The right to climate adaptation in theory and practice: normative foundations and core commitments

Purpose This paper aims to track the development of climate policy in the province of Alberta, Canada, particularly the province’s unique greenhouse gas emission offset mechanism. The analysis shows how the policy has influenced, and been influenced by, policy processes at the national and international levels. Design/methodology/approach The paper begins with an analytical framework that recognizes different types of influence between international, national and provincial climate policy processes. That framework is used to structure a review of four historical periods of climate policy change: prior to 1992, 1992 to 2002, 2002 to 2012 and between 2012 and mid-2015. Findings The analysis illustrates the interplay between the Alberta approach to climate policy and the international and national policy contexts. A period of intense policy conflict between Canada’s federal and provincial governments led to a situation in which the Alberta Government sought to lead rather than follow national policy. Subsequent periods have seen the Canadian national government oscillate between following the lead of Alberta or the USA. Research limitations/implications Rather than national and international policies simply setting the context for Alberta’s policy, the paper identifies multiple flows of influence between the three levels of governance. The results illustrate the need to consider forward and backward flows of influence between the different levels of government that set climate change policies. Elements of several models of policy change are supported. Practical implications The Alberta climate mitigation policy has many elements that can be effective in reducing carbon emissions in a way that is both flexible and predictable. These elements are of interest to other jurisdictions. Other elements of the current policy, however, limit its effectiveness in reducing emissions. More concerted policy action is needed to mitigate carbon emissions in Alberta for Canada to meet its agreed targets. Originality/value No other paper has tracked the historical evolution of climate policy at the provincial/state level in a way that clarifies the forward and backward linkages with national and international policy.

Despite scientific consensus on the anthropogenic causation of climate change, and ever-growing knowledge on the biophysical impacts of climate change, there is large variability in public perceptions of and belief in climate change. Public support for national and international climate policy has a strong positive association with certainty that climate change is occurring, human caused, serious, and solvable. Thus to achieve greater acceptance of national climate policy and international agreements, it is important to raise public belief in climate change and understandings of personal climate risk. Public understandings of climate change and associated risk perceptions have received significant academic attention. This research has been conducted across a range of spatial scales, with particular attention on large-scale, nationally representative surveys to gain insights into country-scale perceptions of climate change. Generalizability of nationally representative surveys allows some degree of national comparison; however, the ability to conduct such comparisons has been limited by the availability of comparative data sets. Consequently, empirical insights have been geographically biased toward Europe and North America, with less understanding of public perceptions of climate change in other geographical settings including the Global South. Moreover, a focus on quantitative surveying techniques can overlook the more nuanced, culturally determined factors that contribute to the construction of climate change perceptions. The physical and human geographies of climate change are diverse. This is due to the complex spatial dimensions of climate change and includes both the observed and anticipated geographical differentiation in risks, impacts, and vulnerabilities. While country location and national climate can impact upon how climate change is understood, so too will sociocultural factors such as national identity and culture(s). Studies have reported high variability in climate change perceptions, the result of a complex interplay between personal experiences of climate, social norms, and worldviews. Exploring the development of national-scale analyses and their findings over time, and the comparability of national data sets, may provide some insights into the factors that influence public perceptions of climate change and identify national-scale interventions and communications to raise risk perception and understanding of climate change.

Association football is popular and influential globally. Interest in how football relates to climate change, and the climate policy required for football, is growing. Clubs, players and fans increasingly call for action to reduce football’s impact on the climate, and for plans to adapt to climate impacts on football. However, well-intentioned actions must be underpinned by robust evidence. This synthesis reviews research at the interface of football and climate change. After summarizing the main climate actions identified for fans, players, clubs and organizing bodies, the review looks in-depth at four areas: impacts of football on climate; impacts of climate on football; football as a driver for pro-climate actions; and the relationship between football and carbon-intensive industries. The review then outlines research gaps for an evidence-driven response to climate change in football: adaptation across different geographical contexts; understanding what climate change means for community-level football; understanding how carbon-intensive industries relate to sense of place identity in football under a just transition; developing principles for phasing-out fossil fuel financing; and considering how climate change relates to women’s football. Key policy insights Football is a forum for galvanizing societal action in support of climate policy. However, football also contributes to, and is impacted by, climate change, and hence requires policy support under a changing climate; Reducing transportation emissions, especially flying, is a key climate policy requirement for football. Institutional policy, with government support, may enable more efficient scheduling and use of surface transport; Institutional policies, and public health policies, should develop standards and guidelines for football under extreme heat. Football also ought to be integrated within local, regional and national climate adaptation policy to ensure climate resilience; Clubs and players can lead by example on climate-positive actions, and energize wider action through fan bases. Alignment of initiatives with national or international climate policy may raise public awareness of climate polices and targets; Institutional policies for clubs, tournaments and associations should regulate fossil fuel financing. Football also offers an avenue to understand relations between local identity and carbon-intensive industries, and thus to identify socio-cultural factors for regional just transition policies.

Energy retrofitting of existing buildings is a central challenge for local, national, and international climate policies, and in several countries, single-family houses represent a major energy-saving potential. Although many municipalities are implementing local climate policies with initiatives to promote energy retrofitting of buildings, little research has been done regarding the role of single-family houses in local climate policies. Thus, we have little knowledge about specific initiatives to promote energy retrofitting amongst owners of single-family houses, we know little about experience from such initiatives, and we lack knowledge about the extent to which national and EU policies support local initiatives directed at homeowners. This article provides insights into these issues from an explorative study on local climate strategies in Danish front-runner municipalities where single-family housing is the dominating building segment. Based on a study of local governance strategies in 12 municipalities targeting homeowners’ engagement in energy retrofitting, the paper finds that these municipalities have developed promising local network-based ways to engage homeowners in energy retrofitting, but finds simultaneously that the national policy mix is only partly supporting these local initiatives. The paper also points out that the local and regional context for the programmes, including the local economic situation, is of great importance, and this context creates both potentials and challenges for the local programmes.

Energy transition towards CO2 neutral energy systems is challenging as the national energy policy depends on numerous factors. In system dynamics approach these factors are identified as causal and feedback loops with lock-ins, as a result constituting stock-and-flow structure. Such a kind of structure is used in different simulation tools. This study analyses the use of the Latvian national climate and energy policy simulation tool in the policy making process. As a hypothesis of the study was set that the simulation tool, which is based on the principles of systemic thinking (explaining causal relationships) and an easy-to-use user interface, significantly improves the national energy and climate policy making process. Accordingly, to verify the hypothesis the task was to evaluate the use of the national climate and energy policy simulation tool in the policy-making process. For the evaluation the relevant literature was reviewed: climate and energy policy goals, policies and legislation in the European Union and Latvia; approaches to modeling national climate and energy policies, including optimization models, simulation models; the use of simulation models in the modeling of national climate and energy policies; the use of system dynamics models in the modeling of national climate and energy policies. Besides using the systemic thinking approach in the process of creating national climate and energy policies, the user experience in building simulation tools was used. Based on the literature analysis, improvements to the interface of the national climate and energy simulation tool developed by Riga Technical University, Institute of Energy Systems and Environment were made and developed training material for the use of the simulation tool, based on explaining the causal relationships built into the model.

Technological capability and transfer for achieving South Africa's development goals

This paper presents an assessment of the outcomes of research carried out under the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Programme (SWAMP). SWAMP aimed to inform national and international climate policy and practice by developing tools and methods to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon stocks and flux in tropical wetlands due to land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). This assessment modelled SWAMP's intended outcomes as a theory of change (ToC) and used qualitative methods to test the ToC and to evaluate whether and how the outcomes were achieved. It found that SWAMP research has helped raise academic and policy interest in wetlands, mangroves and peat forests as carbon reservoirs, and that SWAMP's recommendations informed policy discourse and supported the development of technical guidance and strategies of sustainable wetland management. However, the research had a weak effect on international and Indonesian climate change policies compared to other factors. The Paris Agreement and Indonesia's nationally determined contribution (NDC) do not include the quantification of carbon stocks from mangroves, which are not all located in the forest areas. Knowledge translation was achieved through a variety of mechanisms, with direct engagement identified as particularly important. The outcome evaluation approach proved useful as a way of conceptualising and organising the analysis of research impact on development outcomes.

Gender Frontlines: Exploring the Intersectionality of Gender and Climate Change delves into the intricate relationship between gender and climate change, emphasizing how climate impacts exacerbate existing social inequalities. Climate change, with its severe effects on ecosystems and human societies, disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, particularly women, girls, transgender, and non-binary individuals. The framework of intersectionality, as introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, is crucial for understanding these compounded vulnerabilities influenced by overlapping social identities such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Through the lens of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), which advocates for gender equality, this article underscores the necessity of integrating gender perspectives into climate policies. It reviews how climate change affects health, economic stability, displacement, and migration, particularly among women and other marginalized genders. The article includes case studies from India, highlighting the challenges faced by women in agriculture in Telangana, the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal, and the impact of heatwaves on elderly women in urban slums. Furthermore, the article analyzes national and international climate policies, revealing gaps in gender-specific outcomes and the need for targeted enforcement. It advocates for a proactive approach to future climate strategies, emphasizing the importance of gender-disaggregated data, equal representation in decision-making, and targeted interventions. The article concludes with a call to action for comprehensive, gender-sensitive climate policies, engaging communities, NGOs, and governments in a collaborative effort to ensure an inclusive and equitable response to climate change.

The main goal of the Paris Agreement as stated in Article 2 is ‘holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C’. Article 4 points to this long-term goal and the need to achieve ‘balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases'. This statement on ‘greenhouse gas balance’ is subject to interpretation, and clarifications are needed to make it operational for national and international climate policies. We study possible interpretations from a scientific perspective and analyse their climatic implications. We clarify how the implications for individual gases depend on the metrics used to relate them. We show that the way in which balance is interpreted, achieved and maintained influences temperature outcomes. Achieving and maintaining net-zero CO2-equivalent emissions conventionally calculated using GWP100 (100-year global warming potential) and including substantial positive contributions from short-lived climate-forcing agents such as methane would result in a sustained decline in global temperature. A modified approach to the use of GWP100 (that equates constant emissions of short-lived climate forcers with zero sustained emission of CO2) results in global temperatures remaining approximately constant once net-zero CO2-equivalent emissions are achieved and maintained. Our paper provides policymakers with an overview of issues and choices that are important to determine which approach is most appropriate in the context of the Paris Agreement.This article is part of the theme issue ‘The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.

Citizens' Acceptance of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: A Survey in China, Germany, and the U.S.

ObjectiveTo assess short term mortality risks and excess mortality associated with exposure to ozone in several cities worldwide.DesignTwo stage time series analysis.Setting406 cities in 20 countries, with overlapping periods between...

August 01 2017 Contributors Author and Article Information Online Issn: 1536-0091 Print Issn: 1526-3800 Global Environmental Politics (2017) 17 (3): iii–v. https://doi.org/10.1162/GLEP_x_00425 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Contributors. Global Environmental Politics 2017; 17 (3): iii–v. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/GLEP_x_00425 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsGlobal Environmental Politics Search Advanced Search • Steinar Andresen is a research professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Lysaker, Norway. He was previously a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo and has been affiliated with a number of other research institutes. He publishes extensively, mostly on international environmental politics.• Ian Bailey is a professor of environmental politics at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, UK. His main research interests are in the politics of climate and energy governance, with particular emphasis on the governance of carbon markets in the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand. Other areas of recent research include the role of political strategizing in national and international climate policy; the emerging notions and practices of the green economy; the discursive and material dimensions of smart eco-city initiatives, and justice debates on renewable and non-renewable energy transitions.• Guri Bang is a... You do not currently have access to this content.

Economists have long argued over the political economy of tradable emission permits, especially the political pressure of lobby groups on international environmental agreements. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of cross-national lobbying on this market. Here, we examine how an international lobby group can affect national and international climate policies concerning international market for emission permits. It extends the common agency model of policy-making to multiple-agency relationships in the context of international environment agreements. The main questions are (1) to what extent are governments’ rent-seeking incentives affected through international lobbying? (2) how do domestic and global emissions change in the presence of an international lobby group? We present a three-stage non-cooperative game in which international and national lobbies try to influence governments both when the governments decide on the formation of the international market and when each country chooses the number of permits. We find the condition under which the formation of an international lobby group can raise the contributions of national lobbies which support an international market and hence bring more benefits to the government. We also show that domestic and total emission levels not only depend on the aggregate levels of organized stakes in all countries but also on the distribution of stakes among individual lobby groups that form an international lobby group.

Fossil fuels will remain the backbone of the global energy economy for the foreseeable future. The contribution of nuclear energy to the global energy supply is also expected to increase. With the pressing need to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the fossil energy industry is exploring the possibility of carbon dioxide disposal in geological media. Geological disposal has been studied for decades by the nuclear industry with a view to ensuring the safe containment of its wastes. Geological disposal of carbon dioxide and that of radioactive waste gives rise to many common concerns in domains ranging from geology to public acceptance. In this respect, comparative assessments reveal many similarities, ranging from the transformation of the geological environment and safety and monitoring concerns to regulatory, liability and public acceptance issues. However, there are profound differences on a broad range of issues as well, such as the quantities and hazardous features of the materials to be disposed of, the characteristics of the targeted geological media, the site engineering technologies involved and the timescales required for safe containment at the disposal location. There are ample opportunities to learn from comparisons and to derive insights that will assist policymakers responsible for national energy strategies and international climate policies.

The decarbonization of the energy system requires the adoption of a mix of zero or low carbon intensive technological options, which depends on their cost-effectiveness, their potential to reduce emissions and on social acceptance issues. Transport electrification combined with renewable energy sources (RES) deployment in power generation is a key decarbonization option assessed in many recent studies that focus on national or international climate policies. The penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) together with a gradual retirement of conventional oil-fuelled vehicles implies that a new ‘trade ecosystem’ will be created characterized by different features (move from OPEX to CAPEX) and supply chains. A key component of the EVs are the Lithium-Ion batteries, the manufacturing of which is employment intensive and constitutes an essential element of the EVs that can act as a driver for establishing comparative advantages and increasing EV market shares. Our study focuses on the size of the EV market that can be established within ambitious global and EU decarbonization scenarios and investigates the economic, trade and employment implications considering the production chain of EVs (i.e., the regional production of batteries and vehicles). We use the large-scale global GEM-E3-FIT model to capture the trade dynamics of decarbonization scenarios. We find that under ambitious climate policies, the global size of the clean energy technologies will be US$44 trillion cumulatively over the 2020–2050 period. 44per cent of the market relates to EVs, which will mostly be produced outside EU. For the EU to capture a significant segment of the EV value chain, it needs to increase clean energy R&D and associated supportive policies so as to boost the domestic capacity to produce competitively batteries. JEL: F11, F13, F16, F18, F62, F68