scholarly journals Public Perceptions of Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2677
Author(s):  
Adrian Brügger ◽  
Robert Tobias ◽  
Fredy S. Monge-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Peruvian Andes ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Education Levels

How people subjectively perceive climate change strongly influences how they respond to its challenges. To date, relatively little is known about such perceptions in the Global South. This research examines public perceptions of climate change in the Peruvian Andes, a semi-arid high-mountain region that is highly exposed and vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change. Based on questionnaire data collected through face-to-face interviews (N = 1316), we found that respondents identify various climate-related issues as the most important challenges for their country. Many of these issues are related to water. Respondents also noticed more subtle changes and expected them to continue (e.g., extreme temperatures, food shortages). Climate impacts were clearly seen as negative, which was also reflected in the presence of emotions. When compared to previous research, more respondents had personally experienced extreme weather events (80%) and they were more certain that the climate is already changing, is caused by human activity, and is affecting distant and close places similarly. A comparison of the perceptions along different socioeconomic characteristics suggests that more vulnerable groups (e.g., rural, low income and education levels) tended to perceive climate change as more consequential, closer, and as a more natural (vs. anthropogenic) phenomenon than those from less vulnerable groups. The salience of water-related problems and personal experiences of climate-related events, as well as differences between various subgroups, could be used to improve measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change by correcting misconceptions of the population and of decisionmakers.

scholarly journals Climate impacts on tree growth in a Neotropical high mountain forest of the Peruvian Andes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-201
Author(s):  
C Rodríguez-Morata ◽  
J Madrigal-González ◽  
M Stoffel ◽  
JA Ballesteros-Cánovas
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Mountain Forest ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Peruvian Andes

scholarly journals Trans-Disciplinary Responses to Climate Change: Lessons from Rice-Based Systems in Asia

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Hellin ◽  
Jean Balié ◽  
Eleanor Fisher ◽  
Ajay Kohli ◽  
Melanie Connor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Paris Climate Agreement

Climate change will continue to have a largely detrimental impact on the agricultural sector worldwide because of predicted rising temperatures, variable rainfall, and an increase in extreme weather events. Reduced crop yields will lead to higher food prices and increased hardship for low income populations, especially in urban areas. Action on climate change is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 13) and is linked to the Paris Climate Agreement. The research challenge posed by climate change is so complex that a trans-disciplinary response is required, one that brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers in networks where the lines between “research” and “development” become deliberately blurred. Fostering such networks will require researchers, throughout the world, not only to work across disciplines but also to pursue new South–North and South–South partnerships incorporating policy-makers and practitioners. We use our diverse research experiences to describe the emergence of such networks, such as the Direct Seeded Rice Consortium (DSRC) in South and Southeast Asia, and to identify lessons on how to facilitate and strengthen the development of trans-disciplinary responses to climate change.

scholarly journals Climate Change Adaptation and Gender Inequality: Insights from Rural Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Ylipaa ◽  
Sara Gabrielsson ◽  
Anne Jerneck
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Feminist Political Ecology

Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially from extreme weather events such as storms and floods. Thus, climate change adaptation is crucial, especially for natural resource-dependent farmers. Based on a qualitative research approach using a feminist political ecology lens, this article investigates gendered patterns of rural agrarian livelihoods and climate adaptation in the province of Thái Bình. In doing so, we identify differentiated rights and responsibilities between female and male farmers, leading to unequal opportunities and immobility for females, making them more vulnerable to climate impacts and threatening to reduce their capacity to adapt. This research also shows that demands on farmers to contribute to perpetual increases in agricultural output by the state poses a challenge, since farming livelihoods in Vietnam are increasingly becoming feminised, as a result of urbanisation and devaluation of farming. Past and present national strategies and provincial implementation plans linked to climate change do not consider the burden affecting rural female farmers, instead the focus lies on addressing technical solutions to adaptation. With little attention being paid to an increasingly female workforce, existing gender inequalities may be exacerbated, threatening the future existence of rural livelihoods and the viability of Vietnam’s expansion into global markets.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Attributing the Role of Climate Change in Extreme Events: A Global Spectrally Nudged Storyline

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda van Garderen ◽  
Frauke Feser ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Noise Ratio

<p>Extreme weather events are generally associated with unusual dynamical conditions, yet the signal-to-noise ratio of the dynamical aspects of climate change that are relevant to extremes appears to be small, and the nature of the change can be highly uncertain. On the other hand, the thermodynamic aspects of climate change are already largely apparent from observations, and are far more certain since they are anchored in agreed-upon physical understanding. The storyline method of extreme event attribution, which has been gaining traction in recent years, quantitatively estimates the magnitude of thermodynamic aspects of climate change, given the dynamical conditions. There are different ways of imposing the dynamical conditions. Here we present and evaluate a method where the dynamical conditions are enforced through global spectral nudging towards reanalysis data of the large-scale vorticity and divergence in the free atmosphere, leaving the lower atmosphere free to respond. We simulate the historical extreme weather event twice: first in the world as we know it, with the events occurring on a background of a changing climate, and second in a ‘counterfactual’ world, where the background is held fixed over the past century. We describe the methodology in detail, and present results for the European 2003 heatwave and the Russian 2010 heatwave as a proof of concept. These show that the conditional attribution can be performed with a high signal-to-noise ratio on daily timescales and at local spatial scales. Our methodology is thus potentially highly useful for realistic stress testing of resilience strategies for climate impacts, when coupled to an impact model.</p>

A Moral Analysis of Carbon Majors' Role in Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Grasso ◽  
Katia Vladimirova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Scale Transformation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Socially Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Practical Implications

Two-thirds of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions over the past two centuries can be traced to the activities of a handful of companies ('carbon majors'). Based on their direct contribution to climate change in terms of carbon emissions and on a number of morally relevant facts, this article proposes a normative framework to establish the responsibilities that carbon majors have in relation to climate change. Then, the analysis articulates these responsibilities in the form of two duties: a duty of decarbonisation and a duty of reparation. The duty of decarbonisation entails a large-scale transformation that carbon majors ought to undergo in order to reduce and eventually eliminate carbon emissions from their entire business model. The duty of reparation implies rectification through disgorgement of funds for the wrongful actions of carbon majors, which resulted in negative climate impacts, starting from the most socially vulnerable groups affected by climate change. Finally, the article indicates possible practical implications of these duties.

scholarly journals A methodology for attributing the role of climate change in extreme events: a global spectrally nudged storyline

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-186
Author(s):  
Linda van Garderen ◽  
Frauke Feser ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Noise Ratio

Abstract. Extreme weather events are generally associated with unusual dynamical conditions, yet the signal-to-noise ratio of the dynamical aspects of climate change that are relevant to extremes appears to be small, and the nature of the change can be highly uncertain. On the other hand, the thermodynamic aspects of climate change are already largely apparent from observations and are far more certain since they are anchored in agreed-upon physical understanding. The storyline method of extreme-event attribution, which has been gaining traction in recent years, quantitatively estimates the magnitude of thermodynamic aspects of climate change, given the dynamical conditions. There are different ways of imposing the dynamical conditions. Here we present and evaluate a method where the dynamical conditions are enforced through global spectral nudging towards reanalysis data of the large-scale vorticity and divergence in the free atmosphere, leaving the lower atmosphere free to respond. We simulate the historical extreme weather event twice: first in the world as we know it, with the events occurring on a background of a changing climate, and second in a “counterfactual” world, where the background is held fixed over the past century. We describe the methodology in detail and present results for the European 2003 heatwave and the Russian 2010 heatwave as a proof of concept. These show that the conditional attribution can be performed with a high signal-to-noise ratio on daily timescales and at local spatial scales. Our methodology is thus potentially highly useful for realistic stress testing of resilience strategies for climate impacts when coupled to an impact model.

scholarly journals Media Representation of Extreme Event Attribution: A Case Study of the 2011–17 California Drought

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Osaka ◽  
James Painter ◽  
Peter Walton ◽  
Abby Halperin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Media Representation ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Event Attribution ◽  
The Media

AbstractExtreme event attribution (EEA) is a relatively new branch of climate science combining weather observations and modeling to assess and quantify whether and to what extent anthropogenic climate change altered extreme weather events (such as heat waves, droughts, and floods). Such weather events are frequently depicted in the media, which enhances the potential of EEA coverage to serve as a tool to communicate on-the-ground climate impacts to the general public. However, few academic papers have systematically analyzed EEA’s media representation. This paper helps to fill this literature gap through a comprehensive analysis of media coverage of the 2011–17 California drought, with specific attention to the types of attribution and uncertainty represented. Results from an analysis of five U.S. media outlets between 2014 and 2015 indicate that the connection between the drought and climate change was covered widely in both local and national news. However, legitimate differences in the methods underpinning the attribution studies performed by different researchers often resulted in a frame of scientific uncertainty or disagreement in the media coverage. While this case study shows substantial media interest in attribution science, it also raises important challenges for scientists and others communicating the results of multiple attribution studies via the media.

scholarly journals Mapping Vulnerability of Cotton to Climate Change in West Africa: Challenges for Sustainable Development

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Mary Ann Cunningham ◽  
Nicholas S. Wright ◽  
Penelope B. Mort Ranta ◽  
Hannah K. Benton ◽  
Hassan G. Ragy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Species Distribution Model ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Limiting Factor

Climate models project vulnerability to global warming in low-income regions, with important implications for sustainable development. While food crops are the priority, smallholder cash crops support food security, education, and other priorities. Despite its importance as a populous region subject to substantial climate change, West Africa has received relatively slight attention in spatial assessments of climate impacts. In this region, rainfed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) provides essential smallholder income. We used a spatially explicit species distribution model to project likely changes in the spatial distribution of suitable climates for rainfed cotton in West Africa. We modeled suitable climate conditions from the recent past (1970–2000) and projected the range of those conditions in 2050 (Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5). The suitable area declined by 60 percent under RCP4.5 and by 80 percent under RCP8.5. Of 15 countries in the study area, all but two declined to less than ten percent suitable under RCP8.5. The annual precipitation was the most influential factor in explaining baseline cotton distribution, but 2050 temperatures appear to become the limiting factor, rising beyond the range in which rainfed cotton has historically been grown. Adaptation to these changes and progress on sustainable development goals will depend on responses at multiple scales of governance, including global support and cooperation.

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Public Perceptions and Climate Change in Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4464
Author(s):  
Muhammad Suleman Bacha ◽  
Muhammad Muhammad ◽  
Zeyneb Kılıç ◽  
Muhammad Nafees
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Prime Concern

With rising temperatures, developing countries are exposed to the horrors of climate change more than ever. The poor infrastructure and low adaptation capabilities of these nations are the prime concern of current studies. Pakistan is vulnerable to climate-induced hazards including floods, droughts, water shortages, shifts in weather patterns, loss of biodiversity, melting of glaciers, and more in the coming years. For marginal societies dependent on natural resources, adaptation becomes a challenge and the utmost priority. Within the above context, this study was designed to fill the existing research gap concerning public knowledge of climate vulnerabilities and respective adaptation strategies in the northern Hindukush–Himalayan region of Pakistan. Using the stratified sampling technique, 25 union councils (wards) were selected from the nine tehsils (sub-districts) of the study area. Using the quantitative method approach, structured questionnaires were employed to collect data from 396 respondents. The study reveals varying public perceptions about different factors contributing to the causes and impacts of climate change and the sources of information in the three zones of the study area. The primary causes of climate change are deforestation, industrial waste, anthropogenic impurities, natural causes, and the burning of fossil fuels exacerbated by increased population. Changes in temperature, erratic rainfalls, floods, droughts, receding glaciers, and extreme weather events are some of the impacts observed over the past decades. While limiting the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels combined with government-assisted rehabilitation of forests can help combat climate change, the lack of proper education and economic, social, and governance barriers are hindering the local adaptation strategies. In addition, reduce environmental pollution (air, water, soil, etc.) and plantation polluted areas with suitable plants, are the two main actions in combating climate change. This study recommends policy interventions to enhance local adaptation efforts through building capacity, equipping local environmental institutions, discouraging deforestation, and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Attributing the Role of Climate Change in Extreme Events: A Global Spectrally Nudged Storyline

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda van Garderen ◽  
Frauke Feser ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Noise Ratio

Abstract. Extreme weather events are associated with unusual dynamical conditions, yet the signal-to-noise ratio of the dynamical aspects of climate change that are relevant to extremes appears to be small, and the nature of the change can be highly uncertain. On the other hand, the thermodynamic aspects of climate change are already largely apparent from observations, and are far more certain since they are anchored in agreed-upon physical understanding. The storyline method of extreme event attribution, which has been gaining traction in recent years, quantitatively estimates the magnitude of thermodynamic aspects of climate change, given the dynamical conditions. There are different ways of imposing the dynamical conditions. Here we present and evaluate a method where the dynamical conditions are enforced through global spectral nudging towards reanalysis data of the large-scale vorticity and divergence in the free atmosphere, leaving the lower atmosphere free to respond. We simulate the historical extreme weather event twice: first in the world as we know it, with the events occurring on a background of a changing climate, and second in a ‘counterfactual’ world, where the background is held fixed over the past century. We describe the methodology in detail, and present results for the European 2003 heatwave and the Russian 2010 heatwave as a proof of concept. These show that the conditional attribution can be performed with a high signal-to-noise ratio on daily timescales and at local spatial scales. Our methodology is thus potentially highly useful for realistic stress testing of resilience strategies for climate impacts, when coupled to an impact model.

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