scholarly journals Human Hubris, Anthropogenic Climate Change, and an Environmental Ethic of Humility

2021 ◽  
pp. 108602662110390
Author(s):  
Eugene Sadler-Smith ◽  
Vita Akstinaite
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Environmental Ethic ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Proper Place ◽  
Critical Reflexivity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Education Accountability ◽  
The Relationship

This article is about how hubris, individually and collectively, has contributed to the climate emergency and how an environmental ethic of humility could play an ameliorating role in the crisis. It focuses on the relationship between virtue ethics and the natural environment, and it argues that a collective “human hubris” (“The Problem”) has contributed significantly to anthropogenic climate change and that a “humility-based approach” toward the environment that entails an appreciation of humanity’s proper place in the natural order (“A Solution”). In it, we combine theories from the social and environmental sciences to propose an environmental ethic of humility as an “antidote” to human hubris by which leaders and other stakeholders could steer institutions, organisations, and behaviour towards environmental virtuousness. We also suggest the environmental ethic of humility as a benchmark against which stakeholders could be held to account for the environmental impacts of their actions. The article discusses the implications of hubris and humility in the areas governance, consumer behaviour, reputation, learning and education, accountability, and critical reflexivity.

scholarly journals On the relationship between low cloud variability and lower tropospheric stability in the Southeast Pacific

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 3777-3811
Author(s):  
F. Sun ◽  
A. Hall ◽  
X. Qu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Cloud Feedbacks ◽  
Southeast Pacific ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Lower Tropospheric Stability ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. In this study, we examine observed marine low cloud variability in the southeast Pacific and its association with lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) across a spectrum of timescales. On both daily and interannual timescales, LTS and low cloud amount are very well correlated in austral summer (DJF). Meanwhile in winter (JJA), when ambient LTS increases, the LTS-low cloud relationship disintegrates. The DJF LTS-low cloud relationship also weakens in years with unusually large ambient LTS values. These are generally strong El Niño years, in which DJF LTS values are comparable to those typically found in JJA. Thus the LTS-low cloud relationship is strongly modulated by the seasonal cycle and the ENSO phenomenon. We also investigate the origin of LTS anomalies closely associated with low cloud variability during austral summer. We find that the ocean and atmosphere are independently involved in generating anomalies in LTS and hence variability in the southeast Pacific low cloud deck. This highlights the coupled nature of the climate system in this region, and raises the possibility of cloud feedbacks related to LTS. We conclude by addressing the implications of the observed LTS-low cloud relationship in the southeast Pacific for low cloud feedbacks in anthropogenic climate change.

The Challenge of Anthropogenic Climate Change for the Social Sciences

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protective Strategy ◽  
Biophysical Indicators ◽  
Social Causes

Abstract: This paper argues that climate change throws down a challenge for the social sciences. They can no longer rely on exclusively social indicators and relative ones, but must include absolute biophysical indicators in their investigations. Accurate analyses of the social causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change require that they capture the complexity of lay and scientific knowledge, and the nuances of uncertainty, of nature, and of language rather than relying on oversimplified notions. The paper examines whether resilience is a protective strategy under uncertainty and whether disasters are likely to impel mitigation of global warming. It assesses lofty post-carbon utopia discourse and suggests instead the comparative analysis of successful and unsuccessful societies in preventing anthropogenic global warming. To illustrate such an analysis, the paper sketches a study of the different developmental channels of Northern Europe and North America.

Influencing factors on carbon reporting: an empirical study in Spanish companies

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
José María González‐González ◽  
Constancio Zamora‐Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Pressure ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dow Jones Sustainability Index ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has become an international instrument for carbon reporting of companies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of some factors of the institutional environment of organizations (regulatory pressure, sustainability normative demands and interconnectedness) on the evaluation obtained by Spanish companies in this project.Design/methodology/approachThis paper has proceeded to make a multiple regression analysis in order to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable (“Carbon Disclosure” qualification) and independent variables (regulatory pressure, sustainability normative demands and interconnectedness) supported on the computer program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).FindingsThe results show that the interconnectedness of companies through their participation in associations that fight against climate change is the analyzed factor with a higher predictive power and statistical significance. Also, the regulatory pressure and normative demands from sustainability indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index, influence the carbon reporting of organizations participating in the CDP.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this paper is the reduced number of Spanish companies participating in the CDP.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of the role developed by the associations fighting against climate change, since they allow the members to belong to a network through which they share resources, norms and values that positively and significantly influence their behaviour related to carbon reporting.

scholarly journals Scientific truth or debate: On the link between perceived scientific consensus and belief in anthropogenic climate change

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 778-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Bertoldo ◽  
Claire Mays ◽  
Gisela Böhm ◽  
Wouter Poortinga ◽  
Marc Poumadère ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Scientific Truth ◽  
The Relationship

Scientists overwhelmingly agree that climate change exists and is caused by human activity. It has been argued that communicating the consensus can counter climate scepticism, given that perceived scientific consensus is a major factor predicting public belief that climate change is anthropogenic. However, individuals may hold different models of science, potentially affecting their interpretation of scientific consensus. Using representative surveys in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Norway, we assessed whether the relationship between perceived scientific consensus and belief in anthropogenic climate change is conditioned by a person’s viewing science as ‘the search for truth’ or as ‘debate’. Results show that perceived scientific consensus is higher among climate change believers and moreover, significantly predicts belief in anthropogenic climate change. This relationship is stronger among people holding a model of science as the ‘search for truth’. These results help to disentangle the effect of implicit epistemological assumptions underlying the public understanding of the climate change debate.

scholarly journals Eco-social State in the European Union: the Relationship Between the Social and Climate Policy of the Member States

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 101-115
Author(s):  
Ulijona Kaklauskaitė ◽  
Jekaterina Navickė
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Social State ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Climate Indicators ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

This article analyzes the relationship between the social and climate policies of the European Union member states and examines the concept of the eco–social state. In the climate crisis era, the need for a close link between social and climate policies is particularly acute. The European Green Deal and other EU strategies reflect a political agenda with a specific interest in social and ecological goals. We aim to answer whether more significant state efforts in the social field are related to a similarly more substantial commitment in climate policy or whether a greater focus on one means less attention on another.  On a theoretical level, we discuss the challenges of climate change for social policy and present the concept of climate justice. The similarities and differences between the ecological and the welfare state are also examined. We argue that the concept of climate justice highlights the phenomenon of a double and even triple injustice on a global level, which requires joint efforts in spheres of social and climate policy. Eco-social state combines social and environmental institutions intending to ensure welfare and sustainability and thus complements the traditional concept of the welfare state. The Koch-Fritz (2014) classification, which distinguishes between the established, deadlocked, emerging, and failing eco-social states, is presented in the paper and used for the empirical analysis.  The empirical part of the paper employs non-parametrical correlation and hierarchical cluster analysis. The former allows for exploring the links between the ecological and social indicators. The latter enables countries to be grouped according to social and climate indicators and compared to the traditional classification of welfare states and Koch-Fritz models of eco-social states. The analysis is based on social and climate indicators of the Europe 2020 strategy. The study found that countries that provide relatively more significant funding for traditional social problems also perform better in climate change adaptation and mitigation policies by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in an effort–sharing sectors and final energy consumption. We show that clusters of the EU member states in terms of social and climate indicators (eco–social state models) are very similar to their membership in the traditional welfare states’ classification. Moreover, social democratic welfare states are better prepared to address climate change than countries representing other types of welfare states. Thus the analysis confirms the social democratic welfare states as established eco–social states, while the conservative-corporate and liberal welfare states can indeed be called deadlocked eco–social states with average results. We show, however, that Lithuania, together with other Eastern European and Southern European countries, fluctuates on both the best and the worst social and climate change mitigation outcomes. Hence those should be attributed to a group with the mixed results and can be named as failed-emerging eco-social states.

scholarly journals Does grooming facilitate the development of Stockholm syndrome? The social work practice implications

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Shirley J. Jülich ◽  
Eileen B. Oak
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Critical Reflexivity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Stockholm Syndrome ◽  
Actuarial Risk ◽  
The Relationship

INTRODUCTION: This article focuses on the problem of risk instrumentalism in social work and the way it can erode the relationship-based nature of practice and with it, the kinds of critical reflexivity required for remedial interventions to keep children safe.METHOD: By exploring the relationship between the process of grooming and the condition known as Stockholm syndrome, the article seeks to address this problem by offering some concepts to inform a critical understanding of case dynamics in the sexual abuse of children which can explain the reluctance of victim-survivors to disclose.FINDINGS: Beginning with an overview of the development of actuarial risk assessment (ARA) tools the article examines the grooming process in child sexual abuse contexts raising the question: “Is grooming a facilitator of Stockholm syndrome?” and seeks to answer it by examining the precursors and psychological responses that constitute both grooming and Stockholm syndrome.CONCLUSION: The article identifies the underlying concepts that enable an understanding of the dynamics of child sexual abuse, but also identifies the propensity of practitioners to be exposed to some of the features of Stockholm syndrome.

scholarly journals Drought Adaptation and Climate Change Beliefs among Working Ranchers in Montana

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Yung ◽  
Nicky Phear ◽  
Alayna DuPont ◽  
Jess Montag ◽  
Daniel Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Drought Adaptation ◽  
Climate Skepticism ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Change Beliefs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Natural Cycles

Abstract Agricultural producers may be particularly vulnerable to climate impacts, such as drought. To better understand how ranchers respond to ongoing drought and the relationship between climate change beliefs and drought adaptation, in-depth interviews with working ranchers were conducted. Ranchers described drought conditions as unprecedented and detailed the interacting impacts of drought and nonclimatic stressors. They viewed adaptation as critical and employed a wide range of responses to drought, but lack of financial resources, risks associated with change, local social norms, and optimism about future moisture created barriers to change. Most ranchers attributed drought to natural cycles and were skeptical about anthropogenic climate change. Many ranchers likened current drought conditions to past droughts, concluding that conditions would return to “normal.” A belief in natural cycles provided a sense of hope for some ranchers but felt immutable to others, reducing their sense of agency and efficacy. Taken together, climate skepticism, optimism about future conditions, lack of financial resources, and a limited sense of agency might be reducing investments in long-term adaptation. However, the relationship between climate change beliefs and adaptation action was not entirely clear, since the handful of ranchers adapting in anticipation of long-term drought were skeptical or uncertain about anthropogenic climate change. Further, most ranchers characterized adaptation as an individual endeavor and resisted government involvement in drought adaptation. In the context of climate skepticism and antigovernment sentiment, strategies to scale up adaptation efforts beyond the household will only succeed to the extent that they build on local norms and ideologies.

The Future as God’s Amnesty? A Public Theology of Resistance for a Changing Climate

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Manley Scott
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
The Future ◽  
Theological Thought ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn this article, I situate anthropogenic climate change in a theological context. Climate change raises, first, the matter of the future of creation and, secondly, the matter of how to understand and affirm the goodness of creation. Further, in theological thought, the goodness of creation cannot be affirmed and fully addressed without, thirdly, some accounting of the goodness of God. In what follows I explore these three issues. The future of creation is discussed in terms of an amnesty bestowed by God. Additionally, some problems with the deployment of amnesty as a theopolitical category are discussed. Next, some of the theological implications of my recommendation of amnesty are explored. For example, what is the relationship between the future of creation and its past; what is the relationship between future and end; what is the relationship between the future of creation and the future of God? Finally, I explore what creaturely resistance is suggested by this appeal to the future as God’s amnesty in a public theological thought.

A Theoretical Interlude

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-50
Author(s):  
Andrew Milner ◽  
J.R. Burgmann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Narrative Strategies ◽  
Sociology Of Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Critical Account ◽  
Raymond Williams ◽  
Climate Fiction ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter begins by discussing the relationship between SF and what Daniel Bloom dubbed ‘cli-fi’. Cli-fi, it argues, is best understood as a sub-genre of SF and the crucial shift between the pre-history of climate fiction outlined in the previous chapter and this contemporary sub-genre has been the development of a near-consensus amongst scientists about the potentially disastrous effects of global warming. It proceeds to a critical account of how the notion of the Anthropocene was developed in the sciences, misrepresented in ecocriticism, and challenged in the social sciences by rival concepts, such as the Capitalocene and the Chthulucene. As an alternative, it proposes a sociology of literature derived from the work of Raymond Williams, Pierre Bourdieu and Franco Moretti. The chapter then proposes an ideal typology of climate fictions arranged around five measures of formal utopianism, which derive substantially from the work of Tom Moylan, and six measures of substantive response to climate change, derived from real-world discourse. This results in a grid of thirty logically possible types of climate fiction. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of narrative strategies and tactics available to cli-fi, citing Nevil Shute’s nuclear doomsday novel On the Beach as a model.

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