Areas of Expertise
- Understanding Human-Nature interactions with modelling
- Uncovering spatial patterns and processes using GIS
- Shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for both our urban and rural landscapes
Contact
Dr. Yang Chen unfortunately does not work with the CLIFF project anymore.
Positions
- Researcher and Lecturer @ University of Amsterdam
- Postdoctoral Researcher @ University of Twente
- PhD Student @ Wageningen University
- Intern at Industry Solutions @ ESRI
Recent Publications
Extensive vineyard management and semi-natural habitats increase biodiversity and ecosystem services: insights from a global meta-analysis
Biodiversity erosion is a key challenge that requires major adaptations in land use for sustainable agriculture. Globally, vineyards are among the most intensive farming systems with negative impacts on biodiversity and associated ecosystem services (ES). Nature-based solutions need to reconcile biodiversity conservation with grape production from the field to the landscape scale. In this study, we conducted a hierarchical global meta-analysis to assess the impact of various practices related to extensive management such as establishing vegetation cover, organic farming or low pesticide use on biodiversity and ES. Our analysis is based on 822 datasets extracted from 221 articles. Overall, extensive management increased biodiversity and ES provision by 14.2 % in comparison to more intensive practices. While provisioning ES, such as grape quantity and quality, showed heterogeneous reponses, biodiversity and most other ES benefited from maintaining vegetation cover in vineyards. We identified the strongest positive response to extensive management in carbon sequestration (+37.8 %), followed by erosion control (+26.4 %), soil fertility (+19.9 %), and pest control (+16.4 %). Our analysis revealed that farming practices modulated the effects of extensive management, with high-diversity cover crops enhancing, and herbicide use diminishing, the beneficial impact on biodiversity and ES. Maintaining semi-natural habitats in the landscape significantly boosted the positive effect of extensive management on pest control. Finally, organic management reduced grape yield by 20 % but it did not affect grape quality. Nature-based solutions in viticulture should be based on extensive vegetation management, diverse cover-crops and low pesticide use combined with significant amounts of semi-natural habitats in the landscape, while minimising yield loss.
Climate Injustices Have Multiplied over Time: The Need for Climate System Justice
This article asks: How have climate injustices accumulated in climate negotiations, and how can a climate system justice approach be developed? It concludes that, first, without a just approach, climate change cannot be addressed. Second, it identifies six cumulative injustices: (a) delay of the long-term climate objective, (b) post-equitable sharing of the ‘carbon budget’, (c) ignoring stranded resources and assets, (d) adopting efficient but inequitable/ineffective mitigation instruments, (e) weak adaptation and loss and damage strategies and (f) a symptomatic not curative approach. This article concludes by calling for climate system justice, arguing that only a just approach enables effective climate policy.
Just Energy Transition Partnerships
The Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) – between G-7+ countries and South Africa (2021), Indonesia (2022), Viet Nam (2022), and Senegal (2023) – aim to expedite coal phase out, promote renewables and incentivize a just transition. Past climate finance initiatives often fell short in terms of recipient countries’ autonomy and their financing terms, transparency and objectives. Against this background, we ask: how can the JETPs initiate an inclusive and effective fossil fuel phase out and accelerate the energy transition? This study is the first comparative analysis of all four partnerships from a justice perspective. Drawing on institutional analysis, key policy documents and twenty-two expert interviews, we conclude that the JETPs: receive strong host country political support; involve a significant public finance pledge ($30.8 billion); prioritize country-owned investment plans; advance just transition frameworks; and spark vital discussions about the just energy transition. Nevertheless, the JETPs are inequitable because: of the International Partners Group’s financial intransparency; a lack of high-quality just transition finance (only 3-4 % grants); distorted and untransparent consultations; numerous financial conditionalities; and a privatization focus. Moreover, they exclude the Global South countries facing the biggest challenges in phasing out fossil fuels. For the JETPs to be inclusive and effective, involved governments need to disclose financial terms from the outset, improve financing terms, streamline the number of funding schemes, add localization criteria, halt new fossil fuel investments, conduct robust emission target modelling, include and inform affected communities more actively, enhance accountability and prioritize more community based small-scale projects.
Avoiding fossil fuel addresses human and planetary health
This policy brief argues that fossil fuel extraction and combustion strongly affects human (including violence against
women) and planetary (including ocean) health (SDG 3, 5, 15). Although fossil fuels have contributed to economic
prosperity for some, there is growing evidence that they need to be phased out in a just manner us-ing appropriate
means of implementation. This policy brief argues for revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development.
Such a partnership can also en-courage a structural change to the global economy to ensure human wellbeing, employment, and prosperity.
Transport within earth system boundaries
Achieving a socially and environmentally sustainable mobility and transport system necessitates a multifaceted approach that considers just Earth System Boundaries. Just Earth System Boundaries are domain-specific (e.g. climate change, water) thresholds beyond which significant harm is done to people and other species. We have crossed these thresholds in 7/8 domains and not yet met the minimum needs of people worldwide. The challenge is to return to the safe and just corridor while prioritising the access of the poorest people to minimum resources as called for by the principle of leaving no one behind. Within this context, the transport sector, a major contributor to climate change and environmental pollution, requires significant and swift transformations. This comment proposes six key principles for building a sustainable transport system: prioritising equitable access, enhancing public transport and limiting private transport, decarbonising fuel and fleets, decoupling freight transport from fossil fuel trade, repurposing infrastructure, and ensuring just financing. These principles may enable just living within just Earth System Boundaries.
About
The CLIFF project was financed by the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
Grant agreement: No. 101020082
Quick Links
Contact
+31 20 5254366
J.Gupta@uva.nl
Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WS Amsterdam