ABSTRACT
The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to advance sustainable development globally, focusing on vulnerable and at risk regions. India has fully adopted the SDG framework and aligned its development priorities with the Global Goals;however, challenges remain in implementing the multifaceted framework in the context of such a large, culturally and economically diverse population. This has been brought into even starker relief since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, building resilience to future risks and recovering economic stability have been identified as key priorities by the Indian government. Here, Pramanik et al discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown and the Cyclone Amphan aftermath on delta dwellers and their livelihood, potential strategies to support livelihoods and food security in the face of continuing recurrent disruptions, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with cyclone Amphan likely to affect progress toward achieving the SDGs at the local level.
ABSTRACT
There is an emerging body of literature focusing on the COVID-19 livelihoods and environmental impacts, as well as the effects of the pandemics on evidence generation. However, little attention has been paid to how COVID-19 has—and is likely to continue to—affect monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, specifically in the context of large sustainability science research-to-policy project consortia. Here, we provide a conceptual framework of MEL responsiveness to COVID-19 effects and discuss the specific pathways to successful MEL transition. Using the UKRI GCRF TRADE Hub as a case study, we provide some examples of possible adjustments within the new context.
ABSTRACT
We investigate the climatic influence on COVID-19 transmission risks in 228 cities globally across three climatic zones. The results, based on the application of a Boosted Regression Tree algorithm method, show that average temperature and average relative humidity explain significant variations in COVID-19 transmission across temperate and subtropical regions, whereas in the tropical region, the average diurnal temperature range and temperature seasonality significantly predict the infection outbreak. The number of positive cases showed a decrease sharply above an average temperature of 10°C in the cities of France, Turkey, the US, the UK, and Germany. Among the tropical countries, COVID-19 in Indian cities is most affected by mean diurnal temperature, and those in Brazil by temperature seasonality. The findings have implications on public health interventions, and contribute to the ongoing scientific and policy discourse on the complex interplay of climatic factors determining the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Cities/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , TemperatureABSTRACT
This study highlights the major players in the global food balance, potential implications of COVID-19 on global food supply, and SDG-2 (zero hunger). It found that developing countries, fifteen from Africa followed by ten from Latin America, six from Oceania, and four from Asia, are the most vulnerable to changes cereal supply shocks. It concludes that the current pandemic is likely to cause transitory food insecurity across such vulnerable countries. The effects of the pandemic on food security (SDG-2) may persist longer as a combined effect of economic slowdown and increase in poverty, limiting food supply and access beyond 2020.
ABSTRACT
The study is the first attempt to assess the role of climatic predictors in the rise of COVID-19 intensity in the Russian climatic region. The study used the Random Forest algorithm to understand the underlying associations and monthly scenarios. The results show that temperature seasonality (29.2 ± 0.9%) has the highest contribution for COVID-19 transmission in the humid continental region. In comparison, the diurnal temperature range (26.8 ± 0.4%) and temperature seasonality (14.6 ± 0.8%) had the highest impacts in the sub-arctic region. Our results also show that September and October have favorable climatic conditions for the COVID-19 spread in the sub-arctic and humid continental regions, respectively. From June to August, the high favorable zone for the spread of the disease will shift towards the sub-arctic region from the humid continental region. The study suggests that the government should implement strict measures for these months to prevent the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Russia.