Climate Change Information Research Articles

Climate anxiety: What predicts it and how is it related to climate action?

As scientific evidence of the severity of climate change increases, there are indications that this represents a significant psychological burden in the form of climate anxiety on the public. So far very little research has explored the prevalence, predictors, or effects of climate anxiety amongst the public. This study aims to address this gap by exploring climate anxiety in the UK. It addresses the following questions: (a) How prevalent is climate anxiety amongst adults in the UK? (b) What are the predictors of climate anxiety? and (c) Does climate anxiety predict climate action? We report on findings from an online survey of the UK public (N = 1338) undertaken in late 2020 (partially replicated in May 2022 with a sub-sample of 891 respondents) which found that while there are high levels of concern about climate change, there are low levels of climate anxiety (measured using the Climate Change Anxiety Scale). Climate anxiety was higher amongst younger age groups, those with higher climate concern, higher generalised anxiety, lower mindfulness, higher nature relatedness, and more climate change information seeking behaviour. In addition, climate anxiety predicted some (but not all) types of pro-environmental action. Consistent with other recent research, these findings indicate that climate anxiety may not necessarily be a negative impact of, or maladaptive response to, climate change; but rather, at least to some degree, be a motivating force for effective action.

Impact of Carbon Information on Enterprise Value: Analysis Model Design Based on Big Data

Investors pay more and more attention to the issue of climate change information disclosure of listed companies. Whether the company can effectively deal with the impact of climate change on its own operations and make reasonable information disclosure will undoubtedly affect the value of the enterprise. Aiming at this, an analysis model based on big data is designed for the impact of carbon information on enterprise value. This study selects the sample stocks of the Shanghai Stock Exchange responsibility index every year as the research sample, counts the carbon information through the social responsibility reports of listed companies, and uses the index method to score the carbon information of each company to measure the quality of carbon information disclosure. Firstly, it analyzes the situation of carbon information disclosure in China through descriptive statistics and then constructs relevant models to conduct an empirical analysis on the impact of carbon information disclosure on enterprise value.

Capability of Extension Agents in Disseminating Climate Change Information in Delta State Nigeria

The study assessed the capability of extension agents in disseminating Climate Change (CC) information in Delta State, Nigeria. A multi-stage procedure was used in selecting 60 respondents. Data were collected on respondents’ capacity for outreach to farmers; existence of linkage on CC and sources of information on CC, constraints to building capacities for outreach and strategies to strengthen capacities. Mean, percentage, were used for analysis. Findings showed the existence of training on CC (23.3%) and practical learning experience on CC adaptation (20.0%). Lack of human resources (𝑥̅= 3.30) and training programmes on CC (𝑥̅= 3.23) were constraints to building capacities for outreach. Organization of seminars, workshops (𝑥̅= 3.58), proper staffing (𝑥̅= 3.57), provision of incentives (𝑥̅= 3.55) were suggested as strategies to strengthen capacity for outreach. Extension agents in the state lack the requisite facilities for outreach to farmers on climate change agricultural adaptation. Also, there are inadequate human and material resources necessary for effective coverage of the farming population. Government and development organizations should hire qualified extension personnel and provide weather observatory for CC outreach in Delta State.

Analysis of Backyard Poultry Farmers' Awareness, Perceptions, and Adaptability to Climate Change in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone

The poultry industry worldwide suffers significantly due to climate change, which may affect the chicken protein source. The study examined backyard poultry farmers' awareness, perceptions, and responses to climate change in Tonkolili, Sierra Leone. Data were collected from 232 backyard poultry farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 Software. According to the respondents' socioeconomic profiles, the majority of farmers (53.4%) were between the ages of 31 and 40 years, and most of them were female (59.5%) and married (54.3%). The average household size was between 5-8 persons, and the majority of respondents (59.5%) lacked formal education. The poultry farmers are well aware of climate change (96.6%), and that decrease in rainfall (x̄ = 3.45) and increasing temperature (x̄ = 3.39) affects poultry production, leading to high incidences of poultry diseases (x̄ = 4.11), increases the cost of feed (x̄ = 3.99), and reduces the quantity of egg production (x̄ = 3.92). The logistic regression model results showed that the positive and significant factors that influenced climate change awareness are gender and sources of climate change information. Some of the adaptation strategies practices by the farmers are an adequate supply of drinking water, increased quantity of supplementary feed, and rearing a different variety of birds. Climate change affects backyard poultry production therefore, poultry farmers should be provided with technical training and assistance through extension services to help alleviate the impact of climate change on backyard poultry production.

Local temperature anomalies increase climate policy interest and support: Analysis of internet searches and US congressional vote shares

Two studies examine the effects of temperature anomalies (relative to ten-year averages) on interest in and support for climate policies. Study 1 analyzes the impacts of local temperature anomalies on information acquisition, namely Google searches, about climate change and climate policies. We find strong evidence that temperature anomalies are associated with increased climate change information acquisition. Our results show that deviations from seasonal norms in both directions (i.e., temperatures higher or lower than expected) predict increased interest. Study 2 analyzes voting for Republican candidates, who in the timeframe of our data were not likely to support climate policies. Analysis of voting records from ten US midterm elections from 2002 to 2020 shows that greater local temperature anomalies are significantly associated with lower vote shares for Republican candidates.

Climate change risk and terror management theory

Being intrinsically associated with death-related themes (e.g. decay, destruction, lack of control, chaos), communicating climate change risks may elicit thoughts in an audience about their own mortality – potentially invoking terror management responses. This study examined individual differences in death-thought accessibility (DTA) amongst Australian university students (N = 241) after exposure to information about climate change impacts, to predict climate change risk perceptions. It was posited that information about the impacts of climate change would lead to worldview defence (a terror management strategy) via increasing death-related thoughts. Although climate change salience did not invoke DTA, there was evidence that choosing not to complete word-fragments in a death-related manner reflected a high death-defensive response, rather than low-DTA. Compared with a control condition, climate change salience participants’ risk perceptions shifted liberally. The function of death-related thoughts depended on the individual’s climate change beliefs. Climate-deniers with high-DTA in the climate change salience condition showed greater risk perceptions compared to those with high-DTA in the control condition. Risk perceptions did not change as a function of DTA amongst climate-acceptors. A general implication was that climate change communications, may not produce counterproductive terror management outcomes as has been previously hypothesized. Rather they may motivate more realistic attitudes, such as perceiving climate change as high-risk, even amongst climate-deniers. From a policy perspective, to maximise acceptance, climate change information may benefit from being presented within frameworks that support individuals’ important personal worldviews.

Broad spectrum integration of climate change in health sciences curricula

In response to a University of California systemwide initiative to expand the knowledge base of climate change, two half-day workshops were held for faculty in the College of Health Sciences at the UC Irvine. In the first workshop, 20 participants who teach in the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Pharmaceutical Science, or the Program in Public Health convened to explore concepts of sustainability, theoretical models of curriculum integration, challenges to adding new competencies into professional training, and strategies for integrating climate change modules and case studies into the curricula. The second half-day workshop was held a year after the first workshop to review how faculty members have modified their syllabus to integrate climate change information with varying degrees of success. A case study is presented regarding an asynchronous fully online course Introduction to Global Health, which is open to enrollment by students from all campuses of the University of California. The outcomes revealed preferential adoption of models of curriculum integration which minimized disruption of the sequence of topics in pre-existing courses. These include, for example, the use of longitudinal climate datasets for quantitative analysis of disease outcomes, and description of episodic events involving extreme weather conditions to explore differences in social determinants of vulnerability to climate change impacts in different populations. Integration of climate change as a distinct topic seems easier in elective courses in comparison with required courses designed to cover pre-established professional knowledge, competencies, and skills. The emergent requirement for interprofessional training in the health sciences provides an opportunity for the development of a cross-cutting competency domain including climate change as a unifying theme in a stand-alone course or set of courses in a sequenced model of curriculum integration.

How Environment knowledge, Social Influences, and Attitude Impact The Millenial Generation’s Purchase Intention in Green Products Through Attitude?

Thistime the world is covered by environmental issues in the form of climate change, the use of natural resources that do not pay attention to the environment, and the sale of products that are not environmentally friendly, and currently the millennial enerasi is a generation that is a lot in Indonesia with a proportion of 33.75%, as a generation that is quite large, the millennial generation in the future has a considerable answer to the issue. environmental preservation and use of green products. The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of environmental knowledge variables and social influence variables on green product buying intentions, both directly and indirectly through attitude variables as mediation variables. This type of quantitative research is used by collecting data using questionnaires on millennial respondents totaling 150 respondents. The data is analyzed using the SEM PLS approach. The results showed that variable social influences and attitudes had a positive and significant effect on the intention to buy green products. Variable environmental knowledge and social influences have a positive and significant effect on attitudes. While the variable of environmental knowledge does not have a significant effect on the intention to buy green products. The interesting result is that mediation gives the result that variables of environmental knowledge and variables of social influence have a positive and significant effect on the intention of buying green products through attitude variables as mediation variables.

Inequalities and interrelations: The sociology of disasters at a new crossroads

AbstractWhile the sociology of disasters was slow to incorporate the study of inequality in analyses, recent research in the field has centered the study of inequality. Powered by changing empirical terrain in the form of climate change and by theoretically engagement with other sociological subfields, our article showcases how this research analyzes inequality by tracing three research motifs of scale, time, and feedbacks. Using a data set of nearly 200 articles published in the field including all 57 articles published in 10 generalist sociology journals from 2008 to 2020, we relate this perspective on scale, time, and feedbacks to eight primary areas of work in the sociology of disasters: (1) community, social capital, and resilience; (2) migration and displacement; (3) race; (4) gender; (5) intersectionality; (6) health and wellness; (7) governance and policy; and (8) environment and climate change. Our discussion champions future research on feedbacks by providing a theoretical backing with social theory on relational inequality as well as by substantiating it empirically with the eight areas of research.

Tourism adaptability amid the climate change and air pollution in BRICS: a method of moments quantile regression approach.

The main objective of this paper is to look at how environmental degradation in the form of climate change and air pollution affect international tourism for five countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) over the years 1990-2019. Other independent variables include information and communication technology (ICT) and democracy. We also look at the role of environmental regulation to see the validity of porter hypothesis in the tourism sector. To achieve this objective, we apply a novel method of moments quantile regression approach as well as a robust causality technique. The result shows that at lower and medium quantile, CO2 emission has positive impact on tourism while at higher quantile, CO2 emission has negative but insignificant effect on tourism in BRICS countries. The result for PM2.5 is uniform across all the quantiles, showing the negative effect on tourism. ICT and human capital positively affect the tourism while democracy has negative impact on the tourism sector of the BRICS nations. The result also validated the Porter hypothesis for tourism sector. We conclude that tourism industry stakeholders and the environmental policymakers must work together to integrate tourism policies with BRICS countries' environmental conservation policies as part of the transition to sustainable tourism industry.

Regional-scale investigation of pile bearing capacity for Canadian permafrost regions in a warmer climate

Climate change is being experienced particularly intensely in the Arctic and therefore adaptation of engineering systems for this region cannot be further delayed. However, one of the major barriers to studies focused on adapting northern engineering systems is the lack of information at the spatial and temporal scales required for engineering applications. This study investigates pile bearing capacity for selected pile configurations for the Canadian permafrost regions (Nunavut and Northwest Territories), for current and future climates, using the very first ultra-high resolution (4 km) climate change simulation developed for the region using the Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model, for a high emission scenario.Comparison of the ultra-high-resolution GEM simulation, driven by reanalysis, with available observations confirms the model's ability in representing near-surface permafrost and related climate variables. The estimated adfreeze contribution to the total bearing capacity, for current climate, informed by the reanalysis-driven GEM simulation, for a 5-m cement pile, is found to be of the order of 15% for regions with shallow bedrock and 80% for regions with deeper bedrock. Application of the GEM climate change simulation outputs, for RCP8.5 scenario, suggest decreases to adfreeze contribution in the 5–30% range by 2040, with the largest differences noted for regions with deeper bedrock. For steel piles of same configuration, although the adfreeze contributions are only about 70% of that for cement piles, the projected relative changes are of similar magnitude.Further downscaling to 250 m resolution using the land model of GEM for the Slave Geological-Grays Bay corridor, where future developments are planned, including an all-season road, enables better estimation of bearing capacity for realistic pile scenarios such as those for bridges (in thick layer of sediments) used for river crossings. Due to the wide variation of pile materials, lengths and installation methods, site specific information can be developed from the framework developed in this study. The results of this study, including the ultra-high resolution climate change information, will thus form the basis for additional detailed investigations on climate-infrastructure interactions and climate resiliency studies.

EFFECT OF GENDER ON FARMERS’ OWNERSHIP, CONTROL AND ACCESSIBILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION RESOURCES IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

The ability to access, control and own adaptation resources is a critical factor in determining rural farmers’ adaptive potential and decision-making towards adaptation to climate change. This study investigated the effect of gender on farmers’ accessibility, control and ownership of climate change adaptation resources in Ogun and Ekiti States respectively, Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty eighty men (358) and (222) women farmers were randomly selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain data and analysed with frequency counts, means, percentages, Chi-square. A positive and statistically significant association (P<0.05) existed between the gender of the respondents and their accessibility to adaptation resources, like hoe (χ2= 10.137), wheelbarrow (χ2=5.647), digger (χ2=11.982), sprayers (χ2=11.792), head pan (χ2=9.5599), education (χ2=22.359), grass plant (χ2=9..912), health-care (χ2=13.764), pesticides (χ2=6.391) inorganic fertilizer (χ2=7.876), transportation means (χ2=10.897), average annual income (χ2= 8.026), labour (χ2=12 .557), information (χ2=12.557), and medicinal plants (χ2=11.296). There existed a positive and statistically significant association (P<0.05) between the gender of the farmers and their control of adaptation resources like digger (χ2=14.630), sprayer (χ2=6.631), head pan (χ2=4.811), education (χ2=11.657) transportation (χ2=3.364) and average annual income (χ2=33.013). Also, there existed a positive and significant association (P<0.05) between the gender of the farmers and their ownership of adaptation resources like land (χ2=6.815), water (χ2-4.491), health-care (χ2= 2.088), labour (χ2= 5.992) and sources of information of climate change (χ2=3.595). As a result, gender-responsive intervention is necessary to strengthen men and women farmers' climate resilience and improve their adaptation capabilities through access to

Insight into the environmental significance of grain-size fractal and pedogenesis of a typical loess and paleosol sequence

The loess-paleosol sequence contains rich climate change information during formation process. A typical loess-paleosol sequence was selected to analyze the grain-size, magnetic susceptibility and element intensity of samples. Fractal method was used to describe the characteristics of grain-size distribution and evaluate the relationship between fractal dimension and pedogenesis process. Based on the results of the mass balance and soil reconstruction model, the relationship between loess deposition and pedogenesis was studied. Change of unary fractal dimensions was consistent with the changing trend of climate indicators, and average fractal dimensions of paleosol (2.246) was greater than that of loess (2.201). The fractal dimension can evaluate the fragmentation degree of particles and magnitude of energy events. Results of piecewise linear regression analysis showed that there were two different fragmentation mechanisms in the process of particle fragmentation. DF1 was close to 3, and the energy dissipation in the process of coarse particles breaking into fine particles was mainly manifested in volume; DF2 was close to 2, and the energy in the process of breaking fine particles into clay particles mainly proceeded along a two-dimensional plane. The volume changes of loess and paleosol were simultaneously affected by pedogenesis, formation pressure and global climate. The mass loss or gain shown by the different size-fraction components and element intensity indicated that the loess deposition and pedogenesis were simultaneous. During the prevailing summer monsoon, strong pedogenesis was dominant and formed paleosol. While the cold-dry climate during the prevailing winter monsoon promoted the loess deposition. The fractal and reconstruction model respectively quantitatively calculated the degree of particle fragmentation and the amount and process of material change during the formation process of loess-paleosol. Their combined application can enrich the theory of soil genesis and help to understand the origin of loess-paleosol sequence and its relationship with climate change.

Can insurance catalyse government planning on climate? Emergent evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

• Insurers produce information that can support adaptation to climate change in Africa if it is accessible and useable. • Insurers need risk information for underwriting but tend not to consider climate change information. • Perverse incentives and lack of risk ownership can discourage wider use of risk information. • Government capacity building is needed to increase awareness of the benefits and uses of climate risk information. • Insurers must balance competitive advantage with strategic gains and social benefit when it comes to data sharing. This paper explores how climate risk information produced in the context of insurance-related activities can support public climate adaptation planning. The central contribution is to outline how relevant climate risk information can translate into behaviour change, and the drivers and barriers that influence this in Sub-Saharan Africa. The insurance industry has the potential to catalyse greater use of climate information, either through existing insurance transactions or through capacity building and investment in data sharing and collaboration. We investigate the interplay of climate risk information and insurance processes from two angles: the use of climate risk data by those who provide insurance – with information as an input to the underwriting process; and the catalyst role of insurance for governments to move towards anticipatory climate risk management. We apply a multi-method approach, combining insights from a survey of 40 insurance experts with key informant interviews and document analysis from three complementary case studies: indemnity-based insurance of private assets in South Africa; parametric sovereign risk pool in Malawi; and collaboration on risk analytics and risk management advice (no insurance) in Tanzania. The analysis offers a new perspective on the catalyst role of insurance by focusing on the ways in which political economy factors, particularly incentives and relationships, influence this process. Overall, there appears to be clear scope for a dynamic interaction between insurers and governments where symbiotic use and generation of climate risk information can advance mutual goals. However, that ambition faces many challenges that go beyond availability and suitability of data. Limited trust, unclear risk ownership and/or lack of incentives are key barriers, even if there is risk awareness and overall motivation to manage climate risks. The three cases show the importance of sustained cross-sectoral collaboration and capacity building to increase awareness and utilization of insurance-related climate risk information.

Health effects of climate change – Are they sufficiently addressed in pediatric settings in Germany to meet parents’ needs?

• Climate change increasingly impacts negatively children's health. • Parents have a need for information on climate change-related health effects. • But the topic is still insufficiently addressed in pediatric settings in Germany. • There is a gap between parental needs and the information offered by pediatricians. • Pediatric settings offer an avenue to close the gap and inform parents adequately. Children today are particularly vulnerable to direct and indirect health effects of climate change. Exposure to health hazards related to climate change will increase in the future. These health impacts increasingly pose additional challenges for the health care system, both in curative treatment and in preventive care. This paper therefore examines whether health care facilities for children and adolescents (“pediatric settings”) in Germany are adequately preparing for the impact of climate change on children's health. For this purpose, we combine the results of two studies that investigated the relevance assessment of climate change-related health effects on children's health and the level of information on this topic among pediatricians ( n = 408) and parents ( n = 292). In addition, a narrative literature review was conducted. We have found that parents' need for information on this topic is currently not being met by pediatricians, as the topics of climate change and health are inadequately addressed in pediatric settings in Germany. Thus, there is a gap between the demand for information and the lack of supply that needs to be closed. To close the gap between parents' need for information on the impact of climate change on children's health and pediatricians' insufficient provision of information, more training materials, more trained staff and more climate change and health information resources are needed in pediatric settings. In order to provide all parents with evidence-based knowledge, the communication of the complex health effects should be readily accessible and target group-oriented.

Using a Climate Change Risk Perceptions Framing to Identify Gaps in Climate Services

Given the rise in climate services for decision-making, it is important to understand whether these services are meeting the context-specific needs of decision-makers, including identifying any gaps in current climate services. This study sets out to investigate the efficacy of current climate services provision in east Africa through the lens of climate change risk perceptions. Risk perceptions have established relationships with important aspects of the decision context and have been shown to influence the kinds of information people use in making decisions, therefore, an understanding of how elements of risk perceptions relate to climate services use can provide valuable insights for enhancing climate services. Using this premise, the relationships between determinants of climate change risk perceptions and the use of climate services information are explored through a combination of statistical survey analysis and qualitative interview analysis. The analysis revealed three main gaps in climate services in east Africa. These gaps include the lack of long-term climate change projections disseminated through National Meteorological Services (NMS), limited locally ground-truthed delivery of impact-based forecasts and the requirement for specialist capacity to use some complex climate services. Filling these gaps will require enhanced collaboration between the NMS, other providers of climate-related information (such as research institutes) and the practitioner and user communities in order to facilitate the coordinated delivery of locally ground-truthed impact-based forecasts, facilitate capacity development across the user-producer spectrum and augment the role of the NMS as conduits of climate change information.

Climate change information needs of agro-pastoralists in Southeast Nigeria

All categories of farmers need information to be productive. Such information is on climatic change. This research work seeks to examine climatic change information needs of agro-pastoralists in Southeast, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to ascertain agro- pastoralists ’awareness of climatic change, identity sources of information on climate change, examine areas climatic change information is needed, and to describe agro-pastoralists responses to climatic change information received. Questionnaire was used to elicit information from 120 agro pastoralists purposively selected from their various camps in 3 Southeast States of Nigeria (Imo, Abia and Enugu). Data collected were analyzed descriptively using percentages and presented in frequency tables. Results showed that all the agro pastoralists were aware of climate change as seen in their response such as occurrence of heavy, but erratic rainfall(95.5%), drought occurrence(81.68%), high temperature(64.2%), flooding(87.5%), water shortage(84.2%), crop failures(100%) among others. Sources of information on climatic change were personal experiences, (80%), fellow farmers(75.3%), Miyetti Allah(100%), Hausa radio program(100%) and many more. They need information on livestock diseases, pasture availability, safe places to go, livestock prices, passable/impassable roads, when to sell their animals. To cope, they sell their animals (90.8%), dig water holes/wells, take animals for vaccination, receive training on animal vaccination, buy veterinary drugs and many more.

Energy-related Contextual Determinants of Climate Change Reported to the CDP: Evidence From BRICS Nations

We investigate country-specific energy-related contextual determinants that influence companies in BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to participate in and disclose climate change information to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). We find that the Paris Climate Agreement and country-level carbon emissions influence CDP reporting and disclosure scores. National legislations do not influence the reporting status, but they influence higher-level disclosure. Our study supports institutional theory.

Effects of Climate Change on Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) Production in Itu District, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study assessed the effects of climate change on fluted pumpkin production and mitigation/adaptation measures used by farmers in Itu District, Itu LGA of Akwa Ibom State in Southern Nigeria. Random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were adopted for the selection of respondents comprising 100 fluted pumpkin farmers; 10 from each of the 10 communities that make up Itu District. FGD was used to elicit data on effects of climate change on fluted pumpkin production and climate change mitigation/adaptation measures. The study found the farmers perceived low yield of fluted pumpkin, loss of soil fertility, erosion, and declining family income as the major effects of climate change on fluted pumpkin production. Combination of fluted pumpkin production with other income generating activities was also found to be the most widely used mitigation/adaptation measure. The study recommended government effort through agricultural extension services and agricultural development programmes to mitigate/adapt climate change impacts by adopting improved varieties of fluted pumpkin seedlings, agricultural diversification, accurate and timely weather forecasting, use of cover crops, and disseminating up-to-date climate change information. Formation of co-operative societies among farmers to pool resources to fight the effects of climate change was also encouraged.

Impact of climate change information of university students in Turkey on responsibility and environmental behavior through awareness and perceived risk

Impact of climate change information of university students in Turkey on responsibility and environmental behavior through awareness and perceived risk