scholarly journals Climate Action for (My) Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Fornwagner ◽  
Oliver P. Hauser
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
High School Diploma ◽  
Sustainable Living ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Subgroup Analyses ◽  
Climate Action

AbstractHow do we motivate cooperation across the generations—between parents and children? Here we study voluntary climate action (VCA), which is costly to today’s decision-makers but essential to enable sustainable living for future generations. We predict that “offspring observability” is critical: parents will be more likely to invest in VCA when their own offspring observes their action, whereas when adults or genetically unrelated children observe them, the effect will be smaller. In a large-scale lab-in-the-field experiment, we observe a remarkable magnitude of VCA: parents invest 82% of their 69€ endowment into VCA, resulting in almost 14,000 real trees being planted. Parents’ VCA varies across conditions, with the largest treatment effect occurring when a parent’s own child is the observer. In subgroup analyses, we find that larger treatment effects occur among parents with a high school diploma. Moreover, VCA for parents who believe in climate change is most affected by the presence of their own child. In contrast, VCA of climate change skeptical parents is most influenced by the presence of children to whom they are not related. Our findings have implications for policy-makers interested in designing programs to encourage voluntary climate action and sustaining intergenerational public goods.

scholarly journals The risk of carbon leakage in global climate agreements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Nielsen ◽  
Nicolai Baumert ◽  
Astrid Kander ◽  
Magnus Jiborn ◽  
Viktoras Kulionis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Carbon Leakage ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Climate Agreements ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions

Abstract Although climate change and international trade are interdependent, policy-makers often address the two topics separately. This may inhibit progress at the intersection of climate change and trade and could present a serious constraint for global climate action. One key risk is carbon leakage through emission outsourcing, i.e. reductions in emissions in countries with rigorous climate policies being offset by increased emissions in countries with less stringent policies. We first analyze the Paris Agreement’s nationally determined contributions (NDC) and investigate how carbon leakage is addressed. We find that the risk of carbon leakage is insufficiently accounted for in these documents. Then, we apply a novel quantitative approach (Jiborn et al., 2018; Baumert et al., 2019) to analyze trends in carbon outsourcing related to a previous international climate regime—the Kyoto Protocol—in order to assess whether reported emission reductions were offset by carbon outsourcing in the past. Our results for 2000–2014 show a more nuanced picture of carbon leakage during the Kyoto Protocol than previous studies have reported. Carbon outsourcing from developed to developing countries was dominated by the USA outsourcing to China, while the evidence for other developed countries was mixed. Against conventional wisdom, we find that, in general, countries that stayed committed to their Kyoto Protocol emission targets were either only minor carbon outsourcers or actually even insourcers—although the trend was slightly negative—indicating that binding emissions targets do not necessarily lead to carbon outsourcing. We argue that multiple carbon monitoring approaches are needed to reduce the risk of carbon leakage.

scholarly journals Measuring Urban Resilience to Climate Change in Three Chinese Cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9735
Author(s):  
Mingshun Zhang ◽  
Yaguang Yang ◽  
Huanhuan Li ◽  
Meine Pieter van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Resilience Index ◽  
Weak Points ◽  
Monitoring Progress

Building an urban resilience index results in developing an increasingly popular tool for monitoring progress towards climate-proof cities. This paper develops an urban resilience index in the context of urban China, which helps planners and policy-makers at city level to identify whether urban development is leading to more resilience. The urban resilience index (URI) suggested in this research uses data on 24 indicators distributed over six URI component indices. While no measure of such a complex phenomenon can be perfect, the URI proved to be effective, useful and robust. Our findings show that the URI ensures access to integrated information on urban resilience to climate change. It allows comparisons of cities in a systematic and quantitative way, and enables identification of strong and weak points related to urban resilience. The URI provides tangible measures of not only overall measures of urban resilience to climate change, but also urban resilience components and related indicators. Therefore, it could meet a wide range of policy and research needs. URI is a helpful tool for urban decision-makers and urban planners to quantify goals, measure progress, benchmark performance, and identify priorities for achieving high urban resilience to climate change.

scholarly journals Are citizen juries and assemblies on climate change driving democratic climate policymaking? An exploration of two case studies in the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Wells ◽  
Candice Howarth ◽  
Lina I. Brand-Correa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Elected Representatives ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In light of increasing pressure to deliver climate action targets, and the growing role of citizens in raising the importance of the issue, deliberative democratic processes (e.g. Citizen Juries and Citizen Assemblies) on climate change are increasingly being used to provide a voice to citizens in climate change decision-making. Through a comparative case study of two processes that ran in the UK in 2019 (the Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury and the Oxford Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change), this paper investigates how far Citizen Assemblies and Juries on climate change are increasing citizen engagement on climate change and creating more citizen-centred climate policy-making. Interviews were conducted with policy-makers, councillors, professional facilitators and others involved in running these processes to assess motivations for conducting these, their structure and the impact and influence they had. The findings suggest the impact of these processes is not uniform: they have an indirect impact on policymaking by creating momentum around climate action and supporting the introduction of pre-planned or pre-existing policies rather than a direct impact by being truly being citizen-centred policymaking processes or conducive to new climate policy. We conclude with reflections on how these processes give elected representatives a public mandate on climate change, that they help to identify more nuanced and in-depth public opinions in a fair and informed way, yet it can be challenging to embed citizen juries and assemblies in wider democratic processes.

scholarly journals Yet another lockdown? A large-scale study on people's unwillingness to be confined during the first 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Martinez-Garcia ◽  
Alejandro Rabasa ◽  
Xavier Barber ◽  
Kristina Polotskaya ◽  
Kristof Roomp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
The Impact

Population confinements have been one of the most widely adopted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by governments across the globe to help contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While confinement measures have been proven to be effective to reduce the number of infections, they entail significant economic and social costs. Thus, different policy makers and social groups have exhibited varying levels of acceptance of this type of measures. In this context, understanding the factors that determine the willingness of individuals to be confined during a pandemic is of paramount importance, particularly, to policy and decision-makers. In this paper, we study the factors that influence the unwillingness to be confined during the COVID-19 pandemic by means of a large-scale, online population survey deployed in Spain. We apply both quantitative (logistic regression) and qualitative (automatic pattern discovery) methods and consider socio-demographic, economic and psychological factors, together with the 14-day cumulative incidence per 100,000 inhabitants. Our analysis of 109,515 answers to the survey covers data spanning over a 5-month time period to shed light on the impact of the passage of time. We find evidence of pandemic fatigue as the percentage of those who report an unwillingness to be in confinement increases over time; we identify significant gender differences, with women being generally less likely than men to be able to sustain long-term confinement of at least 6 months; we uncover that the psychological impact was the most important factor to determine the willingness to be in confinement at the beginning of the pandemic, to be replaced by the economic impact as the most important variable towards the end of our period of study. Our results highlight the need to design gender and age specific public policies, to implement psychological and economic support programs and to address the evident pandemic fatigue as the success of potential future confinements will depend on the population's willingness to comply with them.

Can climate activism deliver transformative change? Extinction Rebellion, business and people power

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-31
Author(s):  
Neil Gunningham ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Change Agent ◽  
Important Change ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Grassroots Activism ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Short Time

This article examines whether large-scale grassroots activism might be a necessary condition for achieving transformational climate change action, and examines whether Extinction Rebellion (XR), which has had a remarkable impact in a very short time, might – unlike its predecessors – be capable of precipitating such change. Reviewing the evidence, the article suggests that such activism, even if necessary, is unlikely to be sufficient to bring about rapid and radical climate action. It might, however, prove to be an important change agent, through its contribution to a broader coalition of business and civil society actors or through harnessing ‘webs of influence’. How such a coalition might evolve, or web influence play out, is also explored.

Keeping Up the Momentum: Early Career Scientists in Policy-making and Community Science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlyn Hall ◽  
Ethan Howley ◽  
Evvan Morton ◽  
Erin Murphy ◽  
Hannah Bercovici ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Native American ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Policy Network ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Impact

<p>To make an impact on science policy, a relationship between scientists, community leaders, and decision-makers cannot stop at one successful event – it must grow and evolve. The Arizona Science Policy Network aims to facilitate collaboration between early career scientists and decision-makers to draft science-informed policy. Beyond providing interactive and cross-disciplinary training and curriculum to scientists, we facilitate opportunities to practice in real situations, including speaking at town halls and public hearings, organizing public science science cafes and science days, writing policy memos and briefs, and advising on bills. In 2019, we successfully brought more than 60 early career scientists to the Arizona State Capitol to discuss drafts of the complex, multi-state Drought Contingency Plan with decision-makers. Since then, the state government has invited us to help draft sustainability- and climate change-focused legislation. We consider issues like climate change, water quality and availability, heat adaptation and mitigation, science education, ecological and social impacts of mining and industry, waste management, and emerging technologies. As we worked in impacted communities, we soon realized that we were missing the voices of community leaders in the conversation between scientists and policy-makers. In order to correct this, we hosted several science forums in breweries and cafes throughout Arizona. The science cafes initiated collaboration between policy-makers, scientists and community stakeholders, including Native American tribes. These meetings gave scientists, community members, and policy-makers a platform to discuss the environmental and socio-economic  impact of mining sites specific to each forum’s location. Early career scientists contributed their scientific expertise to explain how we can address region-specific problems. Community members also shared their knowledge of each unique area and context of the impact of current business and policy. Policy-makers brought their perspective on how science is used to enact change. From these efforts, we have fostered a more equitable and inclusive environment to ensure that all perspectives and knowledge are included in new bills and policies. Our program has provided a unique experience for scientists to further understand the broader impacts of science on communities and society. This presentation will reflect on the lessons learned in drafting policy with decision-makers and community leaders.</p>

scholarly journals The Role of Health in Urban Climate Adaptation: An Analysis of Six U.S. Cities

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark M. Shimamoto ◽  
Sabrina McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Climate Action Plan

Abstract Climate change threatens the health of urban residents in many ways. This qualitative study aims to understand how six U.S. cities are considering health adaptation when responding to climate change; 65 semistructured interviews were conducted with salient stakeholders across six U.S. cities (Boston, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon; Raleigh, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tucson, Arizona), and transcripts were analyzed to identify common themes. Each city’s (or county’s) most recent climate action plan was also analyzed. This study found that interviewees’ ability to understand the connection between climate and health was a major determinant for health adaptation implementation. In addition, institutional fragmentation in governance made it difficult to incorporate health concerns into broader climate planning. However, cross-sectoral collaborations and considerations of health cobenefits were shown to help overcome these barriers. These findings offer valuable insight regarding how policy makers and practitioners can safeguard public health from the effects of climate change.

scholarly journals The Rights of Future Generations within the Post-Paris Climate Regime

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Climate Regime ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Adequate Response ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
State Obligations ◽  
State Responses

AbstractIn recognition of the intrinsic links between climate change and human rights, many have argued that human rights should play a leading role in guiding state responses to climate change. A group whose human rights will inevitably be affected by climate action (or inaction) today are the members of future generations. Yet, despite their particular vulnerability, future generations so far have gone largely unnoticed in human rights analyses. An adequate response to climate change requires that we recognize and address the human rights consequences for future generations, and consider the legal, practical and theoretical questions involved. This article attempts to answer these questions with a particular focus on the Paris Agreement. It argues that the recognition of state obligations towards future generations is compatible with human rights theory, and that these obligations must be balanced against the duties owed to current generations. The article concludes with a number of suggestions for how this balance could be pursued.

scholarly journals On the Theoretical Conceptualisations, Knowledge Structures and Trends of Green New Deals

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12529
Author(s):  
Zaheer Allam ◽  
Ayyoob Sharifi ◽  
Damien Giurco ◽  
Samantha A. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Science Mapping ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Mapping Techniques ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The increasing impacts of climate change, coupled with the Greta Thunberg effect, the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, and varied environmental policy documents, are pointing to the need for urgent and cohesive climate action and mitigation frameworks. One potent solution, gaining global acceptance, is that of the Green New Deal (GND), positioned as a radical rethinking of political and economic structures in view of pushing sustainability at the forefront of national, regional, and global issues. With the model rapidly gaining ground in various geographies, and in different forms in view of contextualization needs, there is a need to better understand its evolution, knowledge structures, and trends. This paper thus sets forth to provide an understanding of the evolution and implementation of GND through a bibliometric analysis and science mapping techniques using VOSviewer and CiteSpace to identify the thematic focus of 1174 articles indexed in the Web of Science since 1995. To understand the thematic evolution of the field over time, we divided the study period into three sub-periods, namely 1995–2014, 2015–2019, and 2020–2021. These sub-periods were determined considering important milestones related to GNDs. Term co-occurrence analyses were then conducted to understand thematic focus and associated trends. Also, co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling were other methods applied to identify major sources, authors, publications, and countries that have made more contributions to the development of research on GNDs. The findings of this paper can help both researchers and policy makers understand the evolution and trends of GNDs to better formulate GNDs strategies and policies in accordance with varying needs and geographies.

scholarly journals Form not Content Dictates the “Smart” City

2021 ◽  
pp. 231-240
Author(s):  
Dhiru Thadani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
Traditional Pattern ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Mother Earth

Over the past 50 years, decision-makers, laypersons, scientific communities, and design professions have repeatedly warned of the impending climate crisis caused by overdependence on fossil fuels. The environmental prophets have admonished that mother earth is on the brink of catastrophe. In response, scientific wizards have boasted that technocratic solutions will save the day. The evidence clearly indicates that a drastic change in policies, lifestyle, and consumption habits is necessary if there is to be a livable world for future generations.  Urbanism is the most efficient form of habitation. Embracing and legislating for the traditional pattern of urbanism which is supported by Wi-Fi technology is the livable and sustainable prescription to address climate change and the global dependence on fossil fuels. 

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