Climate Change Regime Research Articles

Thinking outside the neoliberal box? The discursive potential of national climate legislation for the local governance of climate change

ABSTRACT In recent years there has been a renewed interest in subnational levels of governance as sites of potential and renewed ambition on climate change. One recent challenge to dominant neoliberal discourses of climate governance is legislation enacted in Wales, which places sustainable development as the central organising principle of local government. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis, supplemented by stakeholder interviews, this research analyses the discursive potential of this legislation in reshaping local governance of climate change. The findings show that the introduction of new legislation can foster the emergence of collaborative structures and collective language, but is limited in its ability to broaden climate governance discourses. This research highlights how seemingly progressive legislation is hampered in its potential through its hybridisation with already-existing neoliberal climate governance discourses and structures. It also demonstrates the importance of discourse analysis in identifying subtle narratives at work in the governance of climate change.

Deploying an Ethnographic Sensibility to Understand Climate Change Governance: Hanging Out, Around, In, and Back

AbstractWhat can an “ethnographic sensibility” contribute to research on climate change governance? With its emphasis on meaning making and understanding what may lie beneath more obvious interactions and processes, ethnographic methodologies, particularly collaborative event ethnography, are increasingly deployed to address complex questions and achieve conceptual leverage on issues related to climate governance. Drawing on literature in climate anthropology, material geography, and political ethnography, and with examples from our own fieldwork experiences, we devise a heuristic typology underpinned by an ethnographic sensibility to help guide the fieldwork phase of a research project. Building on the well-established practice of hanging out, we introduce hanging around, which attends to spatiality and matter; hanging in, which addresses issues of access and trust; and hanging back to guide the practice of reflexivity. We articulate what fieldwork with an ethnographic sensibility entails and discuss its potential and implications for climate governance research.

Dual Influence of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Activities on the Spatiotemporal Vegetation Dynamics Over the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau From 1981 to 2015

AbstractClimate change and human activities have already caused degradation in a large fraction of vegetation on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Many studies report that climate variability instead of overgrazing has been the primary cause for large‐scale vegetation cover changes on the QTP, for example, Lehnert et al., 2016, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep24367. However, it remains unclear how human activities (mainly livestock grazing) regulate vegetation dynamics under climate change. This paper takes the AVHRR/GIMMS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as an indicator to analyze the growth status of vegetation zones in the QTP, which has highly sensitive to climate change. The spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation growth between 1981 and 2015 were analyzed. The dual effects of climate change and human activities were examined by correlation analyses of data from 87 meteorological stations and economic statistical data of the QTP. Results show that: (a) The vegetation in central and southwestern QTP with high altitudes was improving due to the warm‐humid climate trend. An increase in temperature and a reduction in the harsh frigid climate at high altitudes due to global warming has resulted in expansions of the vegetated areas, with the NDVI showing a concordant increase. (b) The degraded areas were mainly confined to the northern and eastern QTP, which have high human and livestock population densities. In comparison to gently changing climate regimes, anthropogenic activities such as chronic concentration of population and livestock in the valleys with a less harsh climate exerts a much stronger pressure on vegetation. The study indicates that the anthropogenic pressures are much more intensive than the impact of climate change and are critical for the conservation and sustainable management of the QTP vegetation.

Climate consultants and complementarity: Local procurement, green industry and decarbonization in Australia, Singapore, and the United States

Private climate expertise matters for the local political economy of urban climate governance. City climate policy often pairs decarbonization efforts with investment into the growth of local “green industries”, seeking complementarity between environmental and economic goals. Underappreciated is that this pairing is increasingly achieved by local government purchasing of decarbonization services directly from private expertise within local green industries. This involves local government procurement of climate mitigation services from local environmental services firms, where service delivery facilitates greenhouse gas emissions reduction, while the local nature of procurement generates new growth in existing green industries. By these means, local governments can achieve both decarbonization and local green industry growth goals with the same policy stroke. Three case studies of this strategy in Singapore, Knoxville (USA) and Melbourne (Australia) between 2005 and 2012 are examined in detail. This study contributes new evidence of the role of local procurement in the process of eco-state restructuring, a concept which describes a more active role of the state in negotiating environmental and economic interests in climate change governance.

Exploring the Roles of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations in the Context of Malaysian Climate Change Governance

As non-state actors, environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) are able to influence the governance process in many cases. Although the ENGOs role in climate change governance has been extensively studied over the last two decades, there is a dearth of research relating to Malaysian ENGOs. Accordingly, this study was conducted to compensate for this gap in the literature, and it employs a qualitative approach via analysis of relevant documents and in-depth interviews with eleven ENGO informants operating in Malaysia at national, sub-national and local levels. The informants were selected through purposive sampling, and the interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. The informants described the ENGO roles in climate change governance at national, sub-national, and local levels, and their roles were described in the context of the following six key themes: political, informational, educational, complementary, observational, and innovational. Similar to earlier perspectives, the results of the present study revealed that the government generally accepts the ENGOs’ role to facilitate climate change governance. This article provides insight into the ENGO’s role in assisting the government in governing climate change in Malaysia.

Future Climate Change Conditions May Compromise Metabolic Performance in Juveniles of the Mud Crab Scylla serrata

Research characterising the effects of future climate change on the marine environment remains heavily focussed on that of temperate regions and organisms. Furthermore, little is known of these effects on the early life stages of many marine species. Tropical regions are already experiencing an increase in sea surface temperature and decrease in sea surface salinity, conditions favoured by pathogenic bacteria such as Vibrio spp. The early life stages of crabs are known to be particularly vulnerable to both the direct physiological effects of climate change and exposure to harmful microorganisms, yet there are limited data on these effects on juveniles of many tropical crustacean species. This study assessed the metabolic responses of mud crab (Scylla serrata) juveniles to warming and/or freshening in the presence or absence of pathogenic bacteria in southwest India. Juvenile crabs were exposed to either ambient (28 °C/30 PSU) or one of three projected climate change regimes (28 °C/20 PSU (freshening), 32 °C/30 PSU (warming), 32 °C/20 PSU (warming + freshening)) for 10 days, in either the presence or absence of the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Results show that simulated climate change conditions, especially freshening, caused a significant increase in oxygen consumption rates (MO2), and that these were further increased when juveniles were exposed to V. parahaemolyticus. These results suggest that the effects of future climate change conditions could have significant implications for the conservation of wild stocks and commercial farming of this species in South Asia.

Climate Change Mitigation and Governance Policy Frameworks: Designing a Research Background

Present paper has undertaken a wider approach towards dealing with the climate change mitigation with an integration model wherein the policymakers are advised to draw a standard framework (however, suitable policy modulations shall be infused as per the requisite situations) across the cities in India. Climate change in one of the fundamental issue that the present society faces as of today and mitigation strategies that have been deployed across the society for successful implementation have been also confronting issues in real life world. One of the major contribution of the paper is to formulate a research for the integrated measures that the Indian cities can adopt to facilitate the climate change mitigation. Therefore, the need of hours is policy infusion with the legal machineries that could be the only possible if policymaking is integrated at the local governance level. Henceforth, the present research design tries to solve the issues with a holistic approach and could be further enhanced for other governance frameworks.

Photodegradation of plant litter cuticles enhances microbial decomposition by increasing uptake of non‐rainfall moisture

Abstract Litter decomposition plays a central role in carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. In drylands, which cover 40% of the Earth's land surface, photodegradation and biotic decomposition driven by non‐rainfall moisture are important mechanisms of litter decay, though studies have only recently begun examining interactions between these two processes. We describe a novel priming mechanism in which photodegradation and biotic decay of the cuticle of plant litter increase litter absorption of non‐rainfall moisture (fog, dew and water vapor), supporting greater microbial decomposition. We used several field experiments in a coastal fog desert and a series of in situ observations to demonstrate a relationship between solar radiation, cuticle integrity, water absorption rates and mass loss. Experimentally attenuating solar radiation for 36 months slowed mass loss, reduced cuticle degradation and decreased litter moisture uptake relative to litter under ambient sunlight controls. In a separate field experiment, removing the cuticle of recently senesced grass tillers increased mass loss fourfold over 6 months relative to controls. Tillers with degraded cuticles also absorbed 3.8 times more water following an overnight dew event than did those with intact cuticles. Finally, fungal growth was consistently greater on the sun‐facing side of in situ tillers than on the shaded side, coincident with greater cuticle degradation. We present a conceptual model where the cuticle of plant litter acts as a water‐resistant barrier that is first degraded by solar radiation and surficial microbes, increasing litter's ability to absorb enough water during non‐rainfall moisture events to support substantial biotic decomposition inside the tissue. Considering how photodegradation and non‐rainfall moisture are both substantial drivers of litter decomposition in drylands, understanding how they interact under realistic field conditions will help us better predict how these systems are responding to changing climate regimes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Climates of democracy: Skeptical, rational, and radical imaginaries

AbstractHow will the theories and practices of democracy fare in a climate changing world? Are conventional democratic institutions ultimately doomed or are they able to become more responsive to a changing climate? Is there a need to reimagine democracy and how might it be reimagined? This article reviews the different responses to these questions by distinguishing between three “political imaginaries” in which the relationship between climate change and democracy takes distinct forms. I start by showing how the concept of “political imaginaries” can facilitate the comparison of the different ways in which the relation between democracy and climate change is constructed, before reviewing three such imaginaries. The skeptical imaginary, found in the “eco‐authoritarianism” of the 1970s that is echoed by much sociopolitical analysis today, casts doubt on the possibilities of democratic mechanisms to respond adequately and swiftly to the problem of climate change. Those who resist such skepticism often defend democracy by arguing that institutions and processes of democracy can be made more “ecologically rational”—the rational imaginary of climate democracy involves improvements in political representation and participation. Finally, I present the alternative radical democratic imaginary, in which the crisis of climate change provides a moment for the rupture of existing sociopolitical structures and the formation of alternatives. The article concludes that although none of these imaginaries is able to capture the entirety of climate change politics around the world, the radical democratic imaginary is responsive to the inevitable and valuable plurality around the issue of climate change.This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Ethics and Climate Change Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance

How do cities challenge patterns of demand? Characterising the local governance of climate change in Nordic cities

Meeting international climate targets will require deep and rapid shifts in urban demand patterns. While the literature has emphasized the role played by cities in the response to climate change, it remains unclear whether or how urban-level interventions actually affect possibilities for low-carbon living, and contribute to the re-configuration of everyday practices. In this paper, we use a social practice lens to understand how, and to what extent a range of Nordic cities target everyday demand patterns in the development of low-carbon policies. Contemporary demand-side approaches have been critiqued for their focus on the provision of low-carbon technologies and individual-level interventions. Instead, we argue that understanding how measures target and intervene in everyday practices provide a relevant lens for approaching the success of low-carbon interventions. Using an intervention-in practice-framework to understand urban interventions, we find that current measures rely heavily on non-committal measures in the domains of mobility and housing and forms of household self-governance. This paper concludes by discussing the policy implications of taking a practice view in developing climate interventions in urban setting, arguing that such perspective broadens the range of governance approaches adopted by cities to govern a reduction of urban emissions.

Rural Community Agency in Cameroon: Interactions with Forest Policies and the REDD+ Climate Change Regime

Community forestry around the world has demonstrated its potential for implementing the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) climate change program. Secure tenure rights and access to rule-making are known as contributing to successful community forestry outcomes. Still, the effects of different aspects of rural ‘community agency’ are not well established. We investigate forest governance and conflicts and the relationships between aspects of rural community agency under the REDD+ climate change program in two forest communities—the villages of Fabe and Mosongiseli—near the southern portion of the Korup National Park in Cameroon. Using data from a survey instrument and interviews, we analyze, using “agency theory”, the concept of rural community agency according to dimensions of attitudes, understandings, and empowerment in the two communities in relation to forest governance and conflicts under REDD+. Our findings indicate a variety of power relations (e.g., on the communities’ use and management rights of their lands) and existential threats of conflicts within the communities (e.g., violation of the communities’ free, prior, and informed consent). The results also show that both communities share many of the patterns of diversity and integration to a similar extent. Although there is no definitive distinction between the two communities, the findings suggest that some differences exist in their degree of integration. Understanding and describing the nature of the power relations and threats of conflicts comprises an important component to begin an appreciation for the communities’ user group characteristics as these relate to the REDD+ program when implemented. The implication of this study is that threats of conflicts may increase when the villagers’ perception of the potential costs of losing their lands to REDD+ is formed by their experiences with current restrictions on the use and management rights of their lands.

A critical review of successional dynamics in boreal forests of North America

Forest succession is a dynamic process of progressive compositional development of ecological communities of species following natural or anthropogenic disturbance. Despite a rich history of conceptual frameworks, models, and empirical advances, the complex interactions among climatic conditions, disturbances, edaphic factors, and silvicultural treatments still challenge our ability to accurately predict forest succession, hindering application to forest management. Our goal was to improve understanding of forest succession in the managed boreal forests of North America by clarifying advances in knowledge and limitations in our understanding. We reviewed 152 peer-reviewed papers to: ( i) document conceptual developments in forest succession; ( ii) summarize drivers of North American boreal forest succession, including changes to forest composition and successional trajectories given climate change; and ( iii) discuss the implications of the synthesized information for boreal forest management. While the element of stochasticity is expected to increase under climate change, successional dynamics are anticipated to remain predominantly deterministic. Southern boreal forests are at increased risk of mortality due to warming-driven drought and increased fires. Following disturbance, regeneration is likely to favor deciduous hardwoods. In boreal mixedwoods, increased fires would promote jack pine, and also black spruce on hydric and xeric sites. Dynamics of the northern boreal will depend on the balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration. Forest management must carefully select prescriptions to promote forest regeneration and composition that consider the long-term effects of changing climate and disturbance regimes. For instance, combining retention cut with mechanical site preparation would maintain site productivity and reverse open black spruce stand development in northern boreal stands. Our work shows that multiple disturbances have compounding effects on forest development, but further work is needed to better define thresholds for synergistic and buffering interactions. Modeling of boreal forest succession can be improved by incorporating more of the influential factors, but this is often limited by the lack of data. This information will guide the development of forest management strategies by exploring combinations of prescribed fire and variable intensity selection cutting systems to reproduce the effects of multiple interacting natural disturbances under climate change on successional dynamics.

Great China Carbon Trading: Political Economy of Climate Change Governance

This study aims to analyze the political economy aspect of carbon trading markets in China and how it will influence climate change governance. It is essential to understand the underpinning political economy aspects of emerging carbon trading markets in China because China will operate the world’s largest carbon market. China’s work on carbon trading represents higher requirements for China’s national industries and a higher commitment to addressing climate change. This study uses an exploratory qualitative approach to examine the history of carbon trading in China, its political economy aspects, and how China's carbon trading can significantly contribute to climate change. When China launched its national carbon trading scheme in 2021, the size of China's carbon trading became the world's most extensive climate policy scheme. This study shows that China’s rigorous environmental policy experimentations to gradually establish carbon trading by implementing the CDM projects, setting up regional carbon trading pilots in six cities, finalizing regulations, and establishing a mechanism for national carbon trading have been successful. The prospect and potential of China's carbon trading are enormous, considering the size of the CDM projects in China, China’s position as one of the largest emitters in the world, and the scale of industries included in the national carbon trading scheme in China. However, there are still uncertainties in the prospect of carbon trading in China, historically weak climate policy enforcement, and misreporting of data that can affect the integrity of China’s calculation.

Multiple Shoot Regeneration from Detached Embryonic Axis in Greengram (Vigna radiata) cv.SML 668

Background: Under prevailing regime of climate change and dynamic pest-crop interactions, greengram genetic improvement requires a speedier and precise tool such as genetic transformation to develop improved lines. In this context, an in vitro multiple shoot regeneration system via organogenesis was demonstrated in mungbean cv. SML668, a parent cultivar used in crop improvement programs, using double cotyledonary node (DCN) and detached embryonic axis (EA) explants with 1.0 mg l-1 BAP. Methods: While both the explants responded to in vitro regeneration, number of shoots regenerated was higher with EA (4.02±0.19) than with DCN (3.1±0.08). 6-benzyl aminopurine (BAP) was found to be most effective for inducing and regenerating multiple shoots, in comparison to all other phytohormones (NAA, IAA and TDZ) and supplements (amino acids) tested. Sub culturing twice on BAP supplemented media followed by two subcultures on basal media was optimal for multiple shoot regeneration. Rhizogenesis was obtained on basal media devoid of any phytohormones in EA explants and in 1.0 mg l-1 IAA for DCN explants. The in vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully hardened in a mixture of soil, sand and vermiculite that flowered, produced pods and viable seeds on maturity. Result: The study revealed that detached embryonic axis was a potential explant for in vitro regeneration in SML668, a cultivar not tested for its in vitro regeneration ability before.

The role of citizens in sustainability and climate change governance: Taking stock and looking ahead

The role of citizens in sustainability and climate change governance: Taking stock and looking ahead

EU-CHINA RELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EU'S LEADERSHIP IN COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE: COOPERATION OR COMPETITION?

Today, the fight against climate change has become one of the main issues of the global governance agenda. China and the EU are two key players engaged in global climate governance, whose interactions have had a major impact. The EU, which has put the issue of climate change on its agenda since the 1990s, has become a pioneer in the field of combating climate change with its initiatives in recent years. Especially with the European Green Deal announced in 2019, the EU has realized the goal of making Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. accompanied by strict commitments. In September 2020, at the UN General Assembly, Xi Jinping stated that China will be a carbon-neutral country by 2060. Therefore, the EU sees China as an important actor in the fight against climate change. Therefore, the EU thinks that it should continue its cooperation with China on global climate change governance that will contribute to both sides. This study claims to show that the EU has shaped its approach to climate change around shaping global norms and increasing multilateral cooperation, and that it sees China as both a competitor and a collaborator at this point. The EU's use of this competition and cooperation to make China take the initiative in combating climate change may contribute to its becoming a global actor in the field of climate. For this reason, it would be appropriate to talk about both competition and cooperation between the EU and China on climate change.

Urban climate change experiments in Gandhinagar, India

Climate change has become a major sustainability issue in the Global South cities. In response to this, the study utilized ‘urban climate change experiments’ framework to understand the urban climate governance in the case study of National Solar City Project in the Gandhinagar city of India. The case study focused on the roles of various social actors in the context of establishing institutional arrangements of solar city project and then linked with the path-breaking innovation of 5 MW Solar Rooftop Project. The case analysis is primarily based on field work carried out in the Gandhinagar city and supplemented by secondary data. First, the study showed the shifting institutional structure of the project which signified the linkages of national and urban government in governing climate change. Second, the study revealed the well co-ordinated national and state policy networks leading to the innovation of solar rooftop project. Structuring PPP model, offering Green Incentive and generating clean energy without land constrains are the key innovations which make the solar rooftop project successful. Third, the solar city project has led to the reduction of carbon emissions at the city level which is effective in combating climate change. However, the urban actors faced some challenges while promoting solar technologies due to the lack of public acceptance.

Allocation of carbon emission quotas based on global equality perspective.

In a context of global climate change and issues relating to national carbon neutrality, carbon emissions (CE), which are linked with sustainable national development, have become the focus of worldwide competition. We performed geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis using historical CE data for major countries and world regions for the period 1970-2018 to identify their cumulative and per capita CE. The analysis revealed the characteristics of large cumulative CE in countries that underwent early industrialization, notably the USA, Russia, and Germany and of low per capita emissions in developing countries, notably China and India. We identified 10 mainstream international emission reduction scenarios and compared and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of different models for measuring CE allowances. We further summarized the characteristics of IPCC scenarios, shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios, and temperature-controlled threshold scenarios along with the CE allowances of China and other major countries under different scenarios. The intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) commitment mechanism may have an impact on promoting the construction of a new global climate governance order. Considering multiple scenarios and the uncertainty of carbon emissions, choosing a certain carbon budget plan is an important future research direction. Last, we reviewed the current methods of allocating CE rights globally and among major countries and the development trend of CE to provide scientific evidence for the formulation and implementation of future international climate change agreements. In conclusion, we offer solutions for enhancing participation in the global governance of climate change.

PERAN HUKUM INTERNASIONAL DALAM MENEKAN PENGARUH EMISI SEKTOR PENERBANGAN TERHADAP LAJU PERUBAHAN IKLIM

Aviation emission as a factor in increasing and distribution of Greenhouse Gasses emission is a contributor to climate change and are expected to increase from 3% to 15% in 2050 if no international standard precautions are applied. Therefore, there is a need for regulations to be put in place to control aviation emissions. This legal research aims to describe the role of international law in efforts to reduce emission from aviation sector, as well as the enforcement imposed on countries to control emissions. Using a legal approach, the author examines how the Chicago Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement regulate aviation emissions. The results of this study indicate that aviation emission are regulated in two international regimes, namely the International Civil Aviation regime and the Climate Change Regime, but with the enactment of these two regimes, there is still an increase in aviation emissions from countries by the year 2019. Therefore, a new and more structured steps are needed to reduce emissions from the aviation sector.

20 Years of global climate change governance research: taking stock and moving forward

Research on global climate change governance is no longer primarily concerned with the international legal regime, state practice and its outcomes, but rather scrutinizes the intricate interactions between the public and the private in governing climate change. This broad trend has also taken center stage within the pages of INEA. Two decades after its establishment, we sketch the main theoretical debates, conceptual innovations and empirical findings on global climate change governance and survey the new generation of climate governance scholarship. In more detail, we sketch how climate governance research has developed into three innovative sub-debates, building on important conceptualizations and critical inquiries of earlier debates. Our aim is not so much to provide an all-encompassing assessment of global climate change governance scholarship in 2022, but rather to illustrate in what important ways current research is different from research in the early phase of INEA, and what we have learned in the process. First, we discuss scholarship on the bottom-up nature of climate governance, developing from earlier ideas on agency beyond the state and the transnationalization of governance arenas. Second, we review contributions that have more systematically engaged with the concept of governance architectures, resulting in a stimulating new academic debate on the characteristics of complex governance systems and the consequences of governance complexity and fragmentation. Third, we note a distinct normative turn in global environmental scholarship in general and global climate governance in particular, associated with question of access, accountability, allocation, fairness, justice and legitimacy. The assessment of each of these debates is centered around questions of effective and legitimate climate governance to counter the climate emergency. Finally, as a way of concluding, we critically reflect on our own scholarly shortcomings and suggest a modest remedy.