scholarly journals Escaping the Climate Trap: Participation in a Climate-Specific Social Dilemma Simulation Boosts Climate-Protective Motivation and Actions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9438
Author(s):  
Perri B. Druen ◽  
Stephanie J. Zawadzki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Social Dilemma ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Personal Benefit ◽  
Environmental Engagement ◽  
The Social

One way in which educators can help to address increasingly pressing environmental problems, including climate change, is to encourage individuals to change their behavior and to press for structural changes in society. The promotion of climate-protective behavior is challenging because the payoffs for various actions and inactions are structured such that they create social dilemmas. The conflict between short-term personal benefit and long-term collective gain in such dilemmas often leads to self-serving motives that can ultimately be self-defeating. We created a social dilemma simulation specific to climate change, called Climate Trap: Social Dilemma Simulation, to help students observe how they and others respond to these conflicts, and predicted that doing so would lead to climate-protective motivations and behaviors after the simulation. The simulation participants (N = 344) reported greater confidence in their knowledge and understanding of the social dilemma context of climate change, higher environmental concern and more self-determined motivation to act, and they engaged in more climate-protective behaviors compared to the students who did not complete the simulation. Moreover, the simulation participants reported greater pro-environmental engagement on all of the measures after the simulation compared to before they participated in the simulation. The results suggest that a climate-specific social dilemma simulation can create uniquely motivating experiences, and can have utility as a teaching tool, research instrument and intervention.

scholarly journals Lyell, the Geikies and Croll's observations on terrestrial glacial sediments and landforms

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
James ROSE
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Glacial Sediments ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Social And Physical Environment ◽  
Glacial Landforms

ABSTRACT Within the context of the work and achievements of James Croll, this paper reviews the records of direct observations of glacial landforms and sediments made by Charles Lyell, Archibald and James Geikie and James Croll himself, in order to evaluate their contributions to the sciences of glacial geology and Quaternary environmental change. The paper outlines the social and physical environment of Croll's youth and contrasts this with the status and experiences of Lyell and the Geikies. It also outlines the character and role of the ‘Glasgow School’ of geologists, who stimulated Croll's interest into the causes of climate change and directed his focus to the glacial and ‘interglacial’ deposits of central Scotland. Contributions are outlined in chronological order, drawing attention to: (i) Lyell's high-quality observations and interpretations of glacial features in Glen Clova and Strathmore and his subsequent rejection of the glacial theory in favour of processes attributed to floating icebergs; (ii) the significant impact of Archibald Geikie's 1863 paper on the ‘glacial drift of Scotland’, which firmly established the land-ice theory; (iii) the fact that, despite James Croll's inherent dislike of geology and fieldwork, he provided high-quality descriptions and interpretations of the landforms and sediments of central Scotland in order to test his theory of climate change; and (iv) the great communication skills of James Geikie, enhanced by contacts and evidence from around the world. It is concluded that whilst direct observations of glacial landforms and sediments were critical to the long-term development of the study of glaciation, the acceptance of this theory was dependent also upon the skills, personality and status of the Geikies and Croll, who developed and promoted the concepts. Sadly, the subsequent rejection of the land-ice concept by Lyell resulted in the same factors challenging the acceptance of the glacial theory.

Discounting under Risk

2021 ◽  
pp. 67-89
Author(s):  
Maddalena Ferranna
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Discount Rate ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Social Discount Rate ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ramsey Rule ◽  
Climate Damages

The debate on the economics of climate change has focused primarily on the choice of the social discount rate, which plays a key role in determining the desirability of climate policies given the long-term impacts of climate damages. Discounted utilitarianism and the Ramsey Rule dominate the debate on discounting. The chapter examines the appropriateness of the utilitarian framework for evaluating public policies. More specifically, it focuses on the risky dimension of climate change, and on the failure of utilitarianism in expressing both concerns for the distribution of risks across the population and concerns for the occurrence of catastrophic outcomes. The chapter shows how a shift to the prioritarian paradigm is able to capture those types of concerns, and briefly sketches the main implications for the choice of the social discount rate.

scholarly journals Perception and risk of Covid-19 and climate change: investigating analogies in a common framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonello Pasini ◽  
Fulvio Mazzocchi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Risk Equation ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Policy Level ◽  
Common Framework

This paper investigates analogies in the dynamics of Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. A comparison of their common features (such as nonlinearity and inertia) and differences helps us to achieve a correct scientific perception of both situations, increasing the chances of actions for their solutions. Besides, applying to both the risk equation provides different angles to analyse them, something that may result useful especially at the policy level. It shows that not only short-term interventions are needed, but also long-term strategies involving some structural changes. More specifically, it also shows that, even if climate change is probably more critical and long-lasting than the Covid-19 crisis, we still have, at least currently, more options for reducing its related risk.

The Changing Swedish Electorate

1981 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Social Democrats ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Electoral Strategies ◽  
Class Voting ◽  
Socioeconomic Composition

This article attempts to assess the contribution of long-term changes in Swedish social structure to three recent developments in Swedish electoral behavior: the decline of the Social Democrats, the decline in class voting, and the increase in the volatility of party preference. The author argues that the decline of the Social Democrats cannot be attributed to long-term structural changes in the electorate but rather is a product of the policies and electoral strategies pursued by the parties. The decline in class voting is found to be partly attributable to long-term structural change. Original secondary analysis of survey data is then presented to show that the socioeconomic composition of individuals' places of residence affects their voting behavior independent of individual-level characteristics. The author then argues that the parties' policies and electoral strategies have reinforced the tendency toward decreasing class voting. Finally, both long-term structural changes and the decline in class voting itself appear to have caused the increase in the volatility of party choice.

Peru floods may bring economic woes, political gains

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Social Suffering ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Social

Significance Landslides and flooding the length of the Pacific coast of Peru have caused widespread damage to housing and infrastructure, revealing the vulnerability of the country’s largest cities to natural disasters. For President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s administration, the crisis brings short-term political respite, but also new problems of how to respond effectively to the social suffering caused. Impacts Responding to the crisis will involve reconfiguring this year’s budget, particularly increasing public investment. Spending priorities in other areas will make it hard to grapple with long-term preventative work. As one of the world’s most exposed countries to climate change, the costs of adaptation will be large.

Adaptation to Global-Warming-Triggered Water Disasters Measures Taken by Science Council of Japan

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Syunsuke Ikeda ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government

As pointed out by Assessment Report 4 of IPCC, global climate change will increase the magnitude and frequency of water-related disasters such as flooding, surge and drought. In addition to this the social changes such as population problems in Japan will aggravate the vulnerability to the disasters. Two concepts to cope with the water-related disasters triggered by climate change are adaptation and mitigation. Though abatement of GHG gas emissions has been eagerly argued, Japan should be more concerned with and take the initiative both for mitigation and adaptation. As adaptation measures for water-related disasters, 3 measures are proposed in this paper; building disaster-awareness societies, building physical/social structures, and adaptation R&D. In addition to them, it is necessary to bring reconstruction of the national land into medium- and long term views as paradigm shift. In this paper, the following recommendations are proposed for the adaptation: the Japanese government should be aware of the importance of adaptation and strongly promote adaptation to mitigate water-related disasters, and the government should also cooperate in establishing adaptation in sustaining development of Asian monsoon areas and development programs.

scholarly journals Anticipation, climate change, and movement in Greenland

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Nuttall
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Local Perceptions ◽  
The Social ◽  
How People Learn

Abstract Drawing and reflecting on long-term research and fieldwork in Greenland, I seek through this article to broaden the discussion of adaptation, vulnerability, and resilience in the climate change literature to include a focus on anticipation. While adaptation is a reactive response to climate change, anticipation is more about intentionality, action, agency, imagination, possibility, and choice. It is also about being doubtful, unsure, uncertain, fearful, and apprehensive. Through a specific discussion of hunting, I argue that understanding local perceptions, concerns, preparedness and responses to changes in the environment depends on understanding the social and cultural context of anticipation, how people learn to anticipate, and the nature of that anticipation.

scholarly journals Climate change in Carpathian forests: natural logging in Sibiu area Romania case study Identifying the effects of climate change in the forests in the Sibiu area: forest wind damage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulian Alexandru BRATU
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
The Social

Abstract Climate change is becoming more acute, including in terms of individual perception. Forest, as an ecosystem, has a special role to play in mitigating climate change, protecting the soil, water and air. There are forests of scientific interest, preservation of the Eco fund and forest Geno fund, as well as recreational forests, so that the ecological functions are fulfilled in the optimum. Also, alongside the social function, green energy generation is one of the main attributes of the forest. In addition to preserving biodiversity, the forestry administration has as objectives the provision of the necessary resources for the short, medium and long-term development of local communities. Forest management that harmoniously combines ecological, economic and social functions cannot be sustained, at least in the information age, without relying on information technology. This article aims to address the issue of information technology in the forest administration, identifying needs and providing viable, high quality, open source solutions.

scholarly journals Locating “Climate Justice” within a National Context

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Rebeca Leonard ◽  
Jacques-Chai Chomthongdi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Justice ◽  
National Context ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
Climate Crisis

Many explorations of climate justice have focused on the international sphere, centring attention on the historical responsibilities of industrialised nations for the reductionof greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the financing of climate change policies,the imbalance in geopolitical power that has influenced and stalled decisions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the structural changes needed as the world re-thinks development. This article presents a discussion of articulations of climate justice in a national context, exploring the case of Thailand, a middle-income country with a fast growing economy and a high trajectory of increasing emissions, but not listed in Annex 1 of the UNFCCC. These articulations are grouped and discussed within a framework of justice amongst people, justice to a place, and justice through time. A more comprehensive consideration of climate justice at the national level could point Thailand towards substantially different approaches in the short, medium and long term, than those currently being implemented to address the climate crisis.

Close to a Tipping Point? The Amazon and the Challenge of Sustainable Development under Growing Climate Pressures

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-494
Author(s):  
Joana C. Pereira ◽  
Eduardo Viola
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Technological Revolution ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Environmental Diplomacy ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

AbstractThis commentary examines the challenge of sustainable development in the Amazon, arguing that global efforts to mitigate climate change and current Amazonian policies are clearly inadequate to prevent global warming and deforestation from tipping the forest into a savanna. It analyses the growing climate pressures jeopardising the Amazon's resilience; the erratic Brazilian, Bolivian, Colombian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian governance of the forest; and the failure of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to establish long-term forest conservation policies in the region. The research demonstrates that the ‘savannisation hypothesis’ is potentially closer to reality than most debates in the social sciences assume and should be considered seriously. The commentary concludes by suggesting possible pathways for preventing the dieback of the Amazon. These are based on three strategic axes: the strengthening of the ACTO, the promotion of a technological revolution in the forest, and a progressive environmental diplomacy by the Amazonian countries.

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