Climate Change Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

In light of the urgent need for coastal adaptation policies and the impediments to their implementation, this article examines the early experience with coastal adaptation policies in the EU (in particular the Netherlands and the UK) and... more

In light of the urgent need for coastal adaptation policies and the impediments to their implementation, this article examines the early experience with coastal adaptation policies in the EU (in particular the Netherlands and the UK) and Australia, with a view to identifying the important features of an effective regulatory framework for coastal adaptation. We conclude that an integrated approach to coastal adaptation law is currently needed to lay the foundations for the required long-term strategy. Such an approach would establish processes by which adaptation objectives are agreed for each part of the coast, ensure land use planning that can accommodate future change and does not expose new communities to risk, integrate coastal adaptation with biodiversity and coastal zone policy, allocate regulatory responsibility in a way that promotes subsidiarity and consistency, and ensure that funds are available for future measures.

Geological carbon dioxide storage (CCS) has the potential to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the UK. Amid concerns over maintaining security, and hence diversity, of supply, CCS could allow the continued use of... more

Geological carbon dioxide storage (CCS) has the potential to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the UK. Amid concerns over maintaining security, and hence diversity, of supply, CCS could allow the continued use of coal, oil and gas whilst avoiding the CO 2 emissions currently associated with fossil fuel use. This project has explored some of the geological, environmental, technical, economic and social implications of this technology. The UK is well placed to exploit CCS with a large offshore storage capacity, both in disused oil and gas fields and saline aquifers. This capacity should be sufficient to store CO 2 from the power sector (at current levels) for a least one century, using well understood and therefore likely to be lower-risk, depleted hydrocarbon fields and contained parts of aquifers. It is very difficult to produce reliable estimates of the (potentially much larger) storage capacity of the less well understood geological reservoirs such as non-confined parts of aquifers. With the majority of its large coal fired power stations due to be retired during the next 15 to 20 years, the UK is at a natural decision point with respect to the future of power generation from coal; the existence of both national reserves and the infrastructure for receiving imported coal makes clean coal technology a realistic option. The notion of CCS as a 'bridging' or 'stop-gap' technology (i.e. whilst we develop 'genuinely' sustainable renewable energy technologies) needs to be examined somewhat critically, especially given the scale of global coal reserves. If CCS plant is built, then it is likely that technological innovation will bring down the costs of CO 2 capture, such that it could become increasingly attractive. As with any capitalintensive option, there is a danger of becoming 'locked-in' to a CCS system. The costs of CCS in our model for UK power stations in the East Midlands and Yorkshire to reservoirs in the North Sea are between £25 and £60 per tonne of CO 2 captured, transported and stored. This is between about 2 and 4 times the current traded price of a tonne of CO 2 in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. In addition to the technical and economic requirements of the CCS technology, it should also be socially and environmentally acceptable. Our research has shown that, given an acceptance of the severity and urgency of addressing climate change, CCS is viewed favourably by members of the public, provided it is adopted within a portfolio of other measures. The most commonly voiced concern from the public is that of leakage and this remains perhaps the greatest uncertainty with CCS. It is not possible to make general statements concerning storage security; assessments must be site specific. The impacts of any potential leakage are also somewhat uncertain but should be balanced against the deleterious effects of increased acidification in the oceans due to uptake of elevated atmospheric CO 2 that have already been observed. Provided adequate long term monitoring can be ensured, any leakage of CO 2 from a storage site is likely to have minimal localised impacts as long as leaks are rapidly repaired. A regulatory framework for CCS will need to include risk assessment of potential environmental and health and safety impacts, accounting and 1 monitoring and liability for the long term. In summary, although there remain uncertainties to be resolved through research and demonstration projects, our assessment demonstrates that CCS holds great potential for significant cuts in CO 2 emissions as we develop long term alternatives to fossil fuel use. CCS can contribute to reducing emissions of CO 2 into the atmosphere in the near term (i.e. peak-shaving the future atmospheric concentration of CO 2 ), with the potential to continue to deliver significant CO 2 reductions over the long term.

Biochar addition to agricultural soil has been suggested to mitigate climate change through increased biogenic carbon storage and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We measured the fluxes of N2O, CO2, and CH4 after adding 9 t ha−1... more

Biochar addition to agricultural soil has been suggested to mitigate climate change through increased biogenic carbon storage and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We measured the fluxes of N2O, CO2, and CH4 after adding 9 t ha−1 biochar on an agricultural soil in Southern Finland in May 2009. We conducted these measurements twice a week for 1.5 months, between sowing and canopy closure, to capture the period of highest N2O emissions, where the potential for mitigation would also be highest. Biochar addition increased CH4 uptake (96% increase in the average cumulative CH4 uptake), but no statistically significant differences were observed in the CO2 and N2O emissions between the biochar amended and control plots. Added biochar increased soil water holding capacity by 11%. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this may help balance fluctuations in water availability to plants in the future climate with more frequent drought periods.▶ Biochar addition to boreal agricultural soil increases CH4 uptake. ▶ Biochar addition to boreal agricultural soil increases water holding capacity. ▶ Biochar addition to boreal agricultural soil had no effect on N2O or CO2 fluxes.

Dependence on a vast shared resource built up the economies of herring towns around the north-central and northeastern Atlantic during the first half of the 20th century. During the postwar years, culminating in the early-1960s spike, the... more

Dependence on a vast shared resource built up the economies of herring towns around the north-central and northeastern Atlantic during the first half of the 20th century. During the postwar years, culminating in the early-1960s spike, the fishery rapidly drew down its resource. This killer spike disastrously coincided with an adverse climatic event, collapsing the fishery in the late 1960s. That pattern, of collapse resulting from climatic variation on top of overfishing, has characterized other fisheries crises (for example see Hamilton et al., 2004b). The fisheries events reflect a more general proposition: climate changes tend to impact human affairs largely through interactions with resource use and distribution behaviour, which can reduce or exacerbate climate impacts. We should not expect to see simple, physical impacts from climate alone, unmitigated by social factors.

Global mean sea levels are projected to gradually rise in response to greenhouse warming. However, on shorter time scales, modes of natural climate variability in the Pacific, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), can affect... more

Global mean sea levels are projected to gradually rise in response to greenhouse warming. However, on shorter time scales, modes of natural climate variability in the Pacific, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), can affect regional sea level variability and extremes, with considerable impacts on coastal ecosystems and island nations. How these shorter-term sea level fluctuations will change in association with a projected increase in extreme El Niño and its atmospheric variability remains unknown. Using present-generation coupled climate models forced with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and subtracting the effect of global mean sea level rise, we find that climate change will enhance El Niño–related sea level extremes, especially in the tropical southwestern Pacific, where very low sea level events, locally known as Taimasa, are projected to double in occurrence. Additionally, and throughout the tropical Pacific, prolonged interannual sea level in-undations are also found to become more likely with greenhouse warming and increased frequency of extreme La Niña events, thus exacerbating the coastal impacts of the projected global mean sea level rise.

ABSTRACT Thousands of Neolithic and Bronze Age open-air rock art panels exist across the countryside in northern England. However, desecration, pollution, and other factors are threatening the survival of these iconic stone monuments.... more

ABSTRACT Thousands of Neolithic and Bronze Age open-air rock art panels exist across the countryside in northern England. However, desecration, pollution, and other factors are threatening the survival of these iconic stone monuments. Evidence suggest that rates of panel deterioration may be increasing, although it is not clear whether this is due to local factors or wider environmental influences accelerated by environmental change. To examine this question, 18 rock art panels with varied art motifs were studied at two major panel locations at Lordenshaw and Weetwood Moor in Northumberland. A condition assessment tool was used to first quantify the level of deterioration of each panel (called “staging”). Stage estimates then were compared statistically with 27 geochemical and physical descriptors of local environments, such as soil moisture, salinity, pH, lichen coverage, soil anions and cation levels, and panel orientation, slope, and standing height. In parallel, climate modelling was performed using UKCP09 to assess how projected climatic conditions (to 2099) might affect the environmental descriptors most correlated with elevated stone deterioration. Only two descriptors significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with increased stage: the standing height of the panel and the exchangeable cation content of the local soils, although moisture conditions also were potentially influential at some panels. Climate modelling predicts warming temperatures, more seasonally variable precipitation, and increased wind speeds, which hint stone deterioration could accelerate in the future due to increased physiochemical weathering. We recommend key panels be targeted for immediate management intervention, focusing on reducing wind exposures, improving site drainage, and potentially immobilizing soil salts.

This research article analyzes the influence of the “Chernobyl factor” on the nuclear power discourse in Hungary. Despite its temporal distance, the geographical proxim- ity of the Chernobyl disaster has significantly influenced the lives... more

This research article analyzes the influence of the “Chernobyl factor” on the nuclear power discourse in Hungary. Despite its temporal distance, the geographical proxim- ity of the Chernobyl disaster has significantly influenced the lives and perceptions of current Hungarian generations. The research examines two layers of public communi- cation regarding the Chernobyl disaster—political discourse and Hungarian online news media—and matches these with the online representation of the catastrophe. This study finds that despite Chernobyl's significant impact on the cultural memory of Hungarian society, it is considered an event of the past with limited relevance for the future. The contemporary representation of Chernobyl reflects the aspirations and expectations of current society, manifests highly mediatized content, nurtures elements of infotainment, symbolizes danger and negligence, and socially reconstructs meaning through alienation from its original connotation. The Chernobyl factor does not appear significantly in current nuclear discourse in Hungary.

The great ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland were, traditionally, believed to take thousands of years to respond to external forcing. Recent observations suggest, however, that major changes in the dynamics of parts of the ice... more

The great ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland were, traditionally, believed to take thousands of years to respond to external forcing. Recent observations suggest, however, that major changes in the dynamics of parts of the ice sheets are taking place over timescales of years. These changes were not predicted by numerical models, and the underlying cause(s) remains uncertain. It has been suggested that regional oceanic and/or atmospheric warming are responsible but separating the influence and importance of these two forcings has not been possible. In most cases, the role of atmospheric versus oceanic control remains uncertain. Here, we review the observations of rapid change and discuss the possible mechanisms, in the light of advances in numerical modelling and our understanding of the processes that may be responsible.

The Lake George Basin is a small, closed basin about 50km NE from Canberra, Australia's capital city. The basin is a very distinct landscape unit, and for many generations it has been a natural meeting place for several Aboriginal groups.... more

The Lake George Basin is a small, closed basin about 50km NE from Canberra, Australia's capital city. The basin is a very distinct landscape unit, and for many generations it has been a natural meeting place for several Aboriginal groups. There is evidence of at least 6000 years old human artefacts on the shores of the lake, and a currently ongoing PhD project is adding detail to our understanding of the human occupation of this area. There are also known mega-fauna fossil finds, including of the extinct kangaroo genus Procoptodon from deposits originally dated to between 21,000 and 26,000 years BP, but now considered to be older. The site for Canberra was chosen in 1908, resolving a long running debate about where the National Capital should be located. The main rivals were Sydney and Melbourne, and the diplomatic compromise was to establish a new capital midway between the two. Lake George had been a substantial body of water until 1900, and the Lake George Basin had been considered as a possible site for the new capital. Luckily, another nearby site was chosen because lake levels fell during several years of drought and the lake was dry from 1901 to 1915 and on several occasions since. Currently the lake is dry again, giving access for a large interdisciplinary team to study the landscape, its tectonic, sedimentary and hydrogeological evolution, as well as the paleontological and archaeological history of the area. The Lake George Fault, elevated 200 metres above the western shores, is a 75 km long major north-south tectonic feature. The lake bed is filled with up to 165 metres of sediments, providing the longest known continuous Quaternary and Pliocene sedimentary record of any lake in Australia, encompassing approximately 4 million years. Today the land around the lake is privately owned, while the lake bed is Crown Land. The landscape elements are defining features in current land use, planning and development. Our research aims to create new knowledge that will advance the protection and sharing of the landscape without hampering its development. Our project is " work in progress " , with funding for another two years. Funding is provided from the Australian Research Council (LP140100911). We acknowledge the First People of Australia as the traditional owners of the land on which we live and work.

Physics defines heat as; Thermal energy transferred from a hotter system to a cooler system that is in contact, the heat energy unit is Joules (J), In general, three different modes of heat transfer are recognized: Conduction, convection,... more

Physics defines heat as; Thermal energy transferred from a hotter system to a cooler system that is in contact, the heat energy unit is Joules (J), In general, three different modes of heat transfer are recognized: Conduction, convection, and radiation. The theory of the greenhouse effect erases the infrared radiation and the heat transfer by contact of the gas molecules in the atmosphere (14°C), and teaches us that the greenhouse gases (0.04% of the atmosphere), They receive a radiation heat transfer from the surface of the earth whose average temperature is 2.82°C, and these gases re-radiate it in all directions. We see many errors in the theory of the greenhouse effect; 1. When radiation heat transfer occurs is produced by changes in the electronic configurations of constituent atoms or molecules and transported by electromagnetic waves or photons. 2. It tells us that the surface of the Earth does not transfer its heat to the Atmosphere by conduction, when it is in contact with its surface, but by radiation. 3. It tells us that the Sun emitting infrared radiation at all known wavelengths does not emit infrared radiation at the wavelength emitted by the earth's surface. 4. It does not take into account all molecules in the atmosphere that also emit their temperature as infrared radiation. 5. It only takes into account 0.04% of the molecules in the atmospheric system, as a new way of transferring heat, not by its own infrared radiation, but as a way to radiate the heat radiated by the earth's atoms. 6. It teaches us that the earth's surface with an average temperature of 2.82°C can transfer irradiated heat to the greenhouse gases of the atmospheric system, with an average temperature of 14°C.

A number of scientific writers have proposed manipulating the ecology of Mars in order to make the planet more comfortable for future immigrants from Earth. However, the ethical acceptability of such ‘terraforming’ proposals remains... more

A number of scientific writers have proposed manipulating the ecology of Mars in order to make the planet more comfortable for future immigrants from Earth. However, the ethical acceptability of such ‘terraforming’ proposals remains unresolved. In response, in this article I explore some of these scientific proposals through the lens provided by Buddhist environmental ethics that are quantitatively expressed by practitioners in the ethnographic field of the United States. What I find is that contemporary Buddhists combine philosophical notions of interconnectedness with moral considerations not to harm others and then creatively extend this combined sensibility to the protection specifically of abiotic features of Mars. In so doing these Buddhists significantly reject proposals to alter the Martian ecology planet-wide as beyond the ethical right of humans. Along the way these Buddhists also importantly provide an innovative basis for enriching Buddhist environmental ethical protection of abiotic locations, and this strengthening can assist in mitigating climate change on Earth.

Abrupt climate change in the past is thought to have disrupted societies by accelerating environmental degradation, potentially leading to cultural collapse. Linking climate change directly to societal disruption is challenging because... more

Abrupt climate change in the past is thought to have disrupted societies by accelerating environmental degradation, potentially leading to cultural collapse. Linking climate change directly to societal disruption is challenging because socioeconomic factors also play a large role, with climate being secondary or sometimes inconsequential. Combining paleolimnologic, historical, and archaeological methods provides for a more secure basis for interpreting the past impacts of climate on society. We present pollen, nonpollen palynomorph, geochemical, paleomagnetic and sedimentary data from a high-resolution 2700 yr lake sediment core from central Italy and compare these data with local historical documents and archeological surveys to reconstruct a record of environmental change in relation to socioeconomic history and climatic fluctuations. Here we document cases in which environmental change is strongly linked to changes in local land management practices in the absence of clear climatic change, as well as examples when climate change appears to have been a strong catalyst that resulted in significant environmental change that impacted local communities. During the Imperial Roman period, despite a long period of stable, mild climate, and a large urban population in nearby Rome, our site shows only limited evidence for environmental degradation. Warm and mild climate during the Medieval Warm period, on the other hand, led to widespread deforestation and erosion. The ability of the Romans to utilize imported resources through an extensive trade network may have allowed for preservation of the environment near the Roman capital, whereas during medieval time, the need to rely on local resources led to environmental degradation. Cool wet climate during the Little Ice Age led to a breakdown in local land use practices, widespread land abandonment and rapid reforestation. Our results present a highresolution regional case study that explores the effect of climate change on society for an underdocumented region of Europe.

The majority of vulnerability and adaptation scholarship, policies and programs focus exclusively on climate change or global environmental change. Yet, individuals, communities and sectors experience a broad array of multi-scalar and... more

The majority of vulnerability and adaptation scholarship, policies and programs focus exclusively on climate change or global environmental change. Yet, individuals, communities and sectors experience a broad array of multi-scalar and multi-temporal, social, political, economic and environmental changes to which they are vulnerable and must adapt. While extensive theoretical—and increasingly empirical—work suggests the need to explore multiple exposures, a clear conceptual framework which would facilitate analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to multiple interacting socioeconomic and biophysical changes is lacking. This review and synthesis paper aims to fill this gap through presenting a conceptual framework for integrating multiple exposures into vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning. To support applications of the framework and facilitate assessments and comparative analyses of community vulnerability, we develop a comprehensive typology of drivers and exposures experienced by coastal communities. Our results reveal essential elements of a pragmatic approach for local-scale vulnerability analysis and for planning appropriate adaptations within the context of multiple interacting exposures. We also identify methodologies for characterizing exposures and impacts, exploring interactions and identifying and prioritizing responses. This review focuses on coastal communities; however, we believe the framework, typology and approach will be useful for understanding vulnerability and planning adaptation to multiple exposures in various social-ecological contexts.

issues signals a clear warning for the future sustainability of this global industry. The linking together of global experts in the culture, capture and trading of crustaceans with pathologists, epidemiologists, ecologists, therapeutics... more

issues signals a clear warning for the future sustainability of this global industry. The linking together of global experts in the culture, capture and trading of crustaceans with pathologists, epidemiologists, ecologists, therapeutics specialists and policy makers in the field of food security will allow these issues to be better identified and addressed.

Inspired by the commercial desires of global brands and retailers to access the lucrative green consumer market, carbon is increasingly being counted and made knowable at the mundane sites of everyday production and consumption, from the... more

Inspired by the commercial desires of global brands and retailers to access the lucrative green consumer market, carbon is increasingly being counted and made knowable at the mundane sites of everyday production and consumption, from the carbon footprint of a plastic kitchen fork to that of an online bank account. Despite the challenges of counting and making commensurable the global warming impact of a myriad of biophysical and societal activities, this desire to communicate a product or service's carbon footprint has sparked complicated carbon calculative practices and enrolled actors at literally every node of multi-scaled and vastly complex global supply chains. Against this landscape, this paper critically analyses the counting practices that create the 'e' in 'CO2e'. It is shown that, central to these practices are a series of tools, models and databases which, in building upon previous work (Eden 2012; Star and Griesemer 1989) we conceptualize here as 'boundary objects'. By enrolling everyday actors from farmers to consumers, these objects abstract and stabilize greenhouse gas emissions from their messy material and social contexts into units of CO2e which can then be translated along a product's supply chain, thereby establishing a new currency of 'everyday supply chain carbon'. However, in making all greenhouse gas-related practices commensurable in enrolling and stabilizing the transfer of information between multiple actors these objects oversee a process of simplification reliant upon, and subject to, a multiplicity of approximations, assumptions, errors, discrepancies and/or omissions. Further the outcomes of these tools are subject to the politicized and commercial agendas of the worlds they attempt to link, with each boundary actor inscribing different meanings to a product’s carbon footprint in accordance with their specific subjectivities, commercial desires and epistemic framings. It is therefore shown that how a boundary object transforms greenhouse gas emissions into units of CO2e, the outcome is of distinct ideologies regarding ‘what’ a product's carbon footprint is and how it should be made legible. These politicized decisions, in turn inform specific reduction activities and ultimately advance distinct, specific and increasingly durable transition pathways to a low carbon society.

Federally-recognized tribes must adapt to many ecological challenges arising from climate change, from the effects of glacier retreat on the habitats of culturally significant species to how sea level rise forces human communities to... more

Federally-recognized tribes must adapt to many ecological challenges arising from climate change, from the effects of glacier retreat on the habitats of culturally significant species to how sea level rise forces human communities to relocate. The governmental and social institutions supporting tribes in adapting to climate change are often constrained by political obstructions, raising concerns about justice. Beyond typical uses of justice, which call attention to violations of formal rights or to considerations about the degree to which some populations may have caused anthropogenic climate change, a justice framework should guide how leaders, scientists and professionals of all heritages and who work with or for federally-recognized tribes understand what actions are morally essential for supporting tribes’ adaptation efforts. This paper motivates a shift to a forward-looking framework of justice. The framework situates justice within the systems of responsibilities that matter to tribes and many others, which range from webs of inter-species relationships to government-to-government partnerships. Justice is achieved when these systems of responsibilities operate in ways that support the continued flourishing of tribal communities.

To cope with climate change, less developed country like Madagascar have been invited by the United Nations to submit a National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA) that identifies priority projects on climate adaptation. Integrated... more

To cope with climate change, less developed country like Madagascar have been invited by the
United Nations to submit a National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA) that identifies
priority projects on climate adaptation. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is
among these priority projects. This one is also due to an update of the Governmental policy
on sustainable development of coastal and marine areas which have led to the development
of a national strategy for sustainable development of coastal and marine areas in Madagascar.
The analysis of PANA and ICZM however shows that they evolve in parallel and with few
complementarities. From a political sociology perspective and based on documentary research
and interviews conducted in Madagascar in 2013, this article will look first on how main
stakeholder have “problematized” adaptation to climate change in Madagascar. Then, this
will help us to better understand perceptions and tensions in defining problems and solutions
associated with this theme, pointing out incompatibility of perceptions and actions in order to
clarify the problems of implementation.

The September 2021 edition of the IRMO Brief deals with energy security of the Balkans and the upcoming changes in the energy security of the region. Year 2023 could bring a dramatic overhaul on the energy map of the Western Balkans... more

The September 2021 edition of the IRMO Brief deals with energy security of the Balkans and the upcoming changes in the energy security of the region. Year 2023 could bring a dramatic overhaul on the energy map of the Western Balkans countries, as by then the derogation from EU environmental regulation for a number of thermal power plants expires while reliability of lignite mines and power plants deteriorates. As the region’s energy supply is to a large extent dependent on lignite-fired power plants, the 2023 will be a turning point for the Balkans in terms of energy supply. At the same time, the Western Balkan countries are aware of the importance of the EU Green Agenda and that the replacement of coal by other energy sources, is at the core of EU climate policy. The author also analyses the energy map Europe after the completion of the Nord Stream 2 and Turk Stream gas pipeline projects as well as closures of nuclear and coal plants and phase out of Groningen gas field , and positions the role of the Balkans in the overall energy security of Europe. Paper address the risk that developments in Balkans affect credibility of the EU promotion of the rule of law, climate change awareness and human rights. Findings are confirmed by recent failures in gas and power supply across the region and spike in wholesale prices.

The Quaternary period represents the interval of oscillating climatic extremes (glacial and interglacial periods) beginning about 2.6 million years ago to the present. Based on modeling by the Near Earth Object (NEO) community of... more

The Quaternary period represents the interval of oscillating climatic extremes (glacial and interglacial periods) beginning about 2.6 million years ago to the present. Based on modeling by the Near Earth Object (NEO) community of planetary scientists, the known and validated record of Quaternary impact on Earth by comets and asteroids is seemingly depauperate in terms of larger impactors >10,000 Mt (roughly equal to or larger than about 500 m in diameter). Modeling suggests that an average of between 2-3 and perhaps as many as 5 globally catastrophic (ca. ≥1,000,000 Mt) impacts by asteroids and comets could have occurred on Earth during this period of time, each having catastrophic regional environmental effects and moderate to severe continental and global effects. A slightly larger number of substantive but somewhat less than globally catastrophic impacts in the 10,000-100,000 Mt range would also be predicted to have occurred during the Quaternary. However, databases of validated impact structures on Earth, contain only two examples of Quaternary period impacts in the 10,000-100,000 Mt range (Zhamanshin, Bosumtwi), dating to around a million years ago, while no examples of Quaternary period globally catastrophic impact structures have been yet identified. In addition, all of the 27 validated Quaternary period impact structures are terrestrial-no Quaternary period oceanic impacts have been yet validated. Two likely globally catastrophic probable oceanic impacts events, Eltanin (ca. 1,000,000 Mt at around 2.6 mya), and that associated with the Australasian tektite strewn field (> 1,000,000 Mt at around 0.78 mya), are known due to their debris fields for which craters have not yet been identified and validated. These and the 8-km diameter Bolivian Iturralde candidate impact structure (ca. 10,000 Mt at around 20 kya) round out our list of likely large Quaternary impact structures. This suggests that one or more Quaternary period globally catastrophic impacts and several events in the 10,000-100,000 Mt range occurred in oceanic settings and have not yet been identified. At issue here is the default position of the NEO community that no large impacts have occurred during the past 15,000 years and that there is little evidence for human death by impacts during the past 5000 years of recorded history. This bias, deriving largely from reliance on stochastic models and by selectively ignoring physical, anthropological, and archaeological evidence in support of such impacts, is apparent in the messages being given to the media and general public, and in the general lack of grant support and other assistance to scientists and scholars wishing to conduct fieldwork on impacts that may date to the past 15,000 years. Such a position has a chilling effect on what should otherwise be an important arena of inquiry into the risks and effects of cosmic impact on human society. It potentially limits advancement in our understanding of the recent record and flux of cosmic impact, and diverts attention away from significant research questions such as the possible role of impact in Quaternary period climate change and biological and cultural evolution and process.

In order to create a better future in the struggle with climate change, many people are turning to Buddhism and its environmental principles of interconnectedness and compassion. But do Buddhist values really lead to ecological... more

In order to create a better future in the struggle with climate change, many people are turning to Buddhism and its environmental principles of interconnectedness and compassion. But do Buddhist values really lead to ecological sustainability, and if so, how? Do Buddhists of different types even agree on how we should live ecologically? This seminal book is the first to answer these questions through a comprehensive, critical, and innovative examination of the theories, practices, and real-world results of Buddhist environmental ethics. In synthetically exploring lived ecological experiences across seven Buddhist worlds from ancient India to the contemporary West, this book helps one to discern attitudes and practices that lead to beneficial ecological interactions from alternative orientations that may result in unsatisfying outcomes. Further, the book’s journey clarifies our understanding of crucial contours of Buddhist vegetarianism or meat eating, nature mysticism, as well as cultural speculations about spirituality in nonhuman animals. With its accessible style and personhood ethics orientation this book should appeal to anyone who is concerned with how human beings interact with the nonhuman environment. Representing the definitive analytic treatment of Buddhist environmental ethics, the book also offers great value in university classrooms involving environmental studies, religious studies, cultural studies, or philosophical ethics.

The issue of climate change has attracted increasing business attention in the past decade. Whereas companies initially aimed primarily at influencing the policy debate, corporate strategies increasingly include economic responses.... more

The issue of climate change has attracted increasing business attention in the past decade. Whereas companies initially aimed primarily at influencing the policy debate, corporate strategies increasingly include economic responses. Existing classifications for climate change strategies however still reflect the political, non-market components. Using empirical information from the largest multinational companies worldwide, this article examines current market responses, focusing on the drivers (threats and opportunities) and the actions being taken by companies to address climate change. It also develops a typology of climate strategies that addresses the market dimensions, covering both the aim (strategic intent) and the degree of cooperation (form of organisation). The aim turns out to be either innovation or compensation, while the organisational arrangements to reach this objective can be oriented at the company level (internal), at companies' own supply chain (vertical) or at cooperation with other companies (competitors or companies in other sectorshorizontal). The typology can assist managers in deciding about the strategic option(s) they want to choose regarding climate change, also based on the insights offered by the paper about the current state of activities of other companies worldwide. 

Urban spaces are responsible for global warming and bear the brunt of it as well. They must evolve in sustainable ways. This opinion piece published in edit page of leading national daily 'Hindu Business Line' today talks about how cities... more

Urban spaces are responsible for global warming and bear the brunt of it as well. They must evolve in sustainable ways. This opinion piece published in edit page of leading national daily 'Hindu Business Line' today talks about how cities need to think about more green ways to grow in order to grow as climate smart cities. At the moment, they are just becoming concrete jungles.

Ultimately climate change is the product of consumption; greenhouse gases are produced by making things and energy, moving things, and carrying people around. Simply put, more people are using more energy and creating and using more... more

Ultimately climate change is the product of consumption; greenhouse gases are produced by making things and energy, moving things, and carrying people around. Simply put, more people are using more energy and creating and using more “stuff” than ever before in the history of the planet. Besides lamenting the passing of low-impact village-level societies, what does anthropology have to say about consumer culture which might actually be useful in thinking our way towards more sustainable levels of consumption? I argue that a drastic re-orientation of the way we teach anthropology is in order; what do we want our students to learn about the world and what kind of skills do they need? The same argument can be made for the public messages we extend in our popular publications.

As a participant in the internationally presented eight part series The Scientists - Profiles of Discovery in 1979 by the Science-Unit of Australian National Television my subtitle was Pope the Catalyst. In that year UNESCO appointed me... more

As a participant in the internationally presented eight part series The Scientists - Profiles of Discovery in 1979 by the Science-Unit of Australian National Television my subtitle was Pope the Catalyst. In that year UNESCO appointed me as a Special Science-Art Delegate to the Second Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity in Honour of Albert Einstein, Trieste, Italy. At the conference I discussed with China’s most highly awarded physicist, Kun Huang, about his paper with the Nobel Laureate in Physics, Max Born, entitled Dynamical Theory of Crystal Lattices containing a criticism of Einstein’s mechanistic worldview. My Science-Art Research Centre of Australia had also criticised Einstein's mechanistic worldview for not being stabilised by Plato’s Science-Art to balance the forces of nature.

The last time there was this much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere was three and a half million years ago. While our planetary history evidences cyclical climatic shifts, this time injustice is the cause. The lifestyles of the wealthy few... more

The last time there was this much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere was three and a half million years ago. While our planetary history evidences cyclical climatic shifts, this time injustice is the cause. The lifestyles of the wealthy few are sustained not only by increasing economic inequality but the systemic collapse of ecosystems. The richest 20 percent consumes 80 percent of the world's natural resources and generates over 90 percent of its pollution and waste. For most people, the poorer 80 percent, their grossly unequal access to natural resources is compounded by also bearing the brunt of the pollution generated by the rich.

This study critically examines 20 years of geography and political ecology literature on the energy justice implications of climate change mitigation. Grounded in an expert guided literature review of 198 studies and their corresponding... more

This study critically examines 20 years of geography and political ecology literature on the energy justice implications of climate change mitigation. Grounded in an expert guided literature review of 198 studies and their corresponding 332 case studies, it assesses the linkages between low carbon transitions-including renewable electricity, biofuel, nuclear power, smart grids, electric vehicles, and land use management-with degradation, dispossession and destruction. It draws on a framework that envisions the political ecology of low-carbon transitions as consisting of four distinct processes: enclosure (capture of land or resources), exclusion (unfair planning), encroachment (destruction of the environment), or entrenchment (worsening of inequality or vulnerability). The study vigorously interrogates how these elements play out by country and across countries, by type of mitigation option, by type of victim or affected group, by process, and by severity, e.g. from modern slavery to organized crime, from violence, murder and torture to the exacerbation of child prostitution or the destruction of pristine ecosystems. It also closely examines the locations, disciplinary affiliations, methods and spatial units of analysis employed by this corpus of research, with clear and compelling insights for future work in the space of geography, climate change, and energy transitions. It suggest five critical avenues for future research: greater inclusivity and diversity, rigor and comparative analysis, focus on mundane technologies and non-Western case studies, multi-scalar analysis, and focus on policy and recommendations. At times, low-carbon transitions and climate action can promote squalor over sustainability and leave angry communities, disgruntled workers, scorned business partners, and degraded landscapes in their wake. Nevertheless, ample opportunities exist to make a future low-carbon world more pluralistic, democratic, and just.

Written by prominent and up-and-coming scholars, deploying diverse lenses and methodologies from the sciences and humanities, illuminating the complex relationships between human beings, their religious perceptions and practices, and... more

Written by prominent and up-and-coming scholars, deploying diverse lenses and methodologies from the sciences and humanities, illuminating the complex relationships between human beings, their religious perceptions and practices, and other earthly organisms, through the long process of biocultural evolution since the emergence of Homo sapiens sapiens . . .

The 'scientification' of climate change, which placed the issue beyond democratic debate by declaring it a matter for the scientific expertise of the IPCC, has not provoked the required political and economic action to resolve it.... more

The 'scientification' of climate change, which placed the issue beyond democratic debate by declaring it a matter for the scientific expertise of the IPCC, has not provoked the required political and economic action to resolve it. 'Tipping point' rhetoric and apocalyptic fictions, conveying increased urgency and shaming the present-day, appear also to yield diminishing returns. Instead of representing the present as a binary choice-catastrophe or salvation-a Humanities-informed viewpoint would represent past, present and future in terms of unknowability, frailty, unavoidable interpretation and limited agency.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is increasingly being advocated as a climate adaptation approach that can deliver multiple benefits to communities. EbA scholarship argues that community-based projects can strengthen those ecosystems that... more

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is increasingly being advocated as a climate adaptation approach that can deliver multiple benefits to communities. EbA scholarship argues that community-based projects can strengthen those ecosystems that deliver critical services to communities and in doing so enhance community resilience. In particular, the inclusion of indigenous and traditional knowledge (ITK) into community-based EbA projects is positioned as critical to successful climate adaptation. Yet, there is surprisingly little investigation into how ITK is being defined and incorporated into EbA initiatives. This paper critically reviews EbA literature and provides empirical examples from Vanuatu and Samoa to demonstrate the different ways ITK relates to EbA projects. We find that there is widespread recognition that ITK is important for indigenous and local communities and can be employed successfully in EbA. However, this recognition is more aspirational than practical and is not being necessarily translated into ITK-informed or ITK-driven EbA projects. ITK should not be conceptualized simply as a collection of local environmental information that is integrated with Western scientific knowledge. Instead, ITK is part of nested knowledge systems (information– practices–worldviews) of indigenous peoples. This knowledge includes local natural resource management, sociocultural governance structures, social norms, spiritual beliefs, and historical and contemporary experiences of colonial dispossession and marginalization. At present, most EbA projects focus on the provision of information to main decision-makers only; however, since ITK is held collectively, it is essential that entire communities are included in ITK EbA projects. There is a huge potential for researchers and ITK holders to coproduce knowledge that would be best placed to drive climate adaptation in a changing world.

Podczas tego wydarzenia w ramach sesji Rady Klimatycznej UJ przedstawiona zostanie książka "Za pięć dwunasta koniec świata. Kryzys klimatyczno-ekologiczny głosem wielu nauk" pod redakcją Kasi Jasikowskiej (Instytut Socjologii UJ) i... more

Podczas tego wydarzenia w ramach sesji Rady Klimatycznej UJ przedstawiona zostanie książka "Za pięć dwunasta koniec świata. Kryzys klimatyczno-ekologiczny głosem wielu nauk" pod redakcją Kasi Jasikowskiej (Instytut Socjologii UJ) i Michała Pałasza (Instytut Kultury UJ), która ukaże się na wiosnę w wolnym dostępie. Zaprezentowane zostaną główne myśli 22 artykułów dotyczących różnych aspektów kryzysu klimatyczno-ekologicznego autorstwa ekspertów rozmaitych dziedzin nauk przyrodniczych, społecznych i humanistycznych, wśród których wielu związanych z jest z Uniwersytetem Jagiellońskim i Radą Klimatyczną UJ.

The long-term goal of containing average warming below the 2 degrees C limit requires deep cuts in emissions from all sectors. The fast growing global aviation industry has committed to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon offsetting is an... more

The long-term goal of containing average warming below the 2 degrees C limit requires deep cuts in emissions from all sectors. The fast growing global aviation industry has committed to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon offsetting is an integral element of the sector's strategy. Already, airlines offer voluntary carbon offsetting to those customers who wish to mitigate the impact of their travel. To ensure carbon offsetting can make a meaningful and credible contribution, this paper first discusses the science behind ‘carbon offsetting’, followed by the associated policy perspective. Then, against the context of different aviation emissions pathways, the paper provides empirical evidence of current airline practices in relation to offsetting mechanisms and communication. Building on these insights, the challenges of reducing
aviation emissions and using carbon credits to compensate for ongoing growth are discussed. The paper concludes by proposing five principles of best practice for carbon offsetting that airlines can use as a basis
to develop credible emissions strategies, and that could inform the sectoral framework currently being developed by leading aviation organisations.

Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying... more

Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying the "the game belongs to the people." So it does; and not merely to the people now alive, but to the unborn people. The "greatest good for the greatest number" applies to the number within the womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method. (Theodore Roosevelt, A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open, 1916, 299-300)

The focus of this thesis is on whether or not it is possible to decouple economic growth from the physical growth of the economy and its associated negative environmental pressures and pollution. The thesis demonstrates that it is... more

Climate change is projected to have impacts on increased temperature as well as frequent and intense rainfalls in the Northeast region of the United States. Integrated green infrastructure planning with both structural and non-structural... more

Climate change is projected to have impacts on increased temperature as well as frequent and intense rainfalls in the Northeast region of the United States. Integrated green infrastructure planning with both structural and non-structural stormwater management practices has emerged as a critical climate change adaptation strategy. Under the uncertainty of climate change impacts on long-term flooding hazards, this paper employed SWAT hydrological modeling for an empirical study examining the effectiveness of using detention area for long-term (45 years) flooding hazards mitigation under 36 climate change scenarios. Results from regression analysis illustrated detentions were most effective when temperature increased no more than 2˚C. Moreover, regression model results indicated that a range of 12 to 18% and 0 to 9% of drainage subbasin area would be required for detention area to achieve zero and baseline level of Hazard Index hazard mitigation policy goals respectively. Under current limitation of adaptive land uses and availability of large lands for detention in the urbanized watershed, this paper suggested that innovations in employing detention techniques in currently built urban areas on impervious and non-natural pervious areas play an important role in integrated green infrastructure network in urban stormwater management systems for mitigating climate-induced environmental hazards.