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NTS Bulletin September 2011 (Issue 1)

Issues:

Note: Please click on the respective titles or headers for the full report.

Disclaimer: All links and news reports are correct at the time of publication.

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Enhancing Early Warning Systems for Disaster Management

A recent report by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) noted that Indonesia faces the highest risk from tsunamis worldwide. The evaluation was based on the number of areas and residents exposed to active tectonic faults. The data also highlight the importance of disaster preparedness. In terms of physical vulnerability, Indonesia is less vulnerable than Japan. However, due to the lack of effective disaster mitigation and contingency measures, Indonesia’s level of risk is higher than Japan’s.

Indonesia’s lack of preparedness for tsunamis, highlighted by the 2004 Asian tsunami, suggests that it faces difficulties in implementing disaster preparedness mechanisms. Early warning systems, for instance, cannot be effectively installed partly due to geographical constraints.

A new scientific discovery may provide a solution to these constraints. Scientists in Brazil, France and the US have discovered the possibility of creating a global remote sensing system for tsunamis via monitoring the ionsphere, the sea level, or the pressure of water near the seabed. This system would therefore mean that early warning equipment is not required to be erected on land, as tsunamis can be monitored through the use of satellites. This development thus has the potential for enhancing existing early warning systems, and would contribute to more effective disaster preparedness mechanisms in Indonesia.

Additional Info:

‘No Casualty Reported in 6.2M Quake in Indonesia’, Xinhua, 23 August 2011.

Yahya, Ahmad Fuad, ‘Indonesia To Develop First Green, Earthquake-proof Hospital’, Bernama, 10 August 2011.

Kugler, Henrique, ‘Global Tsunami Monitoring Could Follow from Discovery’, SciDev.Net, 18 August 2011.

Nirmala, Ronna, ‘5 Million Indonesians at Risk from Tsunamis, UN Says’, Jakarta Globe, 11 August 2011.

Kuntjoro, Irene and Sofiah Jamil, ‘Triple Trouble in Indonesia: Strengthening Jakarta’s Disaster Preparedness’, RSIS Commentaries, 1 November 2010.

‘Indonesia: Tsunami Early Warning System a Work in Progress’, IRIN, 31 December 2009.

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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

Daviet, Florence, 2011, A Draft Framework for Sharing Approaches for Better Multi-stakeholder Participation Practices, Geneva: Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and UN-REDD Programme.

Many countries are beginning to engage stakeholders in domestic Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) decision-making processes, often with support from bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental initiatives. This publication seeks to support the effectiveness of such processes by identifying emerging lessons on stakeholder participation practices. The publication focuses on four topics: (a) common terms relating to stakeholder participation; (b) a framework for categorising different types of stakeholder engagement processes; (c) information most relevant for practitioners to share; and (d) next steps for developing a comprehensive and sustained approach to sharing information and experiences among partners, and identifying good practices.

Long, Andrew, 2011, Developing Linkages To Preserve Biodiversity, Yearbook of International Environmental Law, Vol. 21.

This article finds that institutional linkage is unlikely to advance biodiversity protection in the near term and, therefore, argues that it should not be a major focus of reform efforts. Formal efforts to integrate international biodiversity law appear likely to face significant political obstacles and delay development of effective regulatory strategies. More fundamentally, unified international governance may be ill-suited to addressing the varied drivers underlying the extinction crisis, which requires regulation at the local, national and international levels. A novel approach that concentrates on incentivising biodiversity protection in combination with achieving other environmental and human development objectives is proposed.

Bryan, Elizabeth, Claudia Ringler, Barrack Okoba et al., 2011, Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation, Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, and Agricultural Productivity: Insights from Kenya, IFPRI Discussion Paper 01098, Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

This paper examines issues facing smallholder farmers in Kenya in relation to mitigation and adaptation to climate change, ensuring food security for the growing population and improving livelihoods. Several practices emerge as triple wins in terms of climate adaptation, greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, and productivity and profitability. In particular, integrated soil fertility management and improved livestock feeding are shown to provide multiple benefits across the agro-ecological zones examined. This paper may provide insights for cases in Asia.

Wang-Helmreich, Hanna, Wolfgang Sterk, Timon Wehnert et al., 2011, Current Developments in Pilot Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions of Developing Countries (NAMAs), JIKO Policy Paper No. 1, Wuppertal: Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.

This paper analyses current developments in 16 pilot NAMAs with respect to essential elements such as greenhouse gas (GHG) calculations, measuring, reporting and verification (MRV), cost calculations, barrier and risk assessments, sustainability benefits and financing structures. The geographical and sectoral distribution of the 16 NAMAs in relation to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is also considered.

Events & Announcements

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ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), 2011, A Citizens’ Guide to Energy Subsidies in Indonesia, Manitoba.

This report reviews the costs and benefits of energy subsidies in Indonesia and discusses its implications for the Indonesian people. It concludes by presenting recommendations on how to reform energy subsidies.

Prantl, Jochen, 2011, Cooperating in the Energy Security Regime Complex, Asia Security Initiative Policy Series No. 18, Singapore: RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies.

This article investigates the influence of global power shifts on energy security cooperation and examines the existing structure for energy governance. It asserts that a regime complex is likely to be more effective than an integrated regime in governing energy cooperation. It concludes with recommendations on how to enhance cooperation in energy security.

Volpe, Michael, Kerryn Lang and Peter Wooders, 2011, A High-impact Initiative for Rio+20: A Pledge to Phase Out Fossil-fuel Subsidies, Global Subsidies Initiative Policy Brief, London: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

In this policy brief, the IISD proposes that the Rio+20 – the next UN Conference on sustainable development that will take place on 4–6 June 2012 – focus on a few high-impact initiatives that will help create an enabling framework for sustainable development. A national pledge to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies will free up valuable fiscal resources that can be redirected to fund other sustainable development priorities, provide the opportunity to introduce more targeted measures to support low-income households, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help incentivise investments in renewable energy.

Events & Announcements

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FOOD SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

Birner, Regina, Surupa Gupta and Neeru Sharma, 2011, The Political Economy of Agricultural Reform in India: Fertilizers and Electricity for Irrigation, IFPRI Research Monograph, Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

This study throws new light on the factors that have so far prevented a move toward more pro-poor and environmentally sustainable agricultural input policies in India. The authors show that electoral politics, institutional factors and policy paradigms or belief systems all play an important role in blocking reform. They identify several policy reform options, as well as political strategies that can overcome past obstacles to reform. Community-based policy solutions, new coalitions for policy reform, fresh approaches to the policy debate, innovative and consensus-oriented forms of deliberation, and effective use of research-based knowledge can all make positive contributions to Indian policy reform.

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), 2011, The CGIAR at 40 and Beyond: Impacts that Matter for the Poor and the Planet, Washington, DC.

This report marks the CGIAR’s 40th year of operation, providing an overview of decades of research and a snapshot of CGIAR’s achievements. The report invites readers to look into the future toward a new era of results and impact that serves the urgent needs of the poor and hungry.

European Commission, 2011, Food Security Bulletin Special Issue: Horn of Africa, Italy.

This special issue of the Food Security Bulletin shows a preliminary analysis of the severe drought which is causing a famine in Southern Somalia. The severe impact of the drought affecting the Horn of Africa is due to several factors. One factor is the shortage of rain over the past 12 months, comparable only to the droughts in 1992, 1994 and 2000–2001. The second factor is poor crop harvests linked to the failure of the two previous rainy seasons (October–December 2010 and March–May 2011) in an area where local food production is completely dependent on rainfall. Further factors are an unstable political situation and fighting, which caused a temporary stop of humanitarian aid in some areas, and an increase in food prices.

Oxfam, 2011, Briefing on Horn of Africa Drought: Climate Change and Future Impacts on Food Security, UK.

This briefing explores the links between the 2010/2011 drought in the Horn of Africa and recent climate trends, and how climate change might impact on food security in the region in the future. It should be noted that while the current drought has been caused by lack of rainfall, the disaster is man-made. Many of the worst-affected areas are also some of the poorest, least-developed and most neglected parts of the region; decades of marginalisation of and under-investment in the people living there have contributed significantly to the current crisis.

Events & Announcements

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HEALTH AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

The PLoS Medicine Editors, 2011, ‘Health Care Systems and Conflict: A Fragile State of Affairs’, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 7.

This editorial argues for increased attention on the need for strong healthcare systems in fragile nations, particularly those ravaged by conflict. It explains that the weak governance and the cycles of violence and poverty in these states have major ramifications for health and healthcare, despite minor successes in countries like Afghanistan. It calls for the maintenance of security as well as adequate and equitable provision of healthcare in such states through the preservation and development of health systems and structures, and by ensuring the freedom of healthcare workers to provide care to those in need.

Sheikh, Kabir, Lucy Gilson, Irene Akua Agyepong et al., 2011, ‘Building the Field of Health Policy and Systems Research: Framing the Questions’, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 8.

In this article, the authors call for greater health policy and systems research (HPSR) in low- and middle-income countries. It argues that a question-driven field such as HPSR has the potential to engage various disciplines including health economics, sociology, political science, anthropology and medical science within a broader health research framework. It also argues that HPSR should further expand its foci of enquiry, types of research questions and spectrum of methodological approaches in order to continually contribute to building a body of reference knowledge for health systems in the future.

Kates, Jennifer, Adam Wexler, Eric Lief et al., 2011, ‘Financing the Response to AIDS in Low-income and Middle-income Countries: International Assistance from Donor Governments in 2010’, UNAIDS and Kaiser Family Foundation.

This publication reveals patterns and trends in international assistance for AIDS in low- and middle-income countries for 2010. Key highlights of this data analysis include how international AIDS assistance by donor governments declined by 10 per cent over the 2009–2010 period after a sixfold increase in assistance between 2002 and 2008; and how bilateral donations continue to dominate AIDS assistance methods, comprising 74 per cent of all disbursements in 2010.

Events & Announcements

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About the Centre:

The Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies was inaugurated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan in May 2008. The Centre maintains research in the fields of Food Security, Climate Change, Energy Security, Health Security as well as Internal and Cross-Border Conflict. It produces policy-relevant analyses aimed at furthering awareness and building capacity to address NTS issues and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The Centre also provides a platform for scholars and policymakers within and outside Asia to discuss and analyse NTS issues in the region.

In 2009, the Centre was chosen by the MacArthur Foundation as a lead institution for the MacArthur Asia Security Initiative, to develop policy research capacity and recommend policies on the critical security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific.

The Centre is also a founding member and the Secretariat for the Consortium of Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies in Asia (NTS-Asia). More information on the Centre can be found at www.rsis.edu.sg/nts.