Interested participants should send an abstract (max 400 words), discussing the following issues:

● Motivation for application and relevance to guiding questions listed on the previous page

● Methods for dynamic assessment/simulation of exposure, vulnerability or risk preferably applied by the applicant

● Achievements and challenges

Please submit your abstract to inquimus2019@ehs.unu.edu

For more information, see http://www.inquimus.org/.

Organized by the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Land Cover (WASCAL) and Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD), this conference is intended to serve as a platform for exchanging and discussing latest research findings on the relationship between climate change and food security in Western Africa, particularly on innovative and cutting-edge solutions and insights related to the Conference themes. The conference seeks to bring together early career and experienced researchers from economics and other social sciences from the Western Africa region to promote mutual exchanges and collaborations on this crucial topic. 

Selected early career African presenters may be awarded a stipend to participate in the conference. Stipends will cover travel and accommodation costs, daily subsistence allowance, and a small honorarium. Selected papers will be considered for publication in the conference proceedings. 

Conference Themes: 

• Climate Change Impacts on Agricultural Production: 

▪ crops, livestock and fisheries 

▪ pests and diseases 

• Climate Change and Food Prices: 

▪ incomes and livelihoods 

▪ food price volatility 

▪ income inequality 

▪ extreme weather events and food stability 

▪ risks and vulnerability 

• Climate Change and Health outcomes 

▪ food safety, nutrition, and human health 

▪ climate change related diseases 

• Adaptation to Climatic Change in Food Systems 

▪ sustainable and drought-smart land management 

▪ resilience of value chains 

▪ risk management tools and safety nets 

• Climate change mitigation, food security and sustainable land management 

▪ Trade-offs and synergies 

FORMAT: Proposed papers should include the following information: § Name, Title, Affiliation, languages spoken, address, email. Full paper submissions are expected to be in English and not more than 10 pages, using Times New Roman Font size 12, single-spaced.

Important Dates: 

• Full paper submission: 15 September 2019 

• Paper Acceptance Notification: 15 October 2019 

Please send your submissions to wascal.phd@ucad.edu.sn