Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.

Defining the Anthropocene

Growth theory predicts that natural disasters should, on impact, lower GDP per capita. However, the empirical literature does not offer conclusive evidence. Most existing studies use disaster data drawn from damage records of insurance companies. We argue that this may lead to estimation bias as damage data and the selection into the database may correlate with GDP. We build a comprehensive database of disaster events and their intensities from primary geophysical and meteorological information. In contrast to insurance data, our GeoMet data reveal a substantial negative and robust average impact effect of disasters on growth. The worst 5% disaster years come with a growth damage of at least 0.45 percentage points. That average effect is driven mainly by very large earthquakes and some meteorological disasters. Poor countries are more strongly affected by geophysical disasters; rich more by meteorological events. International openness and democratic institutions reduce the adverse effect of disasters.

Naturally Negative: The Growth Effects of Natural Disasters

Community based bottom-up design is the foundation of national emergency management system The outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic in early 2020 is a major test of emergency management capability in rural China This paper first describes the necessity of strengthening the emergency management design in rural areas of China Then this paper introduces the fundamental role of emergency management design based on bottom-up for the security of rural areas in China, especially in improving the level of comprehensive disaster reduction at the grassroots level, which plays an important role in improving the emergency management ability of China’s rural areas Based on the above analysis, this paper takes the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control of epidemic in rural areas of China as an example, and find out many problems in China’s rural emergency management system, such as the grass-roots government’s emergency needs cannot be met, the existing mode of systematic lack, the lack of psychological intervention and so on Finally, this paper proposes to strengthen the emergency management design in China’s rural areas from expanding the scope of emergency management subjects, strengthening the systematic design of rural emergency management system and strengthening the psychological intervention in rural areas

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/7/3642/pdf

Understanding and Strengthening the Emergency Management and Comprehensive Disaster Reduction in China’s Rural Areas: Lessons from Coping with the COVID-19 Epidemic

Carbon neutrality is an important policy in the current global response to climate change and has been widely recognized by various industries. In the process of promoting carbon neutrality, new energy plays a pivotal role. In this study, the definition and connotation of new energy and its role and specific operation in the energy transition of carbon neutrality are firstly explained. Promoting new energy development requires significant green and low-carbon investments. Taking China as an example, this paper analyzes the opportunities brought by the carbon neutral process to the field of green finance and analyzes the main features and development trends of green finance in China at present. Then this paper proposes policy recommendations to strengthen the development of green finance in China in terms of improving the green financial policy system, enhancing the supply capacity of green financial services, and optimizing the supporting environment for green financial development. Finally, this paper analyzes the measures and experiences of the United States in promoting low-carbon development and proposes countermeasures for China's low-carbon development on the basis of the five major relationships that need attention in China's carbon-neutral process. That is, strengthen the top-level design and improve the regulatory policy system; optimize the energy structure and increase the proportion of clean energy; optimize the industrial structure and reduce energy consumption in key industries; build a complete low-carbon technology system and promote low-carbon technology research and development and demonstration applications, and encourage local conditions to explore low-carbon development paths. The development of green finance can contribute to the advancement of new energy technologies, thus contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality goals.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00368504221086361

A better understanding of the role of new energy and green finance to help achieve carbon neutrality goals, with special reference to China

Catastrophe risk governance has become one of the key issues affecting global sustainable development As great changes have taken place in the global social ecosystem, the degree of interconnection between different regions in today’s society is much greater than ever before Various types of contact networks, eg, the production chain and supply chain, have been created, which provide diversified channels for the spread of catastrophe risk across time and space In the context of interconnection, this paper first analyzes the drastic changes of the current disaster risk system Severe catastrophe risk has posed a great threat to the highly growing international trade, and has also tested the capabilities of national comprehensive disaster defense Thus, this paper analyzes the main characteristics of China’s comprehensive disaster defense capability, including physical, social, and humanistic defense capability Finally, this paper puts forward the key points to resolve catastrophe risk from the perspective of decision-makers, including improving the decision-makers’ ability to study and judge the catastrophe chain and the impact of catastrophe, and the national resource reserve capacity to cope with the catastrophe

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1793/pdf

Better Understanding the Catastrophe Risk in Interconnection and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Defense Capability, with Special Reference to China

Better understanding positive and negative impacts of disasters on regional economies, with special reference to China

Climate change risk has become an important challenge for global sustainable development. The insurance industry can play an important role in coping with the increasingly severe climate change risk. This paper first describes the increasing climate change risk and the difficulties of the insurance mechanism in dealing with it. Then this paper summarizes the international practice of using the insurance mechanism to deal with climate change risk from ten different aspects. Based on the summary of the role of the insurance mechanism in dealing with this risk in developing countries, this paper puts forward the main application areas for climate change risk insurance and discusses the policy implications of developing climate change risk insurance in China.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/2996/pdf

Better Understanding Insurance Mechanism in Dealing with Climate Change Risk, with Special Reference to China.

Understanding and strengthening the role of catastrophe lottery in catastrophe risk transfer system

The COVID-19 epidemic has seriously affected global economic and social development. The extent to which insurance can play a role in preventing and transferring the risk of infectious diseases has become one of the major concerns of the community. This paper first analyzes the main contents of the U.S. Pandemic Risk Insurance Act during the COVID-19 epidemic and its insights to the global audiences. Then, on the basis of the definition of global pandemic, this paper analyzes the great challenges faced by the insurability of the infectious diseases' catastrophe from the regional impact, risk accumulation, correlation with capital markets, and accuracy of catastrophe model, and the insurability of local infectious diseases. Finally, this paper presents the key points of the top-level design of the risk transfer mechanism of infectious disease insurance in China. This paper is informative in understanding the role of insurance in the risk transfer of infectious diseases.

Feng Kong

Papers

Better understanding positive and negative impacts of disasters on regional economies, with special reference to China

Better Understanding the Catastrophe Risk in Interconnection and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Defense Capability, with Special Reference to China

Better Understanding Insurance Mechanism in Dealing with Climate Change Risk, with Special Reference to China.

Understanding and strengthening the role of catastrophe lottery in catastrophe risk transfer system

How to Understand the Role of Insurance Mechanism in a Global Pandemic