Pathways for adapting tourism to climate change in an urban destination - Evidences based on thermal conditions for the Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal).

The narrative of sustainable tourism transition in a context of adaptation to climate change is very relevant internationally. The availability and sharing of knowledge and information is a basic requirement for the successful planning of the tourism sector regarding this phenomenon. Planning adaptation in the urban tourism sector is widely regarded as a collectively-based process. However, collaborative planning is far from being the standard. This study reports the results of a Modified Delphi Approach (MDA) among experts about the future of urban tourism in a context of adaptation to climate change in Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal), considering the outdoor thermal conditions perspective. Using an expert panel, the study gathered their opinions to analyze the degrees of responsibility of the main sectorial entities at different territorial levels, the conditions of action in the transformation agenda and the measures to be implemented in the adaptation and mitigation process - according to priority and time horizon. Two rounds were carried out to apply the methodology between January and April 2021. The first questionnaire had the participation of 47 professionals. 34 out of the 47 professionals of the 1st round participated in the second questionnaire. The evidence from different stakeholders demonstrates that there is an ambiguous process of understanding the problem, information needs, and a weak interaction between actors - resources - tasks. The effectiveness and efficiency of collaborative planning and outlined goals by 2050 for adaptation of urban tourism sector to climate change can be hampered. Experts consider the creation of structural (tangible) measures to be fundamental. Among other results, it was found that most participants consider that the intervention is dependent on the guidelines issued by the government and municipal councils when it comes to defining a proposal for adapting the urban tourism sector to climate change. Despite this, the options for more sustainable practices must be based on three axes: (i) solutions based on the energy sector in the hotel industry (e.g., energy certification, prioritization of the use of renewable energy); (ii) improvement and expansion of green infrastructure for tourist enjoyment [e.g., creation of green areas (small additional pockets), namely in the center of Porto; and pedestrianization of central areas of the city] and (iii) network participation through the collaboration of various stakeholders with relevance in tourism and urban planning.

Bridging the gap of perception is the only way to align soil protection actions.

Science is the seed of a decent life, with which we sow hope in the present and which we irrigate with the perfecting of good deeds. It is even crucial in the Mediterranean southern frontiers where the cultural erosion dissolves the structure of a society abandoned by the arms and brains of its youth. Soil-water-vegetation crisis should not be underestimated; coupled with socioeconomic congestion it would lead to an irremediable crash. Here, we show that the first and most difficult step to face soil degradation is to cultivate the right idea and develop it into a well-established community culture. We found in northern Morocco that 94.5% of farmers have no qualification and 82.6% of them act in a way that worsens soil degradation even if they are aware of the severity of the problem. This confused perception of ideas originates inappropriate labour behaviours non-aligned with public actions. Our results show that the impact of this is a high potential regional erosion rate of 27.7 t/ha/year which is equivalent to a massive potential gross amount of soil loss of 44.3 Mt/year. We show that this leads to an overall vegetation decrease related mainly to the anthropogenic pressure then to climate and lithology. We anticipate that the solution must be comprehensive, participatory, strategic and innovative, led by education and scientific research (Citizen Science) and involving all actors equally. In its broad context, the only path to achieve the coordination and alignment of actions would be through a gradual change of perception and involvement based on a time-consuming culture of assimilation and acceptance rather than a culture of rapid reform.

Estimating Barcelona's metropolitan daytime hot and cold poles using Landsat-8 Land Surface Temperature.

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (BMA) is located in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. With a population of over 3 billion people, the BMA is one of the most populous metropolitan areas on the Mediterranean coast. A local climatic modification known as the urban heat island (UHI) occurs in the urban areas. The UHI is usually quantified by means of air temperature, although remote sensing can be used to extract a thermal image of the earth's surface to provide temperature values throughout the study area. Estimation of the land surface temperature (LST) for the BMA enabled us to establish the spatial patterns of LST and to detect the poles of heat and cold within the BMA on 24 dates during the 2013-2018 period, distributed among the 4 seasons of the year. To this end we performed a principal component analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis (CA). Moreover, we employed the Random Forest (RF) regression method to quantify the influence and variation of diverse geographic covariates according to season and location in the study area. Finally, to determine the influence of land covers on temperature, the thermal values of the 4 land covers included in the Corine Land Cover dataset were analyzed: industrial units, continuous urban fabric, green urban areas, and forest areas. Results show that the heat poles are concentrated in industrial areas primarily, followed by urban fabric areas. On the contrary, the cold pole is found in green urban areas, as well as forested areas. The maximum temperature range between land covers was detected in spring and summer, while in winter this difference was negligible. Our study showed that green urban areas presented temperatures up to 2.5 °C lower than in urban areas. The results of the present research are intended to serve as a roadmap for enhancing thermal comfort in the BMA.