Environmental Security

The RPA investigates the multiple dimensions of traditional and non-traditional security in the Asia Pacific region and their implications for re-conceptualizing security.

A number of contemporary problems, ranging from climate change to scarcity of resources, present a set of challenges that have suggested that we are now living in the Anthropocene, a new geological era in which the destiny of the planet depends on human actions.  Some of the challenges are expressed in security terms, with a growing emphasis on energy, environmental, water security, pointing at the emergence of new, non-traditional security issues while old ones, like conflict, remain relevant and security paradoxes become evident as attempts to secure existing ways of life end up in increasing insecurity. Analytical frameworks and existing institutions become dysfunctional and problems cannot be dealt with in traditional ways.  

The RPA brings together insights from different disciplines to explore the traditional and non-traditional security challenges the Asia Pacific region faces, and the implications they have for redefining security, in terms of whose security, against what threats and by what means.

Some of the key areas covered are:

• Non-traditional security issues
• Theoretical debates on security in the Anthropocene
• Climate Change and security
• Water security: scarcity, pollution and flooding;
• Critical infrastructures protection;
• Energy security: issues, concepts, and discourses;
• Health security: Contemporary and historical dimensions;
• Non-traditional security issues
• Security, securitization, language games, emotions: what is a stake in labelling an issue a security issue?
• Humanitarian and post-disaster intervention: limits and potentials of the resilience discourse;
• Economic security and the reconceptualization of security: implication of redefinitions of risk, insurance and resilience for international investments, business, and markets

Activities

Media coverage/blog articles

BBC (by Tessa Wong) on 11 November 2021, "The man turning cities into giant sponges to embrace floods" (link)

The Guardian (by Vincent Ni) on 9 November 2021, "‘It’s alarming’: intense rainfall and extreme weather become the norm in northern China" (link)

The Christian Science Monitor Daily (by Ann Taylor) on 29 July 2021, “To curb urban flooding: China is building sponge cities. Do they work?” (link)

Forbes (by Laurie winkless) on 27 July 2021, “Could Sponge Cities help us prepare for our flooded future? (link)

New York Times (by Steven Lee Myers, Keith Bradsher and Chris Buckley) on 26 July 2021, “As China Boomed, It Didn’t Take Climate Change Into Account. Now It Must”. (link)

Canadian Broadcast Co-operation (CBC) Radio 1, interviewed by Robyn Bresnahan, “The current show”

France 24 on 23 July 2021, “China warned of future disasters as Zhengzhou floods toll passes 50” (link)

MSN news (by David Stanway, Reuters) on 23 July 2021, “Zhengzhou floods serve China's urban planners deadly warning” (link)

The Wires China (by Eyck Freymann) on 18 July 2021, “The Sponge Revolution” (link)

Ningbo Times on 26 March 2021, “Sponge City Program (SCP) in Transition: Opportunities via Social Media” (link)

The Guardian (2019) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jan/23/inside-chinas-leading-sponge-city-wuhans-war-with-water

US National Program Radio (2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/08/09/899784094/roads-become-rivers-nearly-4-million-chinese-evacuated-or-displaced-from-floodin

Nottingham Blog article by Li and Chan (2020) https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/bluegreenfutures/2020/03/16/is-the-sponge-city-program-scp-transforming-chinese-cities/

UNUK ARI Research article in the Asia Dialogue – Chan (2019) https://theasiadialogue.com/2018/06/01/the-opportunities-and-challenges-of-the-sponge-city-project-in-chinese-cities-the-solution-of-urban-flood-and-drought-issues 

Guest Editorship - Special Issue on urban flood risk management and flood resilience in Frontiers of Water

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/15724/urban-flood-resilience-and-sustainable-flood-management-strategies-in-megacities”

Publications/Conferences

1) Xu, Y., Chan F., Johnson, M., Stanton, T., He, J., Jia, T., Wang, J., Wang, Z., Yao, Y., Xu, J. (2021) Microplastic pollution in Chinese urban rivers: The influence of urban factors. Resources, Conservation and Recycling: 105686.

2) Chan, F. et al. (2021). "Urban flood risks and emerging challenges in a Chinese delta: The case of the Pearl River Delta." Environmental Science & Policy 122: 101-115.

3) Qi, Y., Chan, F., O'donnell, E., Thorne, C., Feng, M., Sang, Y., et al. (2021). "Exploring the development of the Sponge City Program (SCP): the case of Gui'an New District, Southwest China." Frontiers in Water, 3, 41.

4) Xie, P., Wu, L., Sang, Y. F., Chan, F., Chen, J., Wu, Z., & Li, Y. (2021). "Correlation-aided method for identification and gradation of periodicities in hydrologic time series." Geoscience Letters, 8(1), 1-16.

5) Xu, Y., Chan, F., Stanton, T., Johnson, M., Kay, P., He, J., Wang, J., Kong, C., Wang, Z., Liu, D., Xu, Y. (2021). "Synthesis of dominant plastic microfibre prevalence and pollution control feasibility in Chinese freshwater environments." Science of The Total Environment: 146863.

6) Li, L.., Cheshmehzangi A., Chan, F., Ives, D.C. (2021). "Mapping the Research Landscape of Nature-Based Solutions in Urbanism." Sustainability 13(7): 3876.

7) O′Donnell, E. C., Netusil, N., Chan, F., Dolman, N. and Gosling, S. (2021). "International Perceptions of Urban Blue-Green Infrastructure: A Comparison across Four Cities." Water 13(4): 544.

8) Qi, Y.; Chan, F.; Thorne, C.; O’Donnell, E.; Quagliolo, C.; Comino, E.; Pezzoli, A.; Li, L.; Griffiths, J.; Sang, Y.; Feng, M. (2020) Addressing Challenges of Urban Water Management in Chinese Sponge Cities via Nature-Based Solutions. Water, 12, 2788.

9)  Alex M. Lechner, Rachel L. Gomes, Lucelia Rodrigues, Matthew J. Ashfold, Sivathass Bannir Selvam, Ee Phin Wong, Christopher M. Raymond, Alexandra Zieritz, Kong Wah Sing, Peter Moug, Lawal Billa, Saut Sagala, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Karen Lourdes, Badrul Azhar, Ruzana Sanusi, Christopher D. Ives, Yu-Ting Tang, David Tan, Chan F., Tapan Kumar Nath, Nur Aliya Binti Sabarudin, Sarah Metcalfe, Natalie M. Gulsrud, Mark Scheursch, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Mark G. Macklin, Chris Gibbins; Challenges and considerations of applying nature-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia. (2020) Blue-Green Systems bgs2020014. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2020.014

10) Xu, Y-Y., Chan, F., He, J., Johnson, M., Gibbins, C., Kay, P., Stanton, T., Xu, Y-Y., Li, G., Feng, M-L., Paramor, O., Yu, X-B. & Zhu, Y-G. (2020) A critical review of microplastic pollution in urban freshwater environments and legislative progress in China: Recommendations and insights, Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/10643389.2020.1801308

11) Li, L., Alexandra M.C., Cheshmehzangi A., Chan F. (2020) Identifying enablers and barriers to the implementation of the Green Infrastructure for urban flood management: A comparative analysis of the UK and China, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 54, 126770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126770

12) Lo, Y., Liu S., Cheung, L.T.O., Chan, F. (2020) Contested Transformations: Sustainable Economic Development and Capacity for Adapting to Climate Change. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 110 (1): 223-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1625748

13) O’Donnell E., Thorne C.R., Yeakley J.A., Chan F. (2020) Sustainable Flood Risk and Stormwater Management in Blue-Green Cities; an Interdisciplinary Case Study in Portland, Oregon. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (http://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12854)

14) Griffiths J, Chan F, M, Zhu FF and Higgitt D, (2020) Interpretation and application of Sponge City guidelines in China. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (http://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0222)

15) Meng M., Dabrowski M., Tai Y., Stead D., Chan, F. (2019) Collaborative spatial planning in the face of flood risk in delta cities: A policy framing perspective. Environmental Science and Policy, 96, 95-104.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2019.03.006.

16) Chan F., Joon C.C., Ziegler A., Dabrowski M. and Varis O. (2018) Towards resilient flood risk management for Asian coastal cities: lessons learned from Hong Kong and Singapore. Journal of Cleaner Production,187, 576-589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.217

17) Chan F., Griffiths G., Higgitt D., Shuyang X., Fangfang Z., Yu-Ting T., Yuyao X. and Thorne C. (2018) “Sponge City” in China – a breakthrough of planning and flood risk management in the urban context. Land Use Policy, 76, 772-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.03.005

18) Griffiths, J., Zhu F.-F. Chan F. and Higgitt D. Modelling the impact of sea-level rise on urban flood probability in SE China. Geoscience Frontiers (In Press - available online since 29 March 2018) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.02.012 

19) Tang Y.T., Chan F., O’Donnell E., Griffiths J., Lau L., Higgitt D. and Thorne C. (2018) Aligning Ancient and Modern Approaches to Sustainable Urban Water Management in China: Ningbo as a ‘Blue-Green City’ in the ‘Sponge City’ Campaign. Journal of Flood Risk Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12451

20) Everett, G., Lamond, J., Mozillo, A., Matsler M. and Chan, F. (2018) Delivering Green Streets: An exploration of changing perceptions and behaviours over time around bioswales in Portland, Oregon. Journal of Flood Risk Management. 11, 973-985. DOI: 10.1111/jfr3.12225.

21) Trombetta, Maria Julia (2021) Security in the Anthropocene in International Relations in the Anthropocene New Agendas, New Agencies and New Approaches. David Chandler, Franziska Müller and Delf Rothe (eds), Palgrave McMillan, Basingstoke.

22) Maria Julia Trombetta (2022) The Securitization of Energy and the Environment in The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in Helge Jörgens and Christoph Knill (eds) Abingdon Routledge 2022.

23) Maria Julia Trombetta (2022) Environmental Security in Aiden Warren (ed.) Global Security in the Post-pandemic Age,” University of Edinburgh Press.

24) Maria Julia Trombetta Climate change and International Security, Edward Elgar forthcoming (editor and contributor).

25) International Studies Association, virtual Conference 6-9 April 2021

Maria Julia Trombetta: "Security, Relationality, Climate Change (and COVID-19): Securitization in the Chinese Context"

Maria Julia Trombetta: "Securitization ofCovid-19 in China, Italy and the UK: A comparison" for Panel"COVID-19 and Powerful States" Thursday

Maria Julia Trombetta, chair and discussant on the panel: "Generating Power: The Unequal Politics and Epistemics of Climate Change" 

26) European International Studies Association, virtual conference 14-17 September 2021

Trombetta, MJ “Securitization and Climate Change in China: a relational approach”

Trombetta MJ “Rethinking security in the Anthropocene: Moving beyond Environmental Security

Roundtable: Teaching IR in the Anthropocene