Jalalaldin Shahbaz; Zaniar Fatehi; Kamran Chapi
Abstract
Introduction: Global warming is the most important challenge facing man in the 21st century. Warmer weather will increase evapotranspiration, which will exacerbate droughts. One of the main causes of global warming is man himself. Humans have accelerated the Earth's climate change by producing large ...
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Introduction: Global warming is the most important challenge facing man in the 21st century. Warmer weather will increase evapotranspiration, which will exacerbate droughts. One of the main causes of global warming is man himself. Humans have accelerated the Earth's climate change by producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. For this reason, information about changes in the earth's temperature in the next decades has always been considered. The results of the researchers show that climate change has obvious and significant effects on temperature and rainfall in different parts of Iran in the next decades. By predicting and estimating the extent of these effects, climate change impacts can be mitigated with adequate preparedness, low cost, and greater speed.Material and methods: In this study, the effect of climate change on the mean maximum and minimum annual and seasonal temperatures in Arak under the emission scenarios of RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5 for the 2040s was investigated. To use the output of General Circulation Models at regional and local scales is that they are using downscaling models, are downscaled. In this study, Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) to downscale output of General Circulation Models CanESM2 were used. This model had an acceptable ability to simulate the average maximum and minimum seasonal and annual temperatures in the study area. Results and discussion: According to the obtained results, the mean maximum temperature in winter and spring will decrease under all three scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5, which can indicate that the daily temperature will be cooler in these seasons. However, the mean maximum temperature will increase in summer and autumn, which may indicate that the daily temperature will be warmer in these seasons. The mean minimum temperature in winter and spring under all three scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5 will decrease and increase in summer seasons. These results show that in the 2040s, the city of Arak has colder night temperatures in winter and spring and warmer temperatures in summer and spring. Due to the fact that warmer weather increases the demand for water and electricity, and because Arak is an industrial city with a dry climate, it can face serious challenges of water and electricity shortage in the future.Conclusion: According to the results obtained in this study, in the 2040s, Arak will have colder winters and springs, and warmer summers and autumns. The highest effect of climate change on the temperature of Arak is related to the average minimum temperature in autumn, which under the scenarios of RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5, the average minimum temperature in autumn increased by 206.88, 196.37 and 192.27 percent, respectively. The mean annual maximum and minimum temperature under all three scenarios will increase in the 2040s. The highest increase in the mean annual maximum and minimum temperature is related to RCP8.5 and RCP2.6 scenarios, respectively, which they are equal to 4.14 and 4.38.
ehsan khodarezaie; Korous Khoshbakht; Hadi Veisi; Mohammad Reza Nazari
Abstract
IntroductionEnergy use in agriculture has grown faster than other sectors of the global economy. In developing countries, most agricultural systems consume significant amounts of energy to increase production and food security. Energy consumption leads to the emission of greenhouse gases and environmental ...
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IntroductionEnergy use in agriculture has grown faster than other sectors of the global economy. In developing countries, most agricultural systems consume significant amounts of energy to increase production and food security. Energy consumption leads to the emission of greenhouse gases and environmental pollutions in the agriculture sector. Besides, the use of fossil fuels in the production process and transfer of inputs emits greenhouse gases, which in turn cause global warming and climate change. Analyzing and good understanding of energy flow and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural production systems can help to optimize crop management practices thereby reducing environmental problems. Iran's average energy consumption is three times higher than the world average.Groundwater is the main source of agricultural water in arid and semi-arid areas. Electricity used in irrigation pumps consumes a large of energy and emits GHGs. Qazvin plain is one of the most important agricultural plains in Iran, which along with the use of groundwater, has the largest irrigation canal network in the country. Differences in agricultural water supply sources can lead to differences in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as electricity and other inputs may be affected. Wheat, barley, alfalfa and maize silage are major crops in Qazvin plain. Alfalfa and maize silage need relatively a high irrigation water requirement. This paper evaluates the energy flow and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of alfalfa and maize silage farms with two different water supply sources (well and canal) in Qazvin plain.Materials and MethodsThe data were collected through face-to-face interviews with farmers in the year 2018. Energy indices were estimated based on the analysis of farm inputs and outputs. Global Warming Potential was calculated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method and SimaPro 8.2 software. GHGs were calculated using the conversion coefficients presented by the IPCC GWP 100 method. Results and DiscussionThe output energy values of maize silage and alfalfa were calculated as 232726, 191812 MJ ha-1 for well water irrigation system and 234167 and 248060 MJ ha-1 for the canal water irrigation, respectively. Results showed higher net energy values for alfalfa (172778 MJ ha-1) and maize silage (167618 MJ ha-1) in canal water irrigation system compared to well water irrigation (131300 MJ ha-1 and 60112 MJ ha-1 for corn silage and alfalfa, respectively) mainly because of the relatively lower input energy. The results showed that the highest and lowest values of input energy were related to alfalfa production with well water irrigation (131700 MJ ha-1) and maize silage with canal water irrigation (66548 MJ ha-1), respectively. Also, the energy use efficiency of maize silage (3.5) and alfalfa (3.3) were higher in canal water irrigation systems compared to well water irrigation systems (2.3 for maize silage and 1.46 for alfalfa). In the well water irrigation systems, GWP was calculated to be 7466.9 kg CO2-eq ha−1 and 7995.7 kg CO2-eq ha−1 for maize silage and alfalfa, respectively. These values were 5533.3 kg CO2-eq ha−1 and 4947.6 kg CO2-eq ha−1 for maize silage and alfalfa in the canal water irrigation systems, respectively. Electricity and direct emission showed the highest share of total energy consumption and GHG emission.ConclusionGenerally, our results showed that energy consumption and GWP were lower in the canal irrigation systems than well irrigation systems mainly as a result of electricity used for water pumping in well irrigation operations. It can be inferred from the present study that for efficient use of resources and decreasing environmental problems in the study area, practices such as optimal management of irrigation water, conservation tillage, and optimal management of chemical fertilizers can help to achieve these goals.
Maryam Shariatzadeh; Masoud Bijani; Saeid Morid
Abstract
Purpose: Any long-term changes on the weather conditions are called climate change. The most critical environmental threat against the earth planet is the climate changes on these days. In other hand, the climate changes which has increased so fast in these decade has caused the water managers, the water ...
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Purpose: Any long-term changes on the weather conditions are called climate change. The most critical environmental threat against the earth planet is the climate changes on these days. In other hand, the climate changes which has increased so fast in these decade has caused the water managers, the water consumers and the all authorities and planners face with serious challenges and there is no clue. It does not seem there is logical way to assume that the climate changes and hydrological conditions are going to remain in the same structure as they have been before. Therefore, the important issue is making a useful plan to avoid and control effects of climate changes while we are facing serious challenges by the impacts of climate. The climate changes has made a bad impact on the agricultural part in the different regions of world, so farmers need to be adapted more with these changes to save their livelihood. This research is done based on understanding how the farmers are adapting with the climate changes by using of the behavioral model in Khoy Township. Materials and methods: The present quantitative research as an applied inquiry which has been done in the descriptive-correlational method in Khoy Township. The statistical population was 25811 households which 380 of them was selected based on Krejcie and Morgan sample size table and stratified random sampling method. The research instrument was a questionnaire which its face and content validity was confirmed by a panel of expert in the field of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha (0.72 ≤α ≤0.90) in order. The descriptive and inferential statistics is used for data analyzing. Results and discussion: The results showed that the level of adapting for the all farmer households is not equal. At the end we will provide the model of the farmer household adapting to the climate change and also useful and effective methods to reduce of the negative effects of climate changes on rural households. Based on the findings the most important effective factors on adapting are keeping the agriculture structure, living standards, social solidarity, using of various strategies for adapting, learning new ways to fight with crisis and keeping the power of decision that have most relation with adapting. On the other, maintaining the mood has less relation with the dependent variable. The independent variables anticipate 87% of the dependent variable's changes.Conclusion: The results show that households increase their ability to adapt to climate change economically by using different strategies and new crisis response strategies. Evaluating farmers' actions on climate change also shows that most farmers are aware of the effects of the climate change and are able to maintain and improve their livelihood. So we can create a sustainable situation for adaptation to climate change by presenting new techniques to local farmers and updating climate information.
Mahdi Boroughani; Elham Fahiminejad; Iman Pazhouhan
Abstract
Introduction: The phenomenon of climate change can have different effects on different systems. Due to the vital role of water in human life, the study of its negative effects on the occurrence, severity and duration of drought is of particular importance. In this study, the effects of climate change ...
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Introduction: The phenomenon of climate change can have different effects on different systems. Due to the vital role of water in human life, the study of its negative effects on the occurrence, severity and duration of drought is of particular importance. In this study, the effects of climate change on droughts on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in future periods will be evaluatedMaterial and methods: The region under study covers three northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, which Golestan and covers four percent in terms of area and 12 percent in terms of population of the whole Iran. In this study, the effects of climate change on droughts on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in future periods will be evaluated. For this purpose, precipitation data from the HadCM3-A2 general circulation model for future periods (2099-2070, 2069-2040, 2039-2010) have been scaled statistically and while considering the uncertainty of climate fluctuations in the 20 series. At first, daily precipitation was produced. Then the standardized precipitation index was calculated for the monitoring period and future periods. Finally, the downscaled variables of the region were compared with the observed variables and after ensuring the ability of the HadCM3 model in downscaling temperature and precipitation variables of the region, observed daily time series of precipitation and temperature and large-scale variables from HadCM3 model in the periods of 2010-2039, 2040-2069, and 2070-2099) were fed to the SDSM model.Results and discussion: The results obtained from the output of this index in the monitoring period and future periods with different time scales show that the intensity of drought in the coming decades will increase compared to the monitoring period. This increase is more severe for the east of the Caspian Sea, so that the intensity of the drought in the 2080s will be three times the observation period. The results indicated that the climate change results in an increase in the frequency and severity of drought in the studied region. Findings of the present research indicate that in spite of the existence of variability in the SPI lower than 9 months, it has increased 25 and 23.5% in longer periods of 1 to 2 year periods in comparison with the historical period. The incompatibility of drought simulated in the future with observation period in Gorgan station with four remaining stations of the southern regions of the Caspian Sea should be noted. This situation may be due to differences in the resources of precipitation in the eastern and western coasts of the Caspian Sea and different response of two regions against the global warming. Different studies such as Alijani (1991) indicated that the Caspian Sea west coasts are more affected by the northerly flows of Siberian high pressure system than its east coasts, and in case of the establishment of the high pressure over Caspian Sea, precipitations in the west of the Caspian Sea will be higher than its eastern region. The phenomenon of global warming has resulted in weakening the Siberian high pressure system in general. Therefore, the degree of the reduction in precipitations in central and western regions of the Caspian Sea will be relatively higher than in its eastern regions such as Gorgan station.Conclusion: Occurrence of successive droughts and increasing drought intensity in the coming decades of the southern Caspian coastal areas will reduce water resources and the region-based economy will face a more severe crisis, in which case water resources management and development of strategic irrigation document and cultivation pattern a region compatible with socio-economic and climatic trends seems absolutely necessary.
Maryam Malekoutian; Mozafar Sharifi; Somaye Vaissi
Abstract
Introduction: Climate change is recognized as one of the largest threats to biodiversity and is expected to result in shifting species distributions and increasing extinction risk of populations that are unable to adapt or relocate to suitable habitats. In the present study, habitat suitability of the ...
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Introduction: Climate change is recognized as one of the largest threats to biodiversity and is expected to result in shifting species distributions and increasing extinction risk of populations that are unable to adapt or relocate to suitable habitats. In the present study, habitat suitability of the yellow-spotted mountain newt was modeled to identify the current suitable habitats, to predict the expansion or contraction of the distribution of the species under future climate change scenarios, and to determine the main environmental variables. Material and methods: The studied species inhabit 57 highland streams of the Zagros Mountain range in western Iran and eastern Iraq. In the present study, species distributions were examined using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) for the current and the future (2050 and 2070) climate projection under two optimistic (RCP2.6) and pessimistic (RCP8.5) scenarios. Results and discussion: Based on the results, precipitation of the coldest quarter (BIO13) was the most percent of contribution to predicting species distribution. Comparison of suitable habitat areas in the current and future climate conditions showed that suitable habitats area for the species will not significantly decrease under the optimistic (RCP2.6) scenario in 2070 and an increase was also observed in 2050. Although, a reduction in suitable habitats area (more than 50%) was observed in 2070 under pessimistic (RCP8.5) scenarios. The results of the model supported the hypothesis that due to future climate change, the species distribution range is likely to be conserved in the refugia located in the center and south of the distribution range and by shifting to higher altitudes. Conclusion: Results obtained from the current study supported the hypothesis that the Zagros climatic refugia play an important role in conserving populations as well as habitats suitable for the Yellow-spotted mountain newtduring climate change.
Bita Mahdavi Amiri; Jafar Kambouzia
Abstract
Introduction: Concerns about the potential effects of climate change on agricultural products have prompted significant research in the past decade. Cereals are the most important food in the world population and among the various cereals, wheat plays the most important role. In our country, wheat is ...
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Introduction: Concerns about the potential effects of climate change on agricultural products have prompted significant research in the past decade. Cereals are the most important food in the world population and among the various cereals, wheat plays the most important role. In our country, wheat is the most important crop in the country and has a significant role in feeding people. Due to the importance of this plant in providing food security, this study was conducted to investigate the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide on the yield of wheat. For this purpose, meta-analysis method was used to quantitatively compare the effect of CO2 on wheat crop yield. Material and methods: The purpose of meta-analysis is to obtain more information than available information. In order to obtain the necessary data for the present study, the printed sources review method was used. 75 articles were extracted on the effect of increasing carbon dioxide concentration on wheat yield, then duplicate articles and articles that lacked the desired data were removed and among the remaining articles CO2 information, sample size, average and standard deviation was extracted. In the next step, these values were recorded in Excel software and finally, using Stata 16 software, the necessary forest plot and funnel plot were drawn, and to investigate the publication bias among the studies using the trim and fill method and drawing its graphs, this was investigated. Results and discussion: The results of the forest plot showed that after deleting the outlier data, the two groups T2 (15-25) and T3 (35_25) have a greater final size effect (about 1.6), which indicates that with increasing temperature up to Wheat plant yield increased by 35 ° C. Also, group T0, which is not mentioned in the articles of this group, has the lowest size effect (0.38). So, it can be inferred that the yield of wheat plant will increase with increasing temperature between 15 to 35 ° C and with increasing CO2 concentration in this temperature range. Examination of the funnel plot showed that most studies had accumulated at the top of the diagram. These studies have smaller standard error, larger sample size and higher accuracy. Publication bias was also observed in a positive direction. After drawing the funnel plot, the trim and fill method was used to estimate the potential missing studies due to the biased dissemination in the funnel plot and the adjustment of the estimate of their overall effect. After performing the trim and fill method, 6 dots marked in orange are added. These points are missing studies that need to be placed to create symmetry in the graph. This indicates that previous studies have been positive. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the studies conducted in recent years have more reliable results (due to the larger sample size and greater accuracy in the results of these studies). Also, considering that increasing the concentration of CO2 can also cause an increase in temperature, it is suggested that in future studies, studies that have examined the interaction between increasing the concentration of CO2 and increasing the temperature simultaneously on important crops, using the meta-analysis method should be examined.
Homayoun Habibi; Hajar Raee Dehaghi
Abstract
Introduction: Human ability to transform the environment raised a new environmental concern all over the globe, namely climate change. Today, global warming and sea level rise resulted from polar ice melting are the most immediate, definitive, and visible effects of climate change. One of the effects ...
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Introduction: Human ability to transform the environment raised a new environmental concern all over the globe, namely climate change. Today, global warming and sea level rise resulted from polar ice melting are the most immediate, definitive, and visible effects of climate change. One of the effects of these changes is the likelihood that coastal states, especially small island states, will be deprived of their former maritime zones. Since the baseline is the basis of determination of the maritime zones of the coastal state, with sea level rise, the validity of previous baselines and countries' eligibility for making use of maritime zones have been challenged. It raises the question of whether such countries are still eligible to use the existing baselines or should redraw baselines based on changes. The purpose of this paper was to examine the effects of climate change on baselines of the coastal and archipelagic states and to provide solutions to these countries to counter such effects. Material and methods: In order to examine the impacts of climate change on coastal countries, we first discussed the effects of climate change on the oceans. Research shows that the most important of these changes is global warming and sea level rise. Then, the impact of such consequences on the normal and direct baselines of the coastal and archipelagic states was analyzed. Results and discussion: We concluded that the most important effects of such changes on the oceans are global warming and sea level rise. Then, the impact of climate change on the baselines and the authenticity of this legal challenge were assessed. It was concluded that however the Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 neglected the potential of future changes to base points, by interpreting the drawing of baselines of unstable coastlines and continental shelf, it is possible to accept the right of coastal and archipelagic states to preserve the existing baselines and maritime zones despite sea level changes. Conclusion: This study concluded that the consequences of climate change undoubtedly lead to widespread changes in baselines, and by interpreting the provisions of the convention, it can provide solutions to counter these changes, and eventually, acknowledge the right of coastal states to preserve their former baselines.
Malek Rabiei Sadeghabadi; Omid Nouri; Reza Deihimfard
Abstract
Introduction: Urban landscape, especially urban forest and city trees, usually has vital and various effects on the mental and physical health of humans, environmental embellishment, and mitigating the destructive effect of climatic changes like wind storms and flood control, as well as reduction and ...
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Introduction: Urban landscape, especially urban forest and city trees, usually has vital and various effects on the mental and physical health of humans, environmental embellishment, and mitigating the destructive effect of climatic changes like wind storms and flood control, as well as reduction and control of hazardous contaminants. Choosing appropriate plants for urban landscapes is vital to avoid potential financial and environmental losses that may occur if all selection parameters are not taken into account. The determination of plant species assessment indices in urban green space in Tehran does not have any special standard. Therefore, the aim of this study was to make a sustainable green space for Tehran metropolis due to its arid and semi-arid climate, which poses more challenges to choose suitable plant species for green spaces. Material and methods: In our study, the methodology structured a hierarchy consisting of a goal and sub-ordinate attributes of the problem. Other important components of this methodology were a pairwise comparison between various parameters used to quantify value judgments, and the matrix multiplication used to convert level specifi c criteria into a larger decision priority. After grouping plants, selection parameters have been defined for each plant group. Plant species were comparatively graded for each parameter by a group of eight specialists. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique and hierarchical cluster analysis have been utilized to find the most adaptable plant species for the area according to the main selection parameters of zone tolerance, urban conditions, esthetics, maintenance, growth characteristics, and specific features. A table was designed in questionnaire format and distributed between 8 respective experts for coefficient value determination and then the coefficient value was obtained by Expert choice software. The dominant plant list of Tehran and the world was prepared, and plants that exist at Tehran botanical garden and had acceptable results were chosen. Scoring the plant species was performed from 0 to 3 with the values of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 being used for the intermediate state. After multiply each factor weight and each species score, the final plant weight was obtained and the proper and relative proper plants weredetected. Because of the importance of climate change, the indices influenced by climate change were determinedby future weather prediction using Larse-wg-5.1 software under the Hadcim3 model that have three scenariosbetween 2011-2030 and 2045-2065. Weight of these indices was multiplied at species scores and then the properand relative proper plants were prioritized and introduced for planting. Results and discussion: Pointed tree species like Ceratonia silique, Gleditsia spp., Ziziphus jujube, Tamarixparviflora, Sophora japonica, Pistacia chinensis, Guercus coccinea, Quercus douglasi, Seltis sp., and Guercusagrifolia were determined as suitable choices for green space planting. Pointed shrub species like Cercis chinensis,Berberis thunbergii, Eleagnus pungens, Ribes sp., Spartium junceum, Punica granatum var.pleniflora, Rhusglabra, and Pyracantha coccinea were suitable as well. Conclusion: In general, the results showed that many dominant green space plants were not proper species andthere are more suitable plants that have received less attention. Before introducing new plants to the urban environment,they should be experimented on in a small scale for several years to confirm that they will not change theecology of the whole region through invasion or posing a threat to any local plant species.
Nader Barani; Ayatollah Karami
Abstract
Introduction: Climate change is exacerbated by natural factors such as aridity and drought or human activities. Identifying and revealing the changes in each factor and what cause them is considered the first step in the study of the process of climatic elements. The trend analysis might be due to natural ...
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Introduction: Climate change is exacerbated by natural factors such as aridity and drought or human activities. Identifying and revealing the changes in each factor and what cause them is considered the first step in the study of the process of climatic elements. The trend analysis might be due to natural changes, such as drought or human activities e.g. increasing greenhouse gas emissions. However the trend in the climatic factors of each area might be normal, its continuity in the coming years may have more significant effects on the economic and social components. Climate change in a region can be detected by investigating the changes in the average rainfall and temperature. This research was carried out in order to identify the time variation of climate parameters (temperature and precipitation) in decuple agroecology regions of Iran. Material and methods: For this study, data on temperature and precipitation variables were extracted annually from all provinces of the country during the period 1985-2015 from the Meteorological Organization of Iran. Since the distribution of a number of climatic parameters such as temperature and precipitation climatic series is not normal, the non-parametric Mann-Kendall method was used for analyzing their distribution. To determine the level of significance in variables and to determine the trend of annual changes, Mann-Kendall test was used with XLSTAT extension software. Results and discussion: The results showed that temperature variable in Central, Northwest, Caspian Coastal Plain, Khuzestan, Central Zagros, Arid Southern, Khorasan, Southern Coastal Plain Arid Central zones had an upward trend and no trend in Southern Zagros zone. Precipitation variable was decreasing in Khuzestan and Khorasan. Precipitation variables in Central, Northwest, Caspian Coastal Plain, Central Zagros, Arid South, Arid Southern, Arid Central and Central Zagros zones were not trendy. The increase in temperature will lead to a significant increase in the annual evapotranspiration rate (which is already higher than annual precipitation in most parts of Iran). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regards this issue as a serious challenge to arid and low rainfall regions, including Iran, and as a consequence, predicts that the production of strategic products in Iran will decrease compared to the current level of production. The vastness of Iran, along with its geographic location, and the location of heights, prevent the region from fully absorbing the atmospheric humidity. The existence of such conditions causes an inhomogeneity in the amount and pattern of precipitation that has crystallized in the temporal and spatial behavior of the climatic factors. This could be a warning to a country like Iran that is heavily in need of water, and will face water scarcity in the future. Conclusion: The results of the research showed that the mean annual temperature significantly increased in all stations. However, there is no particular trend for the rainfall situation Due to the arid and semi-arid climate of Iran; Iran is one of the countries facing water shortage. Obviously, this shortage will greatly affect agricultural production.
Janet Blake; Amir Panahande Somarein
Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, the ‘Anthropocene Working Group’ under Jan Zalasiewicz’s direction, has played an extremely significant role in the explanation of the ‘Anthropocene epoch’ from a scientific point of view, by publishing numerous articles on this issue. Among ...
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Introduction: In recent years, the ‘Anthropocene Working Group’ under Jan Zalasiewicz’s direction, has played an extremely significant role in the explanation of the ‘Anthropocene epoch’ from a scientific point of view, by publishing numerous articles on this issue. Among the authors of these papers, Vidas is one of the most important lawyers who has published papers concerning the relationship between the Anthropocene and international law. This article aimed to explain introductory subjects about the Anthropocene and their connection with environmental law, which has no history in the Persian language literature. Material and methods: In this paper, the latest scientific data along with new approaches used by environmental lawyers will be studied. Recent global environmental changes suggest that the Earth has arrived at a new geological epoch under the influence of mankind. ‘Biodiversity’ and ‘climate change’ are two subjects that are mostly protected by environmental law in this new epoch since they are severely affected by the consequences of changes in the Earth’s ecosystem. Results and discussion: Many lawyers believe that environmental law and governance issues are the result of the ‘Holocene’ stability, and understanding the relationship between human beings and the environment seemed relatively simple and the centrality of humans and governments was fixated. While in the Anthropocene epoch, there is less stability and predictability, and in order to restore the integrity to the Earth’s ecosystem, giving centrality to human governments must be replaced with an ‘eco-centric’ approach in international and national laws. Conclusion: One of the principles that should be emphasized in international treaties is taking responsibility for the conservation of the environment’s integrity. If the principle of ‘sovereignty over natural resources’ is a Jus Cogens in international law, then the state’s responsibility towards the ‘conservation of natural resources’ and ‘safeguarding the ecological integrity’ should be a strong obligation. This paper proposes that a declaration on fundamental principles of environmental law should be presented, in which some guiding principles regarding the rights and duties of humankind in relation to the environment in the new epoch could be codified.
Mohammad Hosein Torabi; Afshin Soltani; Salman Dastan; Hosein Ajam Norouzi
Volume 16, Issue 4 , January 2019, , Pages 187-212
Abstract
Introduction: Environmental assessment of the life cycle of crops in production systems is an accepted method for achieving agricultural sustainability. Moreover, the agricultural sector has a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Hence, improving agricultural operations ...
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Introduction: Environmental assessment of the life cycle of crops in production systems is an accepted method for achieving agricultural sustainability. Moreover, the agricultural sector has a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Hence, improving agricultural operations is an appropriate way to mitigate the effects of climate change. Therefore, the aim of this research was the environmental assessment of different scenarios of the production of improved rice cultivars. Material and methods: After preliminary evaluation and consultation with rice specialists, 100 paddy fields were selected for semi-mechanized planting method and 100 paddy fields for traditional planting method in Sari region from 2015 to 2016. After recording the data, each planting method was converted into four planting systems based on agronomic management and input consumption, which formed a total of eight scenarios. Four scenarios of the semi-mechanized method were systems of low-input (SL), conservation (SCI), conventional (SCII) and high-input (SH). Four scenarios of the traditional method were systems of low-input (TL), conservation (TCI), conventional (TCII) and high-input (TH). Results and discussion: The results indicated that the average paddy yield in eight scenarios was 6418 kg.ha-1. The average input energy in eight scenarios was 28138.93 MJ.ha-1, which contained 45.44% renewable (biologic) energy and 54.56% non-renewable (industrial) energy. The highest input energy was observed in scenarios IV and VIII, which was related to the SH in both planting methods. The average output energy in eight scenarios was equal to 197076 MJ.ha-1. The highest output energy was obtained in scenarios III, IV, VII and VIII. The average energy productivity in the eight scenarios was equal to 0.23 kg.MJ-1 that the least amount was obtained in both planting methods and the other scenarios were on the same level. The average CO2 emissions in all eight scenarios were 1120.37 kg CO2.eq ha-1, which had the highest share related to seed, fuel, and machinery. In terms of global warming potential per unit area, scenario VIII was ranked first and scenario IV ranked second. The highest global warming potential per grain weight and GWP per input energy were achieved in scenarios I and V. The highest heavy metal emission into water and soil was observed in the SH and SCII, respectively. The highest net primary productivity (NPP) in production scenarios was related to SCII and SH, which was higher in the semi-mechanized method than the traditional method. In both planting methods, the most relative carbon inputs (Ri) were obtained in scenarios of the SH (I and V). With regard to input-output carbon and net carbon in eight scenarios, the average sustainability index was 4.66. The highest sustainability index was observed in scenario II (5.05), which was related to the conservation system. The scenarios V, I, III and VI were next ranked in terms of the sustainability index. In fact, the correct management of the paddy field in the SCI has led to a reduction in emissions of environmental pollutants. Conclusion: According to the findings, SL and SCI were closer to sustainable development indicators in both methods. Furthermore, the economic efficiency of rice production was more important to farmers than environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. Hence, using the findings of this research can be very effective in increasing environmental sustainability and reducing the environmental impacts of chemical inputs and achieving agricultural sustainability.
Faraham Ahmadzadeh; Elham Ebrahimi; Babak Naimi
Volume 15, Issue 4 , January 2018, , Pages 215-232
Abstract
Introduction: Carnivores have always been exposed to threatening processes because of their placement at the top of the food pyramid. Nowadays, approximately 65% of carnivores are listed as Critically Endangered or Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. On a global scale, in order Carnivora, ...
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Introduction: Carnivores have always been exposed to threatening processes because of their placement at the top of the food pyramid. Nowadays, approximately 65% of carnivores are listed as Critically Endangered or Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. On a global scale, in order Carnivora, the Hyaenidae family is the smallest with only four species. Hyaena hyaena is the only member of the Hyaenidae faimly in Iran, which is listed as “Near Threatened” (NT) in the IUCN Red List. The current study aimed to model the species distribution of the striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), which has a wide distribution in Iran. Materials and methods: Using nineteen layers of climatic variables, the correlations between those variables were analyzed and then highly correlated variables were excluded from the modeling process. Finally, eight species distribution models from the sdm package (GLM, GAM, BRT, SVM, RF, MARS, CART, and FDA) in R software were used. Given that the output of species distribution models are often uncertain, which is an undeniable fact, one possible solution to estimate the difference between projections and reduce the uncertainty, is the use of ensemble prediction system instead of using a single modeling method. Therefore, after determining the potential habitats of the Hyaena hyaena with those eight mentioned models and by using the ensemble prediction system, the best regions for the distribution of this species in Iran were estimated. Results and discussion: The results of this study showed that annual mean temperature, seasonal precipitation and precipitation of the warmest season have the most influence on the distribution of Hyaena hyaena. In general, FDA, GAM, BRT, CART and GLM models are fairly reliable, the MARS model is very reliable, and SVM and RF models are completely reliable. The results showed that the GLM, GAM, BRT, MARS, CART, RF models demonstrate that the suitable areas for Hyaena hyaena are generally the central regions of Iran, while the SVM and FDA models predicted the southern margin of the Caspian sea to make the best regions for the distribution of this species. Conclusion: The difference in the predictions that each model makes confirms the uncertainty between models. Therefore, the necessity of using Ensemble method is revealed. The results of the Ensemble model showed that the most suitable regions for the Hyaena hyaena species distribution are semi-arid and central steppe regions of Iran.
Mahmoud Ahmadi; Hasan lashkari; Ghasem Keikhosravi; Majed Azadi
Volume 13, Issue 1 , April 2015, , Pages 1-14
Abstract
Climate change with changing climate patterns and confounds Ecosystems discipline, imports Serious consequences on the environment. Changes in weather patterns Could lead to severe flooding, extreme heat or cold, more frequent droughts. Each of these phenomena could Put at risk the regional food reserves. ...
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Climate change with changing climate patterns and confounds Ecosystems discipline, imports Serious consequences on the environment. Changes in weather patterns Could lead to severe flooding, extreme heat or cold, more frequent droughts. Each of these phenomena could Put at risk the regional food reserves. North east of Iran due to the large area has very varied natural conditions and each of the areas included specific natural features. The extent of the area and factors such as mountains rising, desert areas , stay away from the water zones and different winds lead to variety of weather in each of those area. Based on the results if the man-kendall test and AHP model in north east of Iran, climatic elements with ascending trend (82.25%) much more than climatic elements with descending trend (35.5%) affect on climate change in north east of Iran. Areas that experience most climate changes due to descending elements (number of frost days , average moisture, the number of days with snowfall,24-hour rainfall, annual precipitation) is seen in the South and South east of region. Climatic elements with ascending trend (The average temperature, the minimum temperature, the maximum temperature, hours of sunshine) cover most extent of this region. Only Ghochan and Sabzevar stations demonstrate the least climate changes.
Mahmoud Ahmadi; Prastoo Azimi
Volume 11, Issue 1 , April 2013
Abstract
During last decades the environmental and economic effects of climate changes have been very important for environmental scientists. According to temperature fluctuation studies, the minimum, maximum, and average temperatures are to be increased. So, the objective of this study is the investigation of ...
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During last decades the environmental and economic effects of climate changes have been very important for environmental scientists. According to temperature fluctuation studies, the minimum, maximum, and average temperatures are to be increased. So, the objective of this study is the investigation of variations of the number of freezing days during a 57 years data set and modeling the data by multivariable statistics methods. The applied models were ARIMA time-series, Regressions, and Correlation coefficient. The results showed that the variations of temperature were very disorder from 1951 to 1975 and they were not following a specific model. However, it showed the decreasing in freezing days during 1976-2007 which could be due to urban warming and crating island effect in this duration.
Karl Hammer; Korous Khoshbakht
Volume 7, Issue 3 , April 2010
Abstract
Species richness in relation to crop plants is analyzed within the families of higher plants. Three groups have been made: (1) more than 10.000 species (5 families), (2) 1.000 to 10.000 species (50 families), (3) less than 1.000 species (20 families). Thus about 224.000 species from the estimated 250.000 ...
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Species richness in relation to crop plants is analyzed within the families of higher plants. Three groups have been made: (1) more than 10.000 species (5 families), (2) 1.000 to 10.000 species (50 families), (3) less than 1.000 species (20 families). Thus about 224.000 species from the estimated 250.000 species of higher plants have been included in this study. According to Hanelt and IPK (2001), altogether 7,000 species of crop plants exist. There is a positive correlation (r = + 0.56) between the number of crop plants and species diversity of the families. Important crop species within the selected families are indicated.
