Difference between revisions of "User talk:Thomasa"

Revision as of 23:10, 22 January 2013

HOMEWORK 1 -- Thomasa 05:00, 10 January 2013 (EET)

6. What is impact assessment? Is a combination of procedures, methods and tools for judging the potential health effects of a policy, program or project on a population, particularly on vulnerable or disadvantaged groups. Hence, it is a tool to dynamically improve health and well-being across sectors.

11. What is the trialogical approach to knowledge creation and learning? It is an approach to knowledge creation and learning which is applied especially in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning. It emphasizes the role of collaborative development and reconstruction of concrete, shared artefacts in mediating knowledge creation, as well as reflecting and transforming knowledge practices, the ways of collaboratively working with knowledge, with supporting processes, and executing knowledge tasks.

1. What is pragmatism? It is a collective knowledge creation process where issues of knowledge, innovation and practice are integrated through participation. This is achieved by continuously construct and re-construct the social meanings that shape our thoughts and actions.

HOMEWORK 2 -- Thomasa 00:12, 11 January 2013 (EET)

Question

What factors or parameters are going to be put in place to make sure that other neighbouring countries also reduce or minimize their emissions, since emissions from other neignbouring countries can get into Kuopio to worsen the situation irrespective of the 40 percent emission reduction in Kuopio?

HOMEWORK 3 THOMAS & JOSHUA -- Thomasa 00:40, 21 January 2013 (EET)

Question What climate change policies are worth adopting by Ghana to reduce GHG emissions?

Scope

Question What are the potential climate policies that reach the greenhouse emission targets in Ghana for years 2013-2040? What are some of the impacts or effects on agriculture, health, resources, well-being etc. and what recommendations can be suggested based on these? The national greenhouse emission target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 % between 2000 and 2030. Boundaries • Time: Year 2013-2040

Scenarios •Factories in various cities can reduce GHG emissions by or continue business as usual. •Schools and NGOs can organize sensitization programs and create awareness at local and national level on climate change issues, or continue business as usual. Intended users • Ghana • Other neighbouring countries • EPA, Ghana Participants EPA, Ghana Universities, Research institutions and groups and NGOs Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) Rationale Policies Promote the use of biofuels to generate energy Cut down the use of firewood/charcoal Mass education of the populace Reduce illegal logging Collaborate in international strategies, policies and action plan to reduce GHG emissions in transport and housing Adopt and promote renewable energy options Specific actions - real and potential Energy production Cut down the use of charcoal and firewood Promote or speed up the work at Aboadze thermal plant to supplement Akosombo hydro-electric power plant Utilize the tropical weather to venture into renewable energy sources, eg. Solar energy Enhancement of dispersed energy production with biofuels

Transport Redesign of infrastructure and measures to mitigate emissions from vehicles through cleaner technologies and adapting human behavior.

Indicators • Well- being • Cardiovascular mortality • Low crop yields in agriculture

      Assessment-specific data

Received • National plan on public transport • Fuels and emissions by Aboadze power plant • Use of good farming practices To be gathered • Updated data on fuels and emissions of Aboadze thermal power plant • Updated transport system • Number of good farming practices

Answer Conclusions Results

HOMEWORK 4 THOMAS & JOSHUA -- Thomasa 01:10, 23 January 2013 (EET)

Questions: 1. What are the aims/goals of the strategy/program, i.e. what are the desired impacts and outcomes striven for? Who are those that benefit if the aims/goals of the strategy/program are reached? How? ANSWER: Aims/ goals 1. To assess the consequences of climate change on the region. 2. To prepare for the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. 3. To reduce the vulnerability of the region to climate variation and change, in order to safeguard the well-being of inhabitants and the functioning of the cities even in changing conditions.

Beneficiaries of the aims of the strategy

The citizens of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen

To secure the well-being of the citizens and the functioning of the cities in the changing climate condition.

2. What are the actions that are needed/intended to take in order to progress towards the aims/goals? Who are those that actually realize these actions? ANSWER: 1. The regional climate and sea level scenarios, 2 .Modeling of river floods in climate change conditions and a survey of climate change impacts in the region. 3.Existing programmes, legislation, research and studies concerning adaptation were collected. B. Who are those that actually realize these actions? ANSWER: Those who realized the actions are ; Experts from the cities in the Helsinki metropolitan area, regional rescue services, the Ministry of the Environment, Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities have participated in the strategic work at many stages.

3. What are the decisions that are needed to make in order to enable/promote the actions? Who are the decision makers? ANSWER; 1. Preparing in advance for natural hazards to significantly reduce the damages and costs that arise from them. 2. Authorities, experts, other actors and the citizens

4. What direct or indirect health impacts, positive or negative, these decisions and actions (may) have? Where and how do these impacts take place, who are those that face these health impacts in practice? ANSWER; a. The direct or indirect health impacts of these decisions are on vegetation, animals, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality, as well as the impact of noise, the social impact, the impacts on human health and economic impacts. b. Throughout the world c. Climate change is caused by emission of greenhouse gases d. Global citizens of the world

5. Are the health impacts big or small in relation to other impacts (e.g. economical, social, climate, other environmental, ...)? ANSWER; They are big but as equally important as the other impacts. 6. Do the intended policies result in win-win, win-lose, lose-win, or lose-lose situations with regard to health and other impacts?

ANSWER; Always result in Win- win.

Formulate a plausible and meaningful specific assessment question that takes account of (some of) the aspects considered in above questions. ANSWER: What are the potential climate change policies that will reduce the greenhouse emissions to give win- win result?

Extra question: In what ways your answers do or do not represent "shared understanding"? (The climate program/strategy can be considered a compilation of contributions by many experts and attempting to reflect the views and needs of different decision makers and stakeholders

ANSWER:

To a high degree, our answers conform to many other climate programs/ strategies. For example, many contributors would agree with us that, a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would mitigate climate change and its attendant problems.