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This working paper examines the concept of metabolism and its potential as a critical analytical lens to study the contemporary city from a political perspective. The paper illustrates how the metabolism concept has been used historically, both as a metaphor to describe the technological, social, political and economic dimensions of human-environment relations, and as a concrete analytical tool to quantify and better understand how flows of matter and energy shape the territorial and spatial configurations of cityscapes. Drawing on the example of the urban water metabolism of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), it is argued that contemporary approaches to metabolic analysis should be extended in two ways to increase the integrative potential of the urban water metabolism concept. On the one hand, the paper demonstrates that a political ecology approach is particularly well-suited to illuminate the contested production of urban environments and move beyond a narrow technical, managerial and state- centric focus in research on urban metabolic relations. On the other hand, the paper advocates for an approach to metabolic analysis that views the urban environment not simply as a relatively static exteriority that is produced by dynamic flows of matter, energy and information, but rather as a dynamic, nested and co-evolutionary network of complex biosocial and material relations, which in itself shapes how various metabolisms interact across scales. The paper then concludes by briefly discussing how a combination of metabolic analysis and political ecology research can inform urban water governance. In sum, the paper emphasizes the need for metabolic analysis to remain open to a plurality of different knowledge forms and perspectives, and to remain attentive to the inherently political nature of material and technological phenomena in order to allow for mutually beneficial exchanges between various scholarly communities.
This literature review was conducted to identify important wetlands in the Greater Accra Region and to illustrate dominant research trends, prevailing perspectives and corresponding research gaps. Six wetlands systems were identified as most significant lagoon systems, namely the Densu Delta, Sakumo, Muni-Pomadze, Keta, Korle and Songor Lagoons. Research foci for each of the respective wetlands were extrapolated and summarized in a category system. The frequency of different categories illustrates that natural science’s perspectives dominate, as most of Accra’s lagoons have been studied with regard to their ecological, physical and chemical properties. The development of research interest over time and focus on ecological baseline conditions are related to the designation of Ramsar Sites and orientation of national policies towards environmental protection. A research gap was identified, as studies link their findings to human activities but neglect the connection between governance variables and environmental developments. It is suggested to expand the natural science’s perspective on Accra’s wetlands to account for social and political aspects in order to develop a holistic and more sustainable management strategy.
In the first overview lecture, we take a look at conceptualizations of water – from the hydrological cycle to socio-political perspectives on water. During the 20th century, water management developed from traditional uses and local industrial schemes to the “hydraulic paradigm” and finally, to the concept of modern water governance at the turn of the millennium. We will raise the question of whether there has truly been a paradigm shift from the natural, science based hydraulic paradigm to water governance and how dual- isms of culture/society and nature are still being reproduced. With this in mind, we will also take an introductory look at the much talked about global water crisis.
This paper provides an overview of five major shifts in urban water supply governance in relation to changing paradigms in the water sector as a whole and in water-related research: i) the municipal hydraulic paradigm in the Global North; ii) its travel to cities in the Global South; iii) the shift from government to governance; iv) the (private) utility model and v) its contestation. The articulation of each shift in the Ghanaian context is described from the creation of the first water supply system during colonial time to the recent contestation against private corporate sector participation. Current challenges are outlined together with new pathways for researching urban water governance. The paper is based on a literature review conducted in 2015 and serves as a background study for further research within the WaterPower project.
Stakeholder Mapping
(2016)
This report presents the results of a stakeholder mapping exercise carried out in the WaterPower project. The mapping was conducted for the following main research areas of the project: water supply, land use planning and management, wetland management and climate change adaptation/disaster risk reduction. The report gives an overview of the stakeholders that play a role in these respective areas and identifies those who have concomitant responsibilities in different sectors. It represents the first step towards further involvement of stakeholders in the WaterPower project.
Both water scarcity and flood risk are increasingly turning into safety concerns for many urban dwellers and, consequently, become increasingly politicised. This development involves a reconfiguration of the academic land- scape around urban risk, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change research. This paper is a literature assessment of concepts on disaster risk, vulnerability and adaptation and their applicability to the context of studying water in an African city. An overview on water-related risk in African cities is presented and concepts and respective disciplinary backgrounds reviewed. Recent debates that have emerged from the application of risk, vulnerability and adaptation concepts in research and policy practice are presented. Finally the applicability of these concepts as well as the relevance and implications of recent debates for studying water in African cities is discussed. ‘Riskscape’ is proposed as a conceptual frame for close and integrated analysis of water related risk in an African city.
This working paper outlines analytical pathways that could contribute to deepening the understanding of water inequalities in cities of the Global South. It brings together the status quo of research on water inequalities in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and studies on Environmental Justice. In doing so, it argues for the need to analytically distinguish between the terms ‘(in)equality’ and ‘(in)justice’. Studying everyday water practices and per- spectives on water (in)justice of different stakeholders would be a suitable entry point for an in-depth ethnographic study that analytically separates water inequalities and water injustices but considers their interlinkages. The working paper is based on a literature review conducted in 2015 in the scope of the WaterPower project.
The main goal of this publication is the development and application of an empirical method, which allows to forecast the transport of radionuclides in soils ad sediments. The calculations are based on data published in the literature. 10 case studies, comprising 30 time series, deal with the transport of Cs-134, Cs-137, Sr-85, Sr-90, and Ru-106. Transport in undisturbed soils and experimental systems like lysimeters and columns in laboratories are dealt with. The soils involved cover a large range of soils, e. g. podsols, cambisols (FAO), and peaty soils. Different speciations are covered, namely ions, aerosols, and fuel particles. Time series analysis centres around the Weibull-distribution. All theoretical models failed to forecast the transport of radionuclides. It can be shown that the parameters D and v, the dispersion coefficient and the advection velocity, appearing in solutions of the advection-dispersion equation (ADE), have no real physical meaning. They are just fitting parameters. The calculation of primary photon fluence rates, caused by Cs-137 in the soil, stresses the unreliability of forecasts based on theoretical models.
Up until May 2021, the post-election insecurity in Belarus had mostly been a national affair, but with Lukashenka’s regime starting to retaliate against foreign actors, the crisis internationalised. This article follows the development of Belarus-Lithuania border dynamics between the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A qualitative content analysis of English-language articles published by Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT shows that shows that there were relatively few changes to the border dynamics in the period between 9 August 2020 and 26 May 2021. After 26 May 2021, the border dynamics changed significantly: The Belarusian regime started facilitating migration, and more than 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus in 2021. In response, Lithuania reinforced its border protection and tried to deal with the irregular migration flows. Calls for action were made, protests were held, and the country received international support.