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Climate change impacts are distributed unequally, despite affecting the entire world and its inhabitants. Economically, socially and culturally deprived groups are more vulnerable to climate change impacts. Women comprise the majority among these vulnerable groups, and it is, therefore, crucial to stress gendered perspectives in climate change adaptation strategies that promote gender equality and sustainable development. To that end, this paper documents the adaptation strategies employed by farmers and examines gender differences in climate change adaptation practices in Yunnan Province, China. A random sampling technique was used to select 1520 household heads for the survey. We used descriptive statistics and a multivariate probit model to document four categories of adaptation measures against a set of household features, social network, financial assets and perception variables. We discovered that female and male respondents do not significantly differ in their knowledge and perceptions of climate change, but female- and male-headed household respondents did differ in adopting climate change adaptation measures. The adaptation measures of female- and male-headed households were influenced by different sets of factors. The most significant determinant for both female- and male-headed households was perception of drought events in the last 20 years, followed by access to loans, while income from non-farm-based work had positive and significant impacts only for male-headed households. Findings from this study will help to elucidate the determinants of climate change adaptation decisions for female- and male-headed households in farming communities and the strategic interventions necessary for effective adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution pattern of arid–humid climate in the modern northwest–southeast confrontation in Asia evolved from the zonal distribution pattern of the Paleogene. However, this evolutionary process remains poorly constrained by geological evidence. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of sporopollen assemblages recorded in Late Eocene strata of the Jianchuan Basin in southwest China. We show that vegetation patterns exhibited a remarkable shift from tropical–subtropical sparse forest to subtropical–temperate mixed broad-leaved–coniferous forest at ∼40.6 Ma; this shift is further indicated by the rapid decrease in drought-tolerant plants, mostly Ephedra and Chenopodiaceae, evidence that the previous hot–dry climate was replaced by a warm–humid climate at this time. This evidence suggests that the Asian monsoon began to affect the study area at ∼40.6 Ma. We then comprehensively integrated sporopollen results from several basins across East Asia, revealing that the frontal edge of the humid monsoon climate moved intermittently to the northwest after the Late Eocene, and may have advanced to the Lunpola–Lanzhou line by the early Late Oligocene, this being similar to the position of the leading edge of the modern monsoon. Moreover, the frontal edge of the humid monsoon climate may have extended as far as the Qaidam Basin during the Middle Miocene, but then gradually retreated to the position of the modern monsoon front. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and global climate change may have played dominant roles in this evolution. • A Late Eocene sporopollen record was obtained from the subtropical Yunnan region. • The Asian monsoon extended from tropical to subtropical regions around 40.6 Ma. • The Asian monsoon reached the modern monsoon front in the early Late Oligocene. • The Asian monsoon advanced on one occasion to the Qaidam Basin in the Mid-Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southwestern China, a biodiversity hotspot, underwent dramatic climate change following the Last Glacial Maximum and intensive human activity also exerted a major impact since the late Holocene. In this paper, we report a pollen record from Yilong Lake in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, to understand vegetation response to long-term climatic variation and human activities at a regional-level over the last 27,000 years. Findings show that temperate and coniferous taxa were dominant before 18 cal kyr BP reflecting the glacial climate. Between 18 and 14 cal kyr BP, thermophilic taxa increased in response to global deglaciation. A notable shift from deciduous to evergreen forests occurred at approximately 14 cal kyr BP, after which pollen concentration increased but pollen diversity decreased. Pollen assemblages indicated dense forests, primarily composed of evergreen oaks developed under warm and strong summer monsoon conditions from 13 to 8 cal kyr BP. High rates of vegetation change occurred during the middle Holocene before vegetation diversity gradually increased during the Holocene Thermal Optimum, with high variability of precipitation in the Yilong Lake region. Anthropogenic forcing progressively became the main factor affecting vegetation composition and vegetation change rates over the past three millennia. • We reported a pollen record from Yilong Lake in Yunnan province, China. • Cold-tolerant taxa dominated before 18 cal kaBP after which thermal-like taxa increased. • Evergreen forests replaced deciduous forests around 14 cal kaBP. • Vegetation change rates peaked in mid-Holocene with mega-thermal but frequent droughts. • Departure of vegetation and potential climax occurred in late-Holocene due to human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the relative influences of anthropogenic activities and climate change on soil erosion and deposition during the Holocene, when both forces have been interacting is a complex problem. Analysis of long-term patterns in soil erosion and lake deposition in a basin can provide the basis for untangling the complexities of climate and anthropogenic forcings. In this paper, sedimentary sequences from Xingyun Lake are compared with simulated soil erosion rates in the basin to explore the relationship between river basin soil erosion and lake deposition during the Holocene in Yunnan, China. Modern soil erosion rates are calculated using RUSLE, while Holocene soil erosion rates are estimated using modern rates with reconstructed precipitation and vegetation cover sequences. Through this investigation, we found the following results. First, Holocene vegetation in the lake basin was mainly affected by climate change, and the vegetation experienced the same pattern of changes as the climate. Soil erosion and lake deposition rates, along with changes to vegetation cover, were synchronous with precipitation trends during the Holocene. Second, soil erosion and lake deposition have been exacerbated by human activities, such as deforestation and land reclamation in the Xingyun Lake basin. Finally, this study provides new insights into the effects by anthropogenic impacts and climate forcing on the processes of soil erosion and lake deposition on the millennium scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Based on the principles of SPEI, we develop a GDAI. • The relationship between GDAI and AI is closer. • The correlation between GDAI and SPEI is also better. Climate change has increased the risk of drought in both arid and non-arid regions of the globe. Therefore, in order to monitor and evaluate global drought and aridity, based on the principle of standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), this paper selected precipitation and potential evapotranspiration data and used a frequency calculation method to develop a multi-scale global drought aridity index (GDAI) that concurrently considers spatial and temporal variation characteristics: the spatiotemporal standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. The index was compared with the aridity index (AI) and SPEI. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between GDAI and AI were greater than 0.8 in most areas, and the relationship was closer and could reveal the global aridity and wetness zoning. In addition, the correlation between GDAI and SPEI was also better, which could capture the temporal change characteristics of drought. Moreover, this study also compared the grades of GDAI and SPEI with the actual drought grades in Yunnan from September 2009 to August 2010, and found that GDAI was better than SPEI, and GDAI was the most accurately evaluated at the 3 month time scale, with an accuracy rate of 86.11%. Therefore, this index is more helpful for the assessment and monitoring of global drought and aridity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]