Debates about vaccines and climate change on social media networks: a study in contrasts

Vaccines and climate change have much in common. In both cases, a scientific consensus contrasts with a divided public opinion. They also exemplify coupled human–environment systems involving common pool resources. Here we used machine learning algorithms to analyze the sentiment of 87 million tweets on climate change and vaccines in order to characterize Twitter user sentiment and the structure of user and community networks. We found that the vaccine conversation was characterized by much less interaction between individuals with differing sentiment toward vaccines. Community-level interactions followed this pattern, showing less interaction between communities of opposite sentiment toward vaccines. Additionally, vaccine community networks were more fragmented and exhibited numerous isolated communities of neutral sentiment. Finally, pro-vaccine individuals overwhelmingly believed in anthropogenic climate change, but the converse was not true. We propose mechanisms that might explain these results, pertaining to how the spatial scale of an environment system can structure human populations.

A place based analysis of stakeholders’ advancing sustainability in remote and isolated communities: The case of North Aegean Islands

During the pandemic crisis, the study of sustainability in remote and isolated communities requires holistic approaches in a multi-dimensional context. To understand remote communities within their natural and constructed environments as dynamic ecosystems, we need to take into account different levels of research and analysis, types of structures, areas of human activity, and actors. It is of particular importance to identify and distinguish the different types of stakeholders who interact in these domains, as well as the dynamics among them, taking into consideration limitations and opportunities set by natural and constructed environments. We reconstruct traditional views and key pillars of sustainable development based on an extensive literature review of relative cases worldwide, to develop a conceptual framework, and to guide research on sustainability in remote and isolated island communities. Thus, this paper is focused on human activities and the wellbeing of remote communities, aiming to propose a “place-based” typology of stakeholders. Byinvestigating the cases of the Greek remote islands’ communities (North Aegean), we critically discuss this evolving conceptual framework, identifying a multi-layered approach in stakeholder analysis that pertains to the civil society that emerged as a key actor. Building on Giddings’ et al [1] anthropocentric view, we synthesize and enrich human activity and wellbeing with several factors, such as natural environment, critical infrastructure, regulatory frame, remoteness, connectivity, cohesiveness, equity, eco-efficiency as well as stakeholders’ multi-identity.

Of surviving humans and apocalyptic machines

The article aims to critically examine the roles of humanity and posthumanity in Alastair Reynolds’s post-apocalyptic space opera Inhibitor Phase (2021). The study endeavours to show how in this post-apocalyptic and posthuman space opera, humanity emerges as the key player in determining the fate of the galaxy or even universe at large. In Reynolds’s masterfully crafted post-apocalyptic universe, is it not pure technological advancement sans human concern but basic human bonding that appears to be the determining factor when it comes to saving the final remains of the human or posthuman civilizations from the clutches of the nightmarish machines. It is by reassembling and regrouping the fragmented and isolated communities of survivors that mankind seeks to defeat a virtually unconquerable foe. In the process, the article also strives to show how the novel expands and extends the very scope of humanity and its definition and how through a fusion of posthumanism and post-anthropocentrism the agency and animacy of non-human entities also get redefined and redistributed. For the purpose of a theoretically enriched textual analysis, the author has adopted some important theoretical viewpoints from such thinkers as Rosi Braidotti, Deleuze and Guattari, Jane Bennett, Karen Barad and Gordon Coonfield.

Eastern Kentucky and Northwestern Virginia, 1861–1862

From May 1861 through 1862, Appalachian eastern Kentucky and northwestern Virginia stood at the forefront of many decisions by the governments of the United States and the Confederate States. These regions, with their topographical challenges, provided the perfect cover for guerrilla activity. Poor roads and isolated communities holding populaces with divided loyalties encouraged small-unit tactics. The contest for northwestern Virginia grew out of the want of control of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Quick and sharp, the war in northwestern Virginia ultimately resulted in the formation of a new Union state. It provided the fields for many important figures who would grow to prominence in the coming war, including Gen. Robert E. Lee and Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. In eastern Kentucky, the armies competed for the important road connecting the Cumberland Gap to the Bluegrass region. The Battle of Mill Springs settled the question of who would control the region.

Integration of energy storage with diesel generation in remote communities

Highlights Battery energy storage may improve energy efficiency and reliability of hybrid energy systems composed by diesel and solar photovoltaic power generators serving isolated communities. In projects aiming update of power plants serving electrically isolated communities with redundant diesel generation, battery energy storage can improve overall economic performance of power supply system by reducing fuel usage, decreasing capital costs by replacing redundant diesel generation units, and increasing generator system life by shortening yearly runtime. Fast-acting battery energy storage systems with grid-forming inverters might have potential for improving drastically the reliability indices of isolated communities currently supplied by diesel generation. Abstract This paper will highlight unique challenges and opportunities with regard to energy storage utilization in remote, self-sustaining communities. The energy management of such areas has unique concerns. Diesel generation is often the go-to power source in these scenarios, but these systems are not devoid of issues. Without dedicated maintenance crews as in large, interconnected network areas, minor interruptions can be frequent and invasive not only for those who lose power, but also for those in the community that must then correct any faults. Although the immediate financial benefits are perhaps not readily apparent, energy storage could be used to address concerns related to reliability, automation, fuel supply concerns, generator degradation, solar utilization, and, yes, fuel costs to name a few. These ideas are shown through a case study of the Levelock Village of Alaska. Currently, the community is faced with high diesel prices and a difficult supply chain, which makes temporary loss of power very common and reductions in fuel consumption very impactful. This study will investigate the benefits that an energy storage system could bring to the overall system life, fuel costs, and reliability of the power supply. The variable efficiency of the generators, impact of startup/shutdown process, and low-load operation concerns are considered. The technological benefits of the combined system will be explored for various scenarios of future diesel prices and technology maintenance/replacement costs as well as for the avoidance of power interruptions that are so common in the community currently. Graphic abstract Discussion In several cases, energy storage can provide a means to promote energy equity by improving remote communities’ power supply reliability to levels closer to what the average urban consumer experiences at a reduced cost compared to transmission buildout. Furthermore, energy equity represents a hard-to-quantify benefit achieved by the integration of energy storage to isolated power systems of under-served communities, which suggests that the financial aspects of such projects should be questioned as the main performance criterion. To improve battery energy storage system valuation for diesel-based power systems, integration analysis must be holistic and go beyond fuel savings to capture every value stream possible.

Approach to an Emulation Model to Evaluate the Behavior and Impact of Microgrids in Isolated Communities

In microgrid projects, social ownership involves aspects beyond their operation that may compromise the sustainability of the system. For this reason, the development of analysis methods to assess the feasibility and impact during the design stages of these solutions is of growing interest. Recent studies have proposed methods that allow an individual analysis of technological components and social behaviors. However, a complete evaluation of the performance and the impact of these projects should allow the simultaneous evaluation of the behavior of these subsystems, allowing the analysis of their interactions and effects in a dynamic way. Accordingly, this paper presents simulation and emulation models to evaluate the impact of a microgrid in isolated communities. These models contemplate sublevels that consider the energetic, automation and computational aspects in the microgrids and a multi-agent system (MAS) that is used to study the environmental and economic impact of the microgrid through the evolution of certain indicators. The socio-technological interdependence in the operation of the isolated microgrid is analyzed through the integration of the microgrid emulation platform with the MAS. Our approach includes a comprehensive study of the performance of these projects in specific communities, in order to contribute to the design and implementation, considering the technological, economic, environmental, and social impacts.

Energy Distribution Modeling for Assessment and Optimal Distribution of Sustainable Energy for On-Grid Food, Energy, and Water Systems in Remote Microgrids

Food, energy, and water (FEW) are essential for human health and economic development. FEW systems are inextricably interlinked, yet individualized and variable. Consequently, an accurate assessment must include all available and proposed FEW components and their interconnections and consider scale, location, and scope. Remote Alaska locations are examples of isolated communities with limited infrastructure, accessibility, and extreme climate conditions. The resulting challenges for FEW reliability and sustainability create opportunities to obtain practical insights that may apply to other remote communities facing similar challenges. By creating energy distribution models (EDMs), a methodology is proposed, and a tool is developed to measure the impacts of renewable energy (RE) on small FEW systems connected to the microgrids of several Alaska communities. Observing the community FEW systems through an energy lens, three indices are used to measure FEW security: Energy–Water (EW), Energy–Food (EF), and Sustainable Energy (SE). The results indicate the impacts of RE on FEW infrastructure systems are highly seasonal, primarily because of the natural intermittence and seasonality of renewable resources. Overall, there is a large potential for RE integration to increase FEW security as well as a need for additional analysis and methods to further improve the resiliency of FEW systems in remote communities.