Communicating Climate Change to a Local but Diverse Audience: On the Positive Impact of Locality Framing

Climate change is a politically-polarised issue, with conservatives less likely than liberals to perceive it as human-caused and consequential. Furthermore, they are less likely to support mitigation and adaptation policies needed to reduce its impacts. This study aimed to examine whether John Oliver’s “A Mathematically Representative Climate Change Debate” clip on his program Last Week Tonight polarised or depolarised a politically-diverse audience on climate policy support and behavioural intentions. One hundred and fifty-nine participants, recruited via Amazon MTurk (94 female, 64 male, one gender unspecified, Mage = 51.07, SDage = 16.35), were presented with either John Oliver’s climate change consensus clip, or a humorous video unrelated to climate change. Although the climate change consensus clip did not reduce polarisation (or increase it) relative to a control on mitigation policy support, it resulted in hyperpolarisation on support for adaptation policies and increased climate action intentions among liberals but not conservatives.

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Modeling the Impact of Climate Changes on Crop Yield: Irrigated vs. Non-Irrigated Zones in Mississippi

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13122249 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 2249

Author(s):

Sadia Alam Shammi ◽

Qingmin Meng

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Information Criterion ◽

Growing Season ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

The Impact

Climate change and its impact on agriculture are challenging issues regarding food production and food security. Many researchers have been trying to show the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on agriculture using different methods. In this study, we used linear regression models to assess the impact of climate on crop yield spatially and temporally by managing irrigated and non-irrigated crop fields. The climate data used in this study are Tmax (maximum temperature), Tmean (mean temperature), Tmin (minimum temperature), precipitation, and soybean annual yields, at county scale for Mississippi, USA, from 1980 to 2019. We fit a series of linear models that were evaluated based on statistical measurements of adjusted R-square, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). According to the statistical model evaluation, the 1980–1992 model Y[Tmax,Tmin,Precipitation]92i (BIC = 120.2) for irrigated zones and the 1993–2002 model Y[Tmax,Tmean,Precipitation]02ni (BIC = 1128.9) for non-irrigated zones showed the best fit for the 10-year period of climatic impacts on crop yields. These models showed about 2 to 7% significant negative impact of Tmax increase on the crop yield for irrigated and non-irrigated regions. Besides, the models for different agricultural districts also explained the changes of Tmax, Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation in the irrigated (adjusted R-square: 13–28%) and non-irrigated zones (adjusted R-square: 8–73%). About 2–10% negative impact of Tmax was estimated across different agricultural districts, whereas about −2 to +17% impacts of precipitation were observed for different districts. The modeling of 40-year periods of the whole state of Mississippi estimated a negative impact of Tmax (about 2.7 to 8.34%) but a positive impact of Tmean (+8.9%) on crop yield during the crop growing season, for both irrigated and non-irrigated regions. Overall, we assessed that crop yields were negatively affected (about 2–8%) by the increase of Tmax during the growing season, for both irrigated and non-irrigated zones. Both positive and negative impacts on crop yields were observed for the increases of Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation, respectively, for irrigated and non-irrigated zones. This study showed the pattern and extent of Tmax, Tmean, Tmin, and precipitation and their impacts on soybean yield at local and regional scales. The methods and the models proposed in this study could be helpful to quantify the climate change impacts on crop yields by considering irrigation conditions for different regions and periods.

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Trade, Climate and Energy: A New Study on Climate Action through Free Trade Agreements

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14144363 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (14) ◽

pp. 4363

Author(s):

Christopher M. Dent

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Free Trade ◽

Global Economy ◽

International Political Economy ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Free Trade Agreements ◽

Primary Source ◽

Trade Agreements ◽

Climate Action ◽

Trade Partners

Efforts to tackle climate change are taking place on multiple fronts. This includes trade, an increasingly important defining feature of the global economy. In recent years, free trade agreements (FTAs) have become the primary mechanism of trade policy and diplomacy. This study examines the development of climate action measures in FTAs and discusses what difference they can make to tackling climate change. Its primary source research is based on an in-depth examination of FTAs in force up to 2020. This paper is structured around a number of research questions forming around three main inter-related areas of enquiry. Firstly, to what extent are these provisions in FTAs essentially derivative of energy’s connections with climate change, and thus part of a wider trade–climate–energy nexus? Secondly, what kinds of climate action are FTAs specifically promoting, and how effective a potential positive impact may we expect these to have? Thirdly, are certain climate action norms being promoted by trade partners in FTAs and if so, then who are the norm leaders, what is motivating them, and to what extent are they extending their influence over other trade partners? In addressing these questions, this study offers new insights and analysis regarding a potentially important emerging trend in the trade–climate–energy nexus. Its international political economy approach and latest empirical research also provide a further distinctive contribution to knowledge in this inter-disciplinary area, developing new comprehensions of the relationship between trade, climate action and energy.

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Impact assessment of climate change and human activities on GHG emissions and agricultural water use

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-57 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shikun Sun ◽

Yihe Tang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Production Factor ◽

Agricultural Water ◽

Dndc Model ◽

Agricultural Water Use ◽

Means Of Production

The agriculture sector is one of the largest users of water and a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The development of low-GHG-emission and water-conserving agriculture will inevitably be the trend in the future. Because of the physiological differences among crops and their response efficiency to external changes, changes in planting structure, climate and input of production factors will have an impact on regional agricultural water use and GHG emissions. This paper systematically analyzed the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics of crop planting structure, climate, and production factor inputs in Heilongjiang Province, the main grain-producing region of China, from 2000 to 2015, and quantified the regional agricultural water use and GHG emissions characteristics under different scenarios by using the Penman-Monteith formula and the Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model. The results showed that the global warming potential (GWP) increased by 15% due to the change in planting structure. A large increase in the proportion of rice and corn sown was the main reason. During the study period, regional climate change had a positive impact on the water- saving and emission reduction of the agricultural industry. The annual water demand per unit area decreased by 19%, and the GWP decreased by 12% compared with that in 2000. The input of fertilizer and other means of production will have a significant impact on GHG emissions from farmlands. The increase in N fertilizer input significantly increased N2O emissions, with a 5% increase in GWP. Agricultural water consumption and carbon emissions are affected by changes in climate, input of means of production, and planting structure. Therefore, multiple regulatory measures should be taken in combination with regional characteristics to realize a new layout of planting structure with low emissions, water conservation, and sustainability.

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The rainbow sign: climate change and corporate reputation

Journal of Business Strategy ◽

10.1108/jbs-02-2019-0032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 52-56

Author(s):

Peter Buell Hirsch

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Corporate Reputation ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Social Implications ◽

Content Type ◽

Secondary Literature ◽

Qualitative Interpretation ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the increasing importance corporate responses to climate change will play in corporate reputation. Design/methodology/approach Review of the relevant secondary literature Findings Companies that develop active responses to climate change will see positive impact on their corporate reputation. Research limitations/implications The review of the secondary literature is not comprehensive and subject to the author’s qualitative interpretation of it. Practical implications Companies that follow the recommendations will see a benefit in stakeholder appreciation. Social implications The more companies embrace a proactive stance on climate change, the more likely society is to meet the 2 per cent goal. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first treatment of climate change from the perspective of corporate reputation.

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What Is the Consensus from Multiple Conclusions of Future Crop Yield Changes Affected by Climate Change in China?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17249241 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (24) ◽

pp. 9241

Author(s):

Chengfang Huang ◽

Ning Li ◽

Zhengtao Zhang ◽

Yuan Liu ◽

Xi Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Systematic Review Methodology ◽

Uncertainty Interval ◽

The Impact ◽

Yield Decrease

Many studies have shown that climate change has a significant impact on crop yield in China, while results have varied due to uncertain factors. This study has drawn a highly consistent consensus from the scientific evidence based on numerous existing studies. By a highly rational systematic review methodology, we obtained 737 result samples with the theme of climate change affecting China’s crop yields. Then, we used likelihood scale and trend analysis methods to quantify the consensus level and uncertainty interval of these samples. The results showed that: (i) The crop yield decrease in the second half of the 21st century will be greater than 5% of that in the first half. (ii) The crop most affected by climate change will be maize, with the decreased value exceeding −25% at the end of this century, followed by rice and wheat exceeding −10% and −5%. (iii) The positive impact of CO2 on crop yield will change by nearly 10%. Our conclusions clarify the consensus of the impact of future climate change on China’s crop yield, and this study helps exclude the differences and examine the policies and actions that China has taken and should take in response to climate change.

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Accounting for adaptation in assessing impact of climatic variations on crop yields: an empirical study of Arizona

Journal of Water and Climate Change ◽

10.2166/wcc.2015.060 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 224-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haoying Wang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Crop Production ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Spillover Effects ◽

Climatic Variation ◽

Fertilizer Use ◽

Climatic Variations ◽

Input Use ◽

Effects Of Temperature

The goal of this paper is to analyze the impacts of climatic variation around current normals on crop yields and explore corresponding adaptation effects in Arizona, using a unique panel data. The empirical results suggest that both fertilizer use and irrigation are important adaptations to climate change in crop production. Fertilizer use has a positive impact on crop yields as expected. When accounting for irrigation and its interaction with temperature, a moderate temperature increase tends to be beneficial to both cotton and hay yields. The empirical model in this paper features with two methodological innovations, identifying the effects of temperature change conditional on adaptations and incorporating potential spatial spillover effects among input use.

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Response of Hydrological Process to Climate Change of Basins with Different Glacier Ratio in the Tibet Plateau

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-7867 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Li Wang ◽

Fan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

River Basin ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

River Basins ◽

Hydrological Processes ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Hydrological Process ◽

Snow Melt ◽

Rainfall Runoff

The glacier ratio influences both the contribution of meltwater runoff and the response of the basin's hydrological processes to climate change. In this study, the Karuxung, the Tuotuo and the Babao river basins with glaciers accounting for 20.7%, 2.1% and 0.38% respectively, were selected to study their hydrological processes under the climate change. Based on the daily runoff data of 30 years and MODIS snow cover products, the J2000 model was applied to quantify the contribution of meltwater and rainfall runoff, analyze the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of runoff and clarify the influence of climate change on these three basin. The main findings are as follows: (1) The contribution of glacier and snow melt runoff for the Karuxung, Tuotuo and Babao river basin was 60.7%, 25.3% and 19.9%, respectively. The contribution of rainfall runoff for the three basins was 39.3%, 74.7% and 81.1%, respectively. (2) The peak of glacier and snow melt runoff converted from summer to spring with the glacier ratio decreasing. (3) The runoff supplies in the Karuxung, Tuotuo and Babao river basin were from the 5500m-6500m, 4500m-5500m zone, and 3500m-4500m elevation zone, respectively. (4) The runoff and its components in the Karuxung and Tuotuo river basins showed significant increasing trends while the Babao river basin showed no significant change trends. (5) In the Karuxung river basin with large glacier ratio, the increase in temperature mainly caused the increase of meltwater and runoff, showing a positive impact on runoff. For the Tuotuo and Babao river basin with small glacier ratios, the increase in temperature mainly caused increased evaporation and reduced runoff, showing a negative impact on runoff.

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ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING CLIMATE-INDUCED RISK IN SUB-SAHARAN RAINFED AGRICULTURE: LESSONS LEARNED

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s001447971100010x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 395-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

R. COE ◽

R. D. STERN

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Research ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Central Africa ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

List Type ◽

Climate Data ◽

Seasonal Forecasts ◽

Pastoral Systems

SUMMARYA defining characteristic of many rainfed tropical agricultural systems is their vulnerability to weather variability. There is now increased attention paid to climate-agriculture links as the world is focused on climate change. This has shown the need for increased understanding of current and future climate and the links to agricultural investment decisions, particularly farmers’ decisions, and that integrated strategies for coping with climate change need to start with managing current climate risk. Research, largely from an Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) project to demonstrate the value of such increased understanding, is presented in this issue of the journal. Key lessons from this research are as follows: 1.Statistical methods of analysis of historical climate data that are relevant to agriculture need not be complex. The most critical point is to describe the climate in terms of events of direct relevance to farming (such as the date of the start of a rainy season) rather than simple standard measures (such as annual total rainfall).2.Analysis requires access to relevant data, tools and expertise. Daily climate data, both current and historical, are primarily the responsibility of national meteorological services (NMS). Accessing such data, particularly daily data, is not always easy. Including staff from the NMS as research partners, not just data providers, can reduce this problem.3.Farmers’ perceptions of climate variation, risk and change are complex. They are keenly aware of variability, but there is evidence that they over-estimate risks of negative impacts and thereby fail to make use of good conditions when they occur. There is also evidence that multiple causes of changes are confounded, so farmers who observe decreasing crop production may not be distinguishing between rainfall change and declining soil fertility or other conditions. Hence any project working with farmers’ coping and adaptation to climate must also have access to analyses of observed climate data from nearby recording stations.4.Mechanisms for reducing and coping with risks are exemplified in pastoral systems that exist in the most variable environments. New approaches to risk transfer, such as index-based insurance, show potential for positive impact.5.Skilful seasonal forecasts, which give a better indication of the coming season than a simple average, would help farmers take decisions for the coming cropping season. Increasing meteorological knowledge shows that such forecasting is possible for parts of Africa. There are institutional barriers to farmers accessing and using the forecast information. Furthermore, the skill of the forecasts is currently limited so that there are maybe still only a few rational choices for a farmer to make on the basis of a forecast.With the justified current interest in climate and agriculture, all stakeholders including researchers, data providers, policy developers and extension workers will need to work together to ensure that interventions are based on a correct interpretation of a valid analysis of relevant data.

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Global Climate Exchange: Peer collaboration in a “Global classroom”

Nordic Studies in Science Education ◽

10.5617/nordina.538 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 105-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Majken Korsager ◽

James D Slotta ◽

Doris Jorde

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Learning Environment ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Peer Interactions ◽

Global Climate ◽

Peer Collaboration ◽

Online Environment ◽

Global Classroom ◽

Interactions With Peers

This paper reports on student peer collaboration in an online environment in an international shared curriculum, the Global Climate Exchange. Four cohorts of students (age 16 -19) from Canada, China, Norway and Sweden (n=157) were engaged in four wiki-based activities where they collaborated with peers locally and internationally. Previously, impact from Global Climate Exchange on students’ conceptual understanding was analysed, indicating a positive impact which might be explained by the amount of interactions with peers and international peer collaboration. This paper looks further into the details of the students’ peer interactions in terms of how they communicate in the online Global Climate Exchange learning environment. The study revealed that communication between international peers might be more constructive than when communication is limited to national peers. This might be a possible explanation for our previously findings indicating that international peer collaboration may well be an approach to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of climate change.

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