scholarly journals Communities on a Threshold: Climate Action and Wellbeing Potentialities in Scotland

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7357
Author(s):  
Svenja Meyerricks ◽  
Rehema M. White
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
Action Projects ◽  
Community Projects ◽  
Change Mitigation ◽  
Do So

Community projects provide opportunities for their participants to collectively undertake climate action and simultaneously experience alternative concepts of wellbeing. However, we argue that community projects do so in ‘liminal’ ways—on the threshold of (unactualised) social change. We employed an ethnographic approach involving participant observation and qualitative interviews to investigate two community climate action projects in Scotland supported by the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF). We identify some of the outcomes and barriers of these projects in relation to promoting wellbeing through work, transport, participation and green spaces for food production, biodiversity and recreation. Projects’ achievements are contextualised in light of the urgent imperative to tackle climate change and against a background of social inequality. Liminal community projects are structurally constrained in their potential to create wider systemic changes. However, the projects’ potential to promote wellbeing among their participants can intersect with climate change mitigation when systemic and wide-ranging changes are adopted. These changes must involve a meaningful shift towards an economy that centres wellbeing, framed through principles of environmental justice and promoting social equity.

A General Approach for Financial Quantification of Climate Change Risk for Enterprises

2022 ◽  
pp. 273-308
Author(s):  
Mahesh Gangaram Kanak ◽  
Sunita Purushottam
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Climate Change Risk ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Financial Disclosures ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Climatic Impacts ◽  
Tackle Climate Change

Climate change is a major risk for the global economy. Increased frequency of climatic events coupled with unsustainable economic development without considering environmental & social aspects has resulted in runaway climatic impacts. It became evident for all stakeholders to work in unison; which led to formation of Task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD). Financial quantification of climate risk is a new area to be explored & could be an effective measure to tackle climate change. This chapter provides a general approach for financial quantification of climate change risk for businesses to understand & prioritize climate action. Though the approach is limited to the manufacturing sector, it can be used with some modifications for other sectors. It will help find impacts that climate change could pose to supply chain using various tools & evaluation of its usefulness. As 'Climate Action' is part of Sustainable Development Goals; it will be useful to understand how integrating TCFD could help enterprises tackle climate change by localizing SDG-13 into their businesses.

Conflicts in adaptation: case studies from Nepal and the Maldives

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phu Doma Lama ◽  
Per Becker
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Adaptation appears to be regarded as a panacea in policy circles to reduce the risk of impending crises resulting from contemporary changes, including but not restricted to climate change. Such conceptions can be problematic, generally assuming adaptation as an entirely positive and non-conflictual process. The purpose of this paper is to challenge such uncritical views, drawing attention to the conflictual nature of adaptation, and propose a theoretical framework facilitating the identification and analysis of conflicts in adaptation. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on case study research using first-hand narratives of adaptation in Nepal and the Maldives collected using qualitative interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Findings The findings identify conflicts between actors in, and around, communities that are adapting to changes. These conflicts can be categorized along three dimensions: qualitative differences in the type of conflict, the relative position of conflicting actors and the degree of manifestation of the conflict. Originality/value The three-dimensional Adaptation Conflict Framework facilitate analysis of conflicts in adaptation, allowing for a critical examination of subjectivities inherent in the adaptation discourses embedded in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation research and policy. Such an inquiry is crucial for interventions supporting community adaptation to reduce disaster risk.

The Gulf will lag on climate action, despite exposure

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Oil Revenue ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
Combat Climate Change

Significance On the same day, opening speakers in a high-profile forum in Abu Dhabi highlighted the emirate’s commitment to renewable energy. Despite the rhetoric and their own vulnerability, however, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are lagging behind global efforts to tackle climate change and remain heavily dependent on oil revenue. Impacts Forecast rises in summer temperatures will deter foreign investment and expatriate workers in future. A collapse in oil prices would cut the funding available to develop clean energy. Failure to stem wasteful hydrocarbons energy consumption will make it harder for renewables to compete. Gulf states’ populations will be largely disengaged from global efforts to combat climate change.

scholarly journals The future of climate policymaking in light of Urgenda Foundation v the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-124
Author(s):  
Irene Antonopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
State Obligations ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Dutch Supreme

The decision of the Dutch Supreme Court in The State of the Netherlands v Urgenda Foundation represents a breakthrough and a step forward in addressing the human rights aspects of climate change. The significance of the case has been recognised by commentators and the UN Human Rights Commissioner, who asked for a repeat of Urgenda’s journey in other jurisdictions. Despite the implication that other states have similar obligations to those construed by the Dutch Supreme Court, the influence of the case in other jurisdictions is yet to be seen. This article recognises the significance of the Urgenda case to the definition of state obligations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of their commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights. In particular, the article discusses the progress made in interpreting Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in clarifying state obligations to take decisive measures to tackle climate change in line with their climate action commitments.

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 We must challenge the idea that humans are not designed to solve climate change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin Atkinson ◽  
Jennifer Jacquet
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Psychological Barriers ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Face ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Institutional Actors

In the face of a slow and inadequate global response to anthropogenic climate change, scholars and journalists frequently claim that human psychology is not designed or evolved to solve the problem, and highlight a range of ‘psychological barriers’ to climate action. Here, we critically examine this claim and the evidence on which it is based. We identify four key problems with attributing climate inaction to ‘human nature’ or evolved psychological barriers: 1) it minimizes variability within and between populations; 2) it oversimplifies psychological research and its implications for policy; 3) it frames responsibility for climate change in terms of the individual at the expense of the role of other aspects of culture, including institutional actors; and 4) it rationalizes inaction. For these reasons, the message from social scientists must be clear - our current collective failure to tackle climate change on the scale required cannot be explained as a product of a universal and fixed human nature because it is a fundamentally cultural phenomenon, reflecting culturally evolved values, norms, institutions, and technologies that can and must change rapidly.

A General Approach for Financial Quantification of Climate Change Risk for Enterprises

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-146
Author(s):  
Mahesh Gangaram Kanak ◽  
Sunita Purushottam
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Climate Change Risk ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Financial Disclosures ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Climatic Impacts ◽  
Tackle Climate Change

Climate change is a major risk for the global economy. Increased frequency of climatic events coupled with unsustainable economic development without considering environmental & social aspects has resulted in runaway climatic impacts. It became evident for all stakeholders to work in unison; which led to formation of Task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD). Financial quantification of climate risk is a new area to be explored & could be an effective measure to tackle climate change. This chapter provides a general approach for financial quantification of climate change risk for businesses to understand & prioritize climate action. Though the approach is limited to the manufacturing sector, it can be used with some modifications for other sectors. It will help find impacts that climate change could pose to supply chain using various tools & evaluation of its usefulness. As 'Climate Action' is part of Sustainable Development Goals; it will be useful to understand how integrating TCFD could help enterprises tackle climate change by localizing SDG-13 into their businesses.

scholarly journals Superimposition: How Indian city bureaucracies are responding to climate change

2020 ◽  
pp. 251484862094909
Author(s):  
Ankit Bhardwaj ◽  
Radhika Khosla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
City Governments ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Indian City ◽  
Indian Cities ◽  
Governance Arrangements

City governments are facing complex challenges due to climate change, but those in the global South often have limited capacities and governance arrangements to develop and execute a response. Cities must also manage other existing priorities such as housing, water and waste management, which have established bureaucratic practices and incentives. How are such cities with limited climate governance capacity and with existing non-climate priorities developing a climate response? From interviews and participant observation in two Indian cities that are pioneering climate action, we find that actors are ‘superimposing’ climate objectives onto existing bureaucratic practices. Building on analysis of ongoing projects in the two cities, we theorize superimposition as an approach taken by bureaucracies that have the intention of responding to climate change but have limited control over their planning practices and mandates, high levels of institutional inertia to change existing practices, and multiple other objectives related to development that dominate agendas. As superimposition does not involve the modification of existing bureaucratic practices or incentives, the types of climate actions which emerge from this approach reflect the features, scope and limitations of existing political arrangements. We highlight five such features of how Indian city bureaucracies respond to climate change: (1) the primacy of central and state ‘schemes’, (2) the prioritization of ‘development’ as an objective, and the imperative to implement (3) ‘quick win’, (4) ‘visible’ and (5) ‘bankable’ projects. Superimposition has led to creative and politically tenable climate projects that meet both climate objectives and those of existing schemes on housing, water and waste. But these projects are also limited by existing governance arrangements with tradeoffs for long-term planning, urban justice and public ownership of infrastructure.

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