Climate Issues Research Articles

Can data visualization storytelling in energy communication campaigns ingrain farmers’ intentions to use agrivoltaic system? Evidence from global south

Purpose Innovative technologies pave the way to address alarming global climate issues. Among these technologies is the expansion of renewable and clean energy in farming, which aims to meet the global cheap energy demand and, at the same time, replace fossil fuels. In pursuant to this, agrivoltaic technology is an innovation that provides sustainable and low-cost production solutions to diminish the adversities associated with climate change and global warming. However, farmers from developing nations remain unacquainted or unenthusiastic about adopting such sustainable technologies. Therefore, in response to these key challenges related to climate change, this study aims to provide the utility of communication resources to inspire climate-friendly behaviors among farmers. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional field survey method for data collection from 992 farmers. Findings The results verified that using data visualization storytelling in communication campaigns could significantly enhance farmers’ public understanding of adopting renewable technologies. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, results highlighted the importance of communication strategies in a downward spiral of ongoing challenges of optimal climate protection, counteracting rebound effects and reducing carbon emissions. Practical implications The novel contribution of this research by examining the data visualization storytelling in climate and energy communication campaigns paved the way for social marketers to develop a straightforward and user-friendly platform for implementing innovative renewable technologies. Originality/value This research underpinned a novel approach that remains understudied to understand how data visualization storytelling supports renewable technology adoption. Furthermore, it addressed the timely call for research on how data visualization storytelling can assist in achieving UNSD goals 12 and 13 by promoting renewable technologies among the farmers from the neglected area of the Global South.

Measuring the impact of green banking practices on banks’ environmental performance and sources of green financing: a study on Indian banks

Green banking, an innovative strategy integrating financial parameters with environmental stewardship, can deal with climate issues. Green banks can intimidate deforestation, minimizing waste and conserving nature’s resources. Hence, based on the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) theory, this study aims to determine how Green banking practices (GBP) impact the Bank’s Environmental Performance (BEP) and Sources of Green Finance (SGF) in Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand region is witnessing an unprecedented surge in its tourism and transportation sector, and financial institutions heavily fund these sectors, necessitating the need to investigate GBP in this area. Moreover, this study also endeavors to ascertain the SGF’s mediating role between GBP and BEP. The study employed convenience sampling and included 309 banking employees in Uttarakhand, India. Empirical findings based on Structural Equation Modelling indicated that GBP substantially improves BEP and SGF and also SGF mediates the association between BEP and GBP. The study indicates that incorporating GBP improves environmental performance, increases profitability, and boosts employee performance.

The role of visual ethnography in co-producing climate information services in cities

Diverse approaches to climate information services are emerging as impacts escalate in an urbanising globe. However, the climate information services involving cities are mainly collaborations with actors from science, multilateral, national and municipal authorities. There are limited efforts to build on knowledge from residents in local communities about risk and response options, to steer collaborations on climate information services. This article examines visual ethnography as an enabler of climate information services that connect societal and scientific objectives at local scales in cities. Based on case study findings from Kampala city in Uganda, local-level framings of climate risks and responses were grouped into exploratory and intersectional framings. The exploratory framings are risks and response options directly linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 and 13 on cities and climate change respectively, while depicting some degree of contradiction. Intersectional framings are risks and response options demonstrating the interrelatedness of climate issues across different SDGs. Local communities do take on scientific information on impacts and adaptation barriers but also connect risks and responses to experiences of tested options, which sometimes only emerge during the process of visual ethnography and are not initially identified. Visual ethnography can be an important source of information not only on stressors experienced and priority actions by local communities, but can also be a climate solutions imagery, that contains positive adaptation stories with opportunities for enriching and complementing scientific inquiry on responses.

Critical Climate Histories of Eurasia: An Introduction

AbstractThis piece serves as an introduction to a cluster of articles on “Critical Climate Histories of Eurasia.” It frames the current interest in climate issues in light of the pronounced effects that anthropogenic warming is already having in countries that comprised the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Historiographical developments in the environmental humanities have also encouraged deeper interrogation of past human engagement with climate. While contributions to the climate history of Eurasia have thus far been insightful, much work remains to be done. To encourage the expansion of this realm of scholarship, this article advocates for “critical climate histories” of the region that treat climate as a potent, but non‐deterministic, factor in history and combine an appreciation for the novelty of current climate disruption and an approach to it that recognizes longstanding social, environmental, economic, and political injustices. Critical climate histories can draw insights from Indigenous studies, critiques of capitalism and colonialism, and approaches to knowledge that engage with scientific and non‐scientific perspectives. This piece ends by explicitly positioning the articles in the cluster as examples of critical climate history.

How Do Religions and Religiosity Matter for Climate Anxiety?

During the last decade, the discussions about climate change have evolved beyond technical and technological debates, and politicians and religious leaders have started to acknowledge the complexity of the matter more frequently than ever. These discussions aptly underlined the inadequacy of the offered technical solutions to problems due to climate change, which are bound to social and psychological barriers and evaluated through the lenses of existing culture, values, and beliefs, which can hinder appropriate responses. The current study problematises this puzzle by exploring variations in ideological positions, religious affiliations, and religiosity levels and their interactions with climate anxiety. The findings indicate that differing religious affiliations and religiosity levels are robust predictors of variations in climate anxiety. Moreover, their interactions and ideological positions also effectively explain the variations in perceptions related to climate anxiety. These findings provide critical insights into how religious and ideological dimensions influence responses to climate issues, offering practical implications for policymakers.

Digital Economy and Environmental Sustainability: Analysis of Cross-Country Coordination

This paper calculates the level of digital economy development and the degree of economic and ecological integration in 100 countries from 2009 to 2022 using the entropy weight method and equal weight method. It empirically tests the impact, influencing mechanisms, and spatial effects of the digital economy on the integration of economy and ecology. Furthermore, it analyzes the coordination degree of the digital economy and economic–ecological integration across different continents using coupling coordination analysis. The research results are as follows: First, the digital economy has promoted the integrated development of economy and ecology in various countries, with a more significant effect in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. Countries with higher levels of digital economy development show a more pronounced promoting effect. Second, the digital economy can reduce energy consumption, promote the efficient utilization of clean energy, lower carbon emissions, and thus facilitate the integrated development of economy and ecology through industrial structure optimization and driving technological innovation. Third, a country’s digital economy has a positive spillover effect on the economic and ecological integration development of its neighboring countries. The coupling coordination analysis reveals that Europe has the highest coupling coordination degree of the digital economy and economic–ecological integration, with significant spatial autocorrelation. This is followed by the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Therefore, countries should actively promote digital economy development, strengthen digital economic cooperation, jointly address international environmental and climate issues, and promote the integration of economy and ecology.

The Adoption of Green Technologies in Indonesia: Shrimp Farmers' Facebook Group as an Online Community of Practice

ABSTRACTThis study contributes to literature on learning pathways and agricultural innovation diffusion by exploring the use of a virtual platform on the adoption of green technologies in a global South context. The case depicts online learning within a significant food system in Southeast Asia, Indonesian shrimp farming, and focuses on the dissemination of innovation within an online group. Based on a data set of 1059 shrimp farmers, we investigate the effects of membership in the Indonesian Vannamei Shrimp Communities (KUVI), a prominent Online Community of Practice (OCoP) on Facebook. We compare the adoption of green technologies between KUVI members and non‐members, and focus on how learning takes place in KUVI and how it influences technology adoption by shrimp farmers engaged in traditional extensive farming characterized by low stock density and minimal infrastructure, and those involved in more advanced intensive farming with higher stock densities and more advanced infrastructure. We find that KUVI members expanded their information sources on shrimp cultivation and significantly gained new information compared to non‐members, leading to the adoption of green technologies that address a major farming issue namely the prevention of shrimp disease. Since information in KUVI is codified rather than tacit, we also find differences between the two types of farming: KUVI members in extensive farming adopted context‐dependent technologies to cope with climate issues, while intensive farmers' environmentally friendly practices were more precise and strongly related to shrimp quality and productivity. The results indicate that not all agricultural information can be effectively disseminated using virtual platforms, as users have different cognitive capacities to absorb the information. Thus some practices still require experience and tacit knowledge from physical peers to be properly implemented.

Oil and Gas Business and Sustainability Pressures: Through Strategic Behavior Changes to Low-Carbon Transformations

Oil and gas companies, positioned at the forefront of the climate issues, are under substantial external pressure to adjust their strategies in response to the low-carbon agenda. The article draws on institutional theory to explore how do O&G companies’ response to external sustainability pressures and change its’ strategic behavior. By examining strategies and portfolios, the study identifies key patterns of strategic responses: O&G-focused, energy-focused, and renewable energy sources (RES)-focused. Each of the pattern characterize specific response that is realized through implementing low-carbon strategies using low-carbon visions, goals, low-carbon products and projects, which result in a specific scenario of low-carbon transformations.

The Role of Smart Farming Technologies in Mitigating Climate Change and Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability

This research examines the function of smart farming technology in alleviating climate change and promoting agricultural sustainability. It analyzes the role of technical advancements in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing resource efficiency, and developing climate-resilient agricultural systems. The study consolidates current literature about the use of smart agricultural technologies, including precision agriculture, IoT, AI, and renewable energy systems. It assesses their efficacy in tackling critical climate and sustainability issues via data-informed decision-making, resource optimization, and adaptive methods. Smart agricultural methods substantially alleviate the effects of climate change by enhancing water efficiency, minimizing chemical consumption, and decreasing carbon emissions. These technologies augment soil vitality, bolster agricultural resistance against severe weather phenomena, and provide real-time surveillance of environmental variables. The incorporation of renewable energy sources into agricultural practices reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Notwithstanding their promise, obstacles such as elevated implementation costs, technology disparities, and restricted access for smallholder farmers persist as significant impediments. Smart farming technologies are essential for changing agriculture into a climate-resilient and sustainable industry. Their implementation may aid in achieving global climate objectives and securing food stability. Overcoming obstacles to access and execution is crucial for the successful scaling of these technologies. The results underscore the need for governmental interventions, financial incentives, and capacity-building measures to facilitate the widespread use of smart agricultural technology. To improve agricultural output while decreasing environmental effect, governments should subsidize smart farming technology, finance research, and implement capacity-building programs. A fair distribution of precision agriculture tools, including those for smallholder farmers, requires policy that encourages data-sharing frameworks and the development of digital infrastructure.

The Role of Blockchain Technology in Addressing Climate Change: A Review

Climate Change is one of the biggest concerns of the 21<sup>st</sup> century due to its worldwide economic, social, and environmental causes and consequences which primarily impact poor countries. Climate models indicate that if present emissions trends continue, temperatures might rise by more than 2°C, which is alarming. As a result, over the next 40 years, yearly emissions per person must be gradually reduced from about seven tons to two tons. Blockchain technology, which provides a decentralized, transparent, and unchangeable system that can encourage sustainable practices, has become a game-changing instrument in the worldwide struggle to combat climate change. This study investigates how blockchain can be used to improve environmental programs' efficiency, accountability, and transparency in the fight against climate change. Better carbon tracking, renewable energy certificate verification, and assistance for sustainable supply chains are all made possible by blockchain's special features. Blockchain technology has a lot of promise to combat climate change and promote sustainable development, but its uptake needs to be balanced with factors like scalability and energy efficiency. It can offer long-term answers to climate issues by advancing low-energy consensus methods and enabling legislation, fostering a more transparent and sustainable global economy. This review offers important insights for the different stakeholders looking to use technology for environmental improvement by highlighting the benefits and difficulties of incorporating blockchain into climate action plans. In the end, this research emphasizes that although blockchain is not a magic bullet for climate change problems, it has great potential as a component of a larger set of solutions required to successfully lessen its effects.

Power by Proxy: Participation as a Resource in Global Governance

Abstract Member state participation is essential in global governance, affording international organizations (IOs) legitimacy and translating member state preferences into institutional attention. We contend that institutional leadership positions bolster states’ authority via “proxy representation,” in which states are grouped together and indirectly represented by one leader. We argue that by serving as proxy group leaders, even relatively weak states can obtain greater influence in IOs. We examine these expectations in the context of the IMF’s Executive Board, where wealthy states represent themselves directly while other states belong to multi-member constituencies in which leadership often rotates among members. Focusing on issues related to climate change discussions at the IMF—a key concern for Global South countries and an increasingly important issue in international finance—we examine the extent to which countries’ preferences over climate issues are expressed at IMF Board meetings. Using textual data based on 52,551 internal IMF documents from 1987-2017, we find evidence to support our theoretical expectations; states more effectively advance their preferences when they are proxy leaders — this finding holds robustly even for otherwise weak states. These results suggest that even in IOs with highly asymmetric decision-making, weaker states can gain voice through proxy representation. This has important and positive implications for IO legitimacy, as member state participation is integral to the livelihood of these institutions.

How people make sense of climate issues in the news

This paper asks how people make sense of climate issues in the news. As part of a study in Norway, with repeated interviews and open-ended questionnaires, we invited people to share their thoughts on three real and recent news stories. The examples were related to climate change on local, national and global scales, with varying levels of conflict and different narrative frameworks and visual components. We find that news articles with different characteristics invited three modes of sense-making: inconclusive reasoning, moral stance-taking, and reiterating climate discourse. Our study contributes to untangle central questions about how journalism with various forms of anchoring might mitigate low engagement with climate news. Methodologically, the study provides innovation in the form of a qualitative study with real news examples. In concluding, we discuss why the most important aspects of climate change make the least sense as news.

Scientists as “Specialist Audience” for Art that Addresses Climate Change: Weather Engines at Onassis, Athens, 2022

Abstract This paper explores the proposition that experiencing art can contribute to scientific discourse on climate issues, especially at the convergence of physical and social sciences. Drawing from an experiment conducted during the Weather Engines exhibition in Athens (2022), it highlights how specialist audiences, notably scientists, engage with contemporary art in their area of specialty, treating the artworks as “research environments” or “discursive spaces” where they can combine their thinking with other scholars. The study prompted scientists to discover novel insights within artworks and propose innovative interpretations of the work. A distinctive metaphorical structure played a crucial role in shaping scientists’ perceptions, fostering fresh perspectives and uncovering layers of meaning that “general audiences” would not perceive. The authors show how insights from this experiment could inform collaborative initiatives to enhance scientists’ ability to tap into the value of contemporary art, particularly regarding climate issues.

Towards a green economy: Investigating the impact of sustainable finance, green technologies, and environmental policies on environmental degradation.

Towards a green economy: Investigating the impact of sustainable finance, green technologies, and environmental policies on environmental degradation.

School track and adolescents’ climate change attitudes

Amid growing climate concerns, global research and policies highlight the increasing importance of climate education in schools. Schools, being a significant setting for climate education, play a vital role in shaping children’s views during their formative years. Furthermore, schools do not only provide children and adolescents with information, but also act as an empowering platform where children can learn and cultivate ways to address issues like climate change. Using panel data on Finnish adolescents (n = 1,331), this study examines how adolescents’ climate change attitudes (climate change concern and willingness to mitigate) develop across different educational trajectories. The findings indicate significant differences in climate concern and willingness to mitigate between general (academic) and vocational tracks. Recognizing schools as crucial sites for political learning, the study underscores the importance of considering educational supply and social context in designing effective programs for equal engagement with climate issues.

Media ownership and coverage patterns of established, disruptive, and unconventional climate advocacy groups

Groups advocating on climate and environmental issues often seek to obtain media coverage to increase public awareness of their cause, yet comparatively little is understood about the factors influencing the volume and content of that coverage. This study investigates the quantity and characteristics of media coverage of climate advocacy groups through a mixed-method analysis of 17,380 Australian media articles published between 2017–2022. Four types of advocacy groups were the focus: ‘Established’ groups (large professionalised environmental groups); ‘Disruptive’ groups (the greatest use of civil resistance tactics); and two types of what we call ‘Unconventional advocates’ – those who advocate for action on climate change but from a social identity position that is either typically not associated with climate action (‘Role-based unconventional advocates’, such as parents or doctors) or has a history of conflict with climate or other environmental causes and environmentalists (‘Conflict-spanning unconventional advocates’, such as farmers and political conservatives). Findings indicate that linguistic cues associated with conflict, achievement, and emotional sentiment differed significantly according to the advocacy group type and media ownership. While Established groups gained the greatest volume of coverage, Disruptive groups attracted the highest conflict language and lowest achievement language, particularly in outlets published by News Corp (the Murdoch owned media company). Meanwhile, conflict-spanning unconventional advocates received coverage using language with the lowest levels of conflict and highest levels of achievement. Our findings highlight the potential for new types of climate advocates to gain comparative sympathetic media coverage and potentially expand the social basis of support for climate action.

Peace agreements in a changing climate: Three ways in which climate change and peace processes interact

Previous research has shown that climate change can exacerbate conflict drivers or, on the other hand, incentivise ‘environmental peacebuilding’. One might, therefore, expect to find references to climate issues in peace agreements. This study draws on the PA-X Peace Agreement Database to shed new light on climate–peace interactions. Only seven out of 2,003 peace agreements signed between 1990 and 2023 explicitly mention ‘climate change’. However, an analysis of provisions in 28 peace agreements reveals that climate–peace interactions are much more complex than the paucity of the term ‘climate change’ in agreements suggests. Based on PA-X data, I argue that there are three main ways in which climate change and peace processes interact: First, as existing literature shows, the consequences of climate change can affect conflict parties’ bargaining positions and lead to conflict (de-)escalation. Second, conflict parties agree on climate action – often implicitly and for political reasons. This article provides the first comparison of levels of climate action ambition in peace agreements, from incremental and transformational adaptation to mitigation. Third, the results of political bargaining in peace processes can have positive and negative unintended consequences for the climate. For example, although conflict de-escalation can produce a more conducive environment for climate action, its stabilising effect may also enable carbon-intensive economic activities.

Reflective factors of students’ determination for effective learning in higher education

Promoting self-determination was identified as facilitating access to effective learning in higher education contexts. However, amidst the competitive educational climate and various contemporary educational issues, there remained a gap in understanding the factors influencing its implementation. This study explored the factors that reflected students' self-determination for effective learning. This quantitative study involved two hundred and eighty-five participants from private universities. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing twenty-three statement items to measure students' determination in their learning, and then the data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The study revealed six factors of student determination for effective learning. They were learning control and flexibility, learning strategy development, academic ability and engagement, academic progress and evaluation management, perception of the academic environment, and collaboration and social engagement. These factors need to be considered in developing strategies and educational interventions that are truly efficient, as in a teaching scenario, to facilitate students' self-determination performance and promote academic success and student well-being.

Training on Lesson Plan of Climate Change STEM Project in the Physics Learning for Sustainable Development

Climate change education holds great potential but often fails to raise sufficient awareness of climate-related disasters. Students need localized, STEM-based learning to build adaptation strategies and eco-friendly lifestyles. This article focuses on improving students' understanding of physics concepts, problem-solving, and critical and creative thinking, aligning with the SDGs and Merdeka Curriculum goals. Using the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, training activities involved observation, reflection, planning, action, and evaluation stages. Needs analysis discussions with teachers from Nganjuk Regency's MGMP informed the program. Training included STEM-based project learning focused on climate change and engaging physics and science teachers. Questionnaire analysis showed high enthusiasm for the program, as it integrated STEM with real-world climate issues, making learning relevant and motivating. This innovative approach fostered critical thinking and problem-solving while enhancing awareness and responsibility toward climate challenges. By connecting education to sustainability, the program encouraged students to develop eco-friendly solutions and actively participate in addressing global issues, preparing them to become agents of change.

Investigating Older Adults' Response to Climate Change.

Older adults are both vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and uniquely positioned to contribute to climate action. However, their ability and willingness to engage vary significantly due to health disparities, financial constraints, and cultural factors. To ensure inclusivity, climate policies must reflect these differences and empower older adults to participate effectively. This research focused on 30 London-based older adults aged 60-85 (18 women, 12 men) selected via purposive sampling and stratified by gender and climate awareness. All participants were interested in climate issues and engaged in seven small focus groups facilitated by two researchers. Discussions addressed climate perceptions, low-carbon behaviors, and policy recommendations. The findings reveal that tailored communication, featuring simplified language and visual materials, resonates deeply with older adults, fostering better understanding and emotional connection. Participants highlighted practical low-carbon actions they already undertake, such as energy conservation, food waste reduction, and public transport use. They also proposed innovative strategies for promoting climate awareness, including integrating cultural and emotional elements, encouraging intergenerational learning, and providing economic incentives for green practices. To enhance the engagement of older adults in climate action, governments and corporations should develop inclusive communication strategies, provide financial support for adopting green technologies, and foster intergenerational collaboration to share knowledge and experiences in the communities. This study amplifies the voices of older adults in climate discourse, offering actionable insights for shaping communication strategies and policies. While this study provides valuable insights into older adults' contributions to climate action, future research could expand the sample size and geographic diversity to enhance the generalizability of findings.