scholarly journals “Trees Are Our Relatives”: Local Perceptions on Forestry Resources and Implications for Climate Change Mitigation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5885
Author(s):  
Nelson Chanza ◽  
Walter Musakwa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Forestry Resources ◽  
Change Mitigation

The link between nature and society is vital for climate change mitigation and sustainable natural recourse management. Based on a case study of the indigenous people of Mbire in Zimbabwe, we argue that perceptions of indigenous people about forestry resources provide useful pointers toward framing climate mitigation interventions. This interest was necessitated by the growing call to address the suppression of forest-rich indigenous communities in climate change science. Accordingly, the aim of the study was to understand how indigenous people can contribute to the abatement of climate change. The study engaged 32 purposively selected elderly participants in focus group discussions; these participants had long histories of staying in the villages studied and were figures whom the locals regarded as “experts” in giving credible inferences about their environment. The participants corroboratively perceived forests and trees as their own “relatives”, who should not be harmed because of the support they continue to generously give to the people. Their construct of climate change relates to the gradual but continuing trivialization of cultural beliefs and abandonment of traditional practices, which they believe offend the spirits who have powers to influence the climate system. Although their attribution view on climate change is in contrast with that of mainstream climate scientists, we argue that their profound acknowledgement of climatic change, coupled with their scientific understanding of the intrinsic relationship between people’s wellbeing and the environment, are key entry points to design sustainable climate mitigation programs at community scales. The sustainability of such programs should not ignore local belief systems and strategies that communities use in preserving their forests.

scholarly journals Climate Change Mitigation Policies and Co-Impacts on Indigenous Health: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 9063
Author(s):  
Rhys Jones ◽  
Alexandra Macmillan ◽  
Papaarangi Reid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Mitigation Policies

Climate change mitigation policies can either facilitate or hinder progress towards health equity, and can have particular implications for Indigenous health. We sought to summarize current knowledge about the potential impacts (co-benefits and co-harms) of climate mitigation policies and interventions on Indigenous health. Using a Kaupapa Māori theoretical positioning, we adapted a validated search strategy to identify studies for this scoping review. Our review included empirical and modeling studies that examined a range of climate change mitigation measures, with health-related outcomes analyzed by ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Data were extracted from published reports and summarized. We identified 36 studies that examined a diverse set of policy instruments, with the majority located in high-income countries. Most studies employed conventional Western research methodologies, and few examined potential impacts of particular relevance to Indigenous peoples. The existing body of knowledge is limited in the extent to which it can provide definitive evidence about co-benefits and co-harms for Indigenous health, with impacts highly dependent on individual policy characteristics and contextual factors. Improving the quality of evidence will require research partnerships with Indigenous communities and study designs that centralize Indigenous knowledges, values, realities and priorities.

On the climate change mitigation potential of CO2 conversion to fuels

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2491-2499 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Carlos Abanades ◽  
Edward S. Rubin ◽  
Marco Mazzotti ◽  
Howard J. Herzog
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Co2 Conversion ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Alternative Systems ◽  
Change Mitigation

Proposed utilization schemes producing liquid fuels from captured CO2 offer fewer climate mitigation benefits at higher costs than alternative systems.

scholarly journals From Dichotomy to an Integrated Approach: Cities’ Benefits of Integrating Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7591
Author(s):  
Jo-Ting Huang-Lachmann ◽  
Edeltraud Guenther
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Endogenous Risk ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Change Mitigation

Cities are facing impacts of climate change and encountering risks such as extreme weather events, while cities are also aiming to contribute to their mitigation goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the differences in characteristics of climate change mitigation and adaptation have shown the possible reasons for a dichotomy in climate policy. This has motivated us to further look into whether cities could integrate their actions in climate change mitigation and adaptation in their planning and how they achieve benefits to overcome the dichotomy. To answer our research question, we have developed an analysis framework built on the endogenous risk theory to analyse how cities overcome the different characteristics to integrate their climate strategies and obtain benefits. The theory of endogenous risk involves seeing both climate change mitigation and adaptation as risk reduction strategies because both of them aim to reduce climate risks and can be carried out by actors who perceive such risks. Therefore, the actors will be more willing to integrate and implement both mitigation and adaptation policy. Our results show that mitigation and adaptation in cities are interlinked and that benefits of an integrated climate change policy exist. A list of entry points how cities overcome the dichotomy are also identified. Our research outcomes also provide a list of benefits identified by the cities in their integrated climate strategies and we call for more public disclosed data for future research and policy assessments.

Determined Action to Tackle Health Determinants: A Collaborative Response to the Challenge of Climate Change Mitigation in Practice Settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn Elizabeth Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Change Mitigation

The physical environment has long been understood as a major determinant of health and well-being. In recent years, the relationship between health and the environment has become particularly pronounced, with the impacts of climate change identified as having the potential to reverse the last 50 years of public health advancement (Watts et al., 2015). Increasingly, professional bodies within health care are called upon to frame climate change as a health issue. Despite this, studies have found that nurses report feeling ill-equipped to respond to environmental changes and the resulting health impacts (Anåker, Nilsson, Holmner, & Elf, 2015; Lewis, 2018; Polivka, Chaudry, & Mac Crawford, 2011). This article recognizes some of the barriers facing concerned health-care professionals who wish to introduce climate mitigation activities within their sphere of professional operation. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) was approached by nurses, midwives, and carers, to become more involved in policy debates surrounding climate change and to provide stronger support to members in responding to environmental issues. The result is top-down and bottom-up responses working in synergy for climate change mitigation, by empowering nurses to make changes to their professional practice.

scholarly journals Generating carbon finance through avoided deforestation and its potential to create climatic, conservation and human development benefits

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1498) ◽  
pp. 1917-1924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Ebeling ◽  
Maï Yasué
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Carbon Markets ◽  
Conservation And Development ◽  
Tropical Forest Conservation ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
Change Mitigation

Recent proposals to compensate developing countries for reducing emissions from deforestation (RED) under forthcoming climate change mitigation regimes are receiving increasing attention. Here we demonstrate that if RED credits were traded on international carbon markets, even moderate decreases in deforestation rates could generate billions of Euros annually for tropical forest conservation. We also discuss the main challenges for a RED mechanism that delivers real climatic benefits. These include providing sufficient incentives while only rewarding deforestation reductions beyond business-as-usual scenarios, addressing risks arising from forest degradation and international leakage, and ensuring permanence of emission reductions. Governance may become a formidable challenge for RED because some countries with the highest RED potentials score poorly on governance indices. In addition to climate mitigation, RED funds could help achieve substantial co-benefits for biodiversity conservation and human development. However, this will probably require targeted additional support because the highest biodiversity threats and human development needs may exist in countries that have limited income potentials from RED. In conclusion, how successfully a market-based RED mechanism can contribute to climate change mitigation, conservation and development will strongly depend on accompanying measures and carefully designed incentive structures involving governments, business, as well as the conservation and development communities.

scholarly journals Practices of development assistance and climate change mitigation in reshaping the Mozambican REDD+ strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-670
Author(s):  
Pekka Virtanen ◽  
Eero Palmujoki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Development Assistance ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Climate Change Governance

ABSTRACTThis paper studies how the practices of climate change governance and development assistance have reshaped the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) process in Mozambique. We look at how the original goals of the Mozambican REDD+ strategy changed in the interplay of different governance-related practices, both those originating locally and nationally, and those coming from international organisations. The paper is based on the frameworks of multilevel governance and practice theory. We identify six combinations of practices that are relevant in the REDD+ programmes and projects. Three of them are incorporated in the general idea of sustainability, including practices of promoting environmental conservation, economic growth and social justice/development, while the remaining three practices are connected to climate-mitigation practices, for which the frame is defined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

scholarly journals A well-timed shift from local to global agreements accelerates climate change mitigation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim A. Karatayev ◽  
Vítor V. Vasconcelos ◽  
Anne-Sophie Lafuite ◽  
Simon A. Levin ◽  
Chris T. Bauch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Limited Efficacy ◽  
Policy Shift ◽  
Change Mitigation

AbstractRecent attempts at cooperating on climate change mitigation highlight the limited efficacy of large-scale negotiations, when commitment to mitigation is costly and initially rare. Deepening existing voluntary mitigation pledges could require more stringent, legally-binding agreements that currently remain untenable at the global scale. Building-blocks approaches promise greater success by localizing agreements to regions or few-nation summits, but risk slowing mitigation adoption globally. Here, we show that a well-timed policy shift from local to global legally-binding agreements can dramatically accelerate mitigation compared to using only local, only global, or both agreement types simultaneously. This highlights the scale-specific roles of mitigation incentives: local agreements promote and sustain mitigation commitments in early-adopting groups, after which global agreements rapidly draw in late-adopting groups. We conclude that focusing negotiations on local legally-binding agreements and, as these become common, a renewed pursuit of stringent, legally-binding world-wide agreements could best overcome many current challenges facing climate mitigation.

scholarly journals Project RESCCCUE: “REminding Slovenian authorities Climate Change Crisis requires Urgent Effort”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Žiga Zaplotnik ◽  
Lina Boljka ◽  
Nina Črnivec ◽  
Aljoša Slameršak
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Open Letter ◽  
Mutual Help ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Summer Schools ◽  
Change Mitigation

<p>The project RESCCCUE aims at addressing the climate change action in Slovenia. We started the project in the autumn of 2019 when we have brought together over 100 leading Slovenian scientists, comprising meteorologists, climatologists, oceanographers, physicists, biologists, chemists, geographers, and others. Together we wrote an open letter to the Slovenian government: “A request of Slovenian researchers to take immediate action on improving the climate change mitigation and adaptation policy”. The open letter received extensive media coverage, as well as provoked a reaction from the political authorities and served as a kick-off for various subsequent climate change communication activities. We therefore continued with multiple media outreach and communication events, both jointly as a team and individually. This included appearances on the radio and television, interviews for newspapers and magazines, social media platforms, and popular scientific talks. We have thereby demonstrated that values such as a team spirit, mutual help and collaboration are crucial for far-reaching actions. All in all, the project strives to advance climate literacy and science-based policy making in Slovenia. Additionally, we also promote research in meteorology and climatology to the Slovenian youth (public talks for schools, summer schools, seminars). Although the project has already proved successful in igniting nationwide debate on  climate mitigation, RESCCCUE is a continuing, ongoing project. We are currently establishing an online platform called “Podnebnik” that will track climate action in Slovenia and allow an exchange of science-based views on climate change mitigation and adaptation. To do this, we have established connections with data scientists behind the very successful Slovenian Covid-19 tracker “Sledilnik” (sledilnik.org), and many other Slovenian agencies from the relevant fields, as well as other Slovenian scientists from across the globe. We firmly believe that this platform will help decision makers and the general public to understand the diversity of the climate change challenge and take meaningful climate action. Throughout the project we have developed valuable skills and experience in scientific communication. We hope that our project will inspire more scientists to engage in communication of climate change science and in debates on societal impacts of climate change.</p>

scholarly journals Climate Change and Inequality: How to Solve These Problems Jointly?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-30
Author(s):  
Leonid Grigoryev ◽  
◽  
Igor Makarov ◽  
Anna Sokolova ◽  
Viktoria Pavlyushina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
International System ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Change Mitigation

In recent decades, economic growth in developing economies and the growth of the middle class lead to a surge in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Within the framework of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals established in 2015, the solution to poverty and inequality thus comes into conflict with climate change mitigation. The existing international system of climate regulation does not address this contradiction. Today, global climate governance relies on estimates of aggregate emissions by countries without considering their level of development and the distribution of emissions among income groups within each country. Emissions from production are being monitored, while consumption-related emissions, albeit known to experts, rarely underlie decision-making. Meanwhile, income distribution has a higher impact on consumption-based emissions in comparison to production-based ones. Decisions on emissions regulation are made at the national level by countries with different development agendas in which climate change mitigation often gets less priority in comparison to other socio-economic objectives. This paper proposes a set of principles and specific mechanisms that can link climate change and inequality within a single policy framework. First, we highlight the need to modify the global emission monitoring system for the sake of accounting for emissions from consumption (rather than production) by income groups. Second, we suggest the introduction of a new redistribution system to address climate change which would include the imposition of a “fine” on households with the highest levels of emissions. Such a system follows the principles of progressive taxation but supports climate mitigation objectives and should be understood not as taxation of high incomes but rather as payment for a negative externality. Third, we outline the need to adjust climate finance criteria; priority should be given to projects designed to reduce carbon-intensive consumption by social groups entering the middle class, or to help the poorest population groups adapt to climate change. A special role in the implementation of these principles may belong to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which may view this as an opportunity for a proactive transition to inclusive, low-carbon development.

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