Climate Change Policy Research Articles

Evaluating the effectiveness of climate change policies and initiatives in the United States: A comprehensive review

Climate change presents profound challenges, demanding effective policies to mitigate its impacts. This paper reviews the effectiveness of climate policies in the United States, analyzing scholarly articles, government reports, and relevant literature. The review covers diverse policies such as greenhouse gas regulations, renewable energy initiatives, energy efficiency programs, and adaptation measures. It assesses their success in reducing carbon emissions, advancing a low-carbon economy, and enhancing resilience to climate impacts. Key findings highlight significant successes, such as the rise in renewable energy due to renewable portfolio standards and reduced emissions from vehicle fuel efficiency standards. State-level initiatives, like carbon pricing and renewable energy targets, also show promising outcomes. However, the review identifies substantial challenges, including political and economic obstacles, inconsistent policies across states, and the need for better federal-state-local collaboration. Additionally, disparities in policy benefits, with marginalized communities facing greater burdens and limited access to renewable resources, are significant concerns. To enhance the effectiveness of climate policies, the study recommends fostering coherent policies across all government levels, promoting equitable and inclusive climate solutions, raising public awareness, and supporting innovation in clean technologies. This comprehensive review provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to develop strategies that effectively address climate change, promote sustainability, and ensure a fair transition to a low-carbon future.

Exploring Burden of Disease Metrics in EU legislation: A Systematic Analysis

Abstract Background The burden of disease (BoD) methodology is a valuable tool for evidence-based policymaking. However, there is currently no systematic analysis available regarding its use in the European Union (EU) legislation framework. This study aims to describe the implementation of BoD methodology in EU legislation. Methods A search was conducted on EUR-Lex, the official and most comprehensive platform to access EU legal documents. The main inclusion criteria in the analyses were date of publication (between 2004 and 2023, accounting for EU-25) and inclusion of BoD metrics (years of life lost - YLL, years lived with disability - YLD or disability-adjusted life years - DALY). Descriptive and network analysis were conducted to analyse the legislation content. Results Out of 2592 documents, 191 met the set criteria. Ten were legally binding, and 69% were published after 2018. The European Commission (n = 152) was the most regular issuing institution. BoD was mainly used as an argument (n = 93) and for impact assessment (n = 50). The metrics were commonly presented in the main text (n = 122) and in the annex (n = 48). EuroVoc domains like environment and social questions prevailed. The most frequent EuroVoc terms were climate change policy (n = 45), EU environmental policy (n = 32) and pollution control measures (n = 32). Discussion Despite the growing recognition of BoD metrics in supporting policymaking, only 191 documents published over the past 20 years within the EU legislation make reference to this methodology. Greater efforts in knowledge dissemination and directing research towards specific policy uptake may increase the application of BoD studies in EU policies. By advocating for increased awareness, promoting collaboration between researchers and policymakers, and targeting research efforts towards specific policy needs, a more comprehensive integration of BoD methodologies into EU legislation can be achieved, contributing for evidence-informed policies. Key messages • There were only 191 documents of the EU legislative documents published in the past 20 years mention burden of disease metrics, mainly addressing environmental and social issues. • There is a need to increase EU policy uptake from BoD studies, by conducting policy-oriented research, and building capacity among researchers and policymakers on BoD methodology.

Capturing the health and well-being impact of climate change: a health impact assessment in Wales

Abstract Climate change is one of the biggest threats to global health in the 21st century and is likely to impact on health through a range of factors (societal, economic or environmental). The need to take action on climate and nature emergencies in order to protect population health and well-being and prevent negative impacts are becoming more urgent. Public Health Wales carried out a comprehensive mixed-method Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of climate change in Wales. HIA is a systematic process which considers the impact of a policy on the health and well-being of a population. It appraised the potential impacts of climate change on health and inequalities in Wales. This involved participatory workshops, engagement with stakeholders, statistical data, systematic literature reviews and case studies. The HIA findings indicate significant potential impacts across the determinants of health and mental well-being. For example, air quality, flooding, economic productivity, working conditions, access to services and community resilience. Impacts were identified across population groups, settings, and areas including urban and rural contexts, outdoor workers, children and young people, older people, schools, hospitals and workplaces. These findings have been beneficial to inform decision-makers to prepare for climate change plans and policies using a preventative evidence-informed approach. The work has demonstrated the value of HIA for significant, complex policies by mobilising a range of evidence through a transparent process, resulting in government and organizational action and transferrable learning for others. Key messages • HIA is a beneficial tool to identify at a granular level the health impacts of climate change. • The HIA has been used by the government of Wales and organisations to respond to and plan for climate change.

Variation and Forecasting of Land Surface Temperature in Malaysia

Long-term variations in temperature and weather patterns provide evidence that the planet is experiencing global warming. The detrimental consequences of global warming on the ecosystem have affected people, plants, and animals. The rising Land Surface Temperature (LST) in a region has become a crucial indicator for determining specific climate change policies. Malaysia is divided into Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah Sarawak, located on Borneo Island, comprising four super-regions and 36 sub-regions. The distance between sub-regions, measured in latitudes and longitudes, is 150 pixels (equivalent to 95 kilometres), covering the entire country. This study uses data from NASA’s Terra satellites’ Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) covering 2000–2022. Eight, four, and three knots were deployed on the cubic spline equation to analyse cyclical data, variation, and the LST forecast from 2022 to 2030. The global mean rise in LST variation per decade is 0.445°C, with a significance level of 5%, from a confidence interval of [0.377, 0.507]°C. The average predicted fluctuation in LST indicates a significant rise of 0.383°C per decade. Malaysia has not shown a significant decrease in LST acceleration at the 0.05 significance level, and a p-value of 0.06 suggests that LST variation is still increasing. Compared to the Sabah Sarawak group, which experiences LST deceleration, most Peninsular Malaysia group experiences LST acceleration.

The stringency and potential impact of climate laws and policies in the European Union and the 21OECD countries

In this paper, I offer a way to measure the stringency of climate change legislation for macro-comparative studies using publicly available data. The paper is innovative in that it examines the complex interrelationship between national, subnational, and supranational legislation using data from the FaoLex database on environmental laws and policies. It is also novel in that it conducts a contextualized comparison that takes into account different national conditions for climate change policies. The resulting index is the Gross Potential Impact (GPI), which is a measure of the stimulus of legislation before taking into account implementation issues. To demonstrate the validity of the index, findings from case study research on the European Union’s 2020 and 2030 climate and energy frameworks are used. The rest of the paper presents the GPI for 21 OECD countries for the period between 1990 and 2020.

The Evolution of Potable Water Security: A Temporal Analysis of Key Indices and Trends

Water security is a critical global issue that has gained increasing attention from researchers, policymakers, and practitioners over the past few decades. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of potable water security indices from the 1980s to the 2020s, focusing on the key research themes, trends, and influential factors in the field. We conducted a comprehensive search of the relevant literature and examined the development of water security indices to provide insights into the current state of research and identify future research directions. This paper will explore the historical context, key indicators, sector-specific challenges, climate change implications, governance and policy considerations, technological advancements, community engagement efforts, and future directions for research in this critical field. Researchers and policymakers will find this review valuable as it offers insights into the existing knowledge and the areas that require further exploration to address global water security challenges.

Integrated understanding of climate change and disaster risk for building resilience of cultural heritage sites

AbstractHeritage assets are vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks. However, existing literature has long been separating climate change from disaster risks, which were mainly considered as natural disasters. Recently, the framework of integrated understanding of climate change and disaster risk reduction in international policies started to be discussed in sustainable development discussion, while mentioning opportunities to build resilience of cultural heritage sites (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020). But this framework is yet to be implemented and detailed in the context of heritage sites. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze how the integrated understanding of climate change and disaster risk reduction policies can contribute to building climate resilience of cultural heritage sites by reviewing the key themes emerging from the literature. The question this paper answers are how can the integrated understanding of climate change and disaster risks reduction tackle barriers to the resilience of heritage sites? And what can be done to fill the gaps identified in the literature? To understand it, four elements from the literature are analyzed, including methodological contributions, temporalities, challenges and gaps, and opportunities. The findings of this review help in understanding the gap and interplay between science and policy in decision-making processes. We conclude by discussing the ways forward for the applicability of the framework in building resilience of cultural heritage sites.

The Roles of Identity- and Belief-Driven Motivated Reasoning and Source Credibility in Persuasion on Climate Change Policy

The Roles of Identity- and Belief-Driven Motivated Reasoning and Source Credibility in Persuasion on Climate Change Policy

Translations of climate change consequences at the local level: Climate change adaptation in Bergen and Stavanger municipalities in Norway

AbstractThis paper uncovers a local‐level approach to the likely adverse effects of climate change through climate change policies, measures and practices concerning climate change adaptation. The study is sustained by the literature that addresses climate change through a securitization lens, which has identified security discourses on climate change in terms of threat or risk. To understand the origin of local discourse, we have adopted the concepts of translations and translation zones from security studies, allowing us to define encounters between different conceptual expressions of ways to handle threats and risks. In this paper, ‘translations’ mean negotiations of meanings between security, threat and risk, and ‘translation zones’ indicate where these negotiations take place. Discourses are studied in the two Norwegian municipalities of Bergen and Stavanger. Both experience similar consequences of climate change and are bound to follow national laws and regulations for developing adaptive responses. Despite these similarities, translations and translation zones unveil differences in the organisation of adaptation work. Risk discourses thus allow several possible translation pathways, and adaptation remains a distinctly local phenomenon despite commonalities in risk discourse and translation processes.

Impact of Climate Change Education on Pregnant Women's Anxiety and Awareness.

To evaluate the impact of climate change education on pregnant women's climate change awareness and anxiety. Quasi-experimental research with pre- and post-test design. This study was conducted among pregnant women who visited a tertiary maternity hospital between April and June 2023 to assess climate change awareness, perception, knowledge, behavioral and policy expectations, and anxiety before and after the introduction of climate change education. The first phase of the study was conducted by distributing a set of questions related to sociodemographics and completing the Climate Change Awareness Scale and the Climate Change Worry Scale, followed by climate change education where pregnant women were exposed to a brochure entitled "Pregnancy and Climate Change". After the intervention, pregnant women were assessed using the same questionnaire. There was a significant decrease in pregnant women's anxiety regarding climate change (p<0.001). Participants' awareness (p<0.001), perception (p<0.001), knowledge (p<0.001), and policy expectations regarding climate change significantly increased (p<0.001), while their anxiety levels decreased (p<0.001). The study suggests that climate change education may reduce climate change anxiety among pregnant women while also enhancing their awareness, and improving their perceptions, knowledge, behaviors, and policy expectations about climate change.

Mainstreaming Indigenous Knowledge of Pastoralists into Climate Change Policies in Cameroon

Indigenous pastoralists are hardest hit by the impacts of climate change because of their dependence on nature and limited adaptation. This paper seeks to examine the level of integration of traditional knowledge systems into adaptation policies in Cameroon, using the specific case of Mbororo pastoralists in the Western Highlands. Using a mainly qualitative approach in data collection, in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 purposively selected pastoralists from 4 divisions with intense pastoral activity, comprising 19 Mbororo pastoralists, 2 members of the Mbororo Social and Cultural Association (MBOSCUDA), 2 Mbororo traditional rulers, 5 Mbororo women and one focus group discussion. Discussions were recorded and voice notes were transcribed, coded and treated according to content and thematic with the aid of Atlas. Ti software. Results show that Mbororo pastoralists migrated into the region in the 1950s as nomadic herders and occupied marginal lands due to the nature of their activity. With climatic aberrations being acute, their closeness to nature permitted them to develop a wide array of knowledge and traditional practices to adapt and exploit existing opportunities. Semi-nomadic and transhumance methods of rearing, cross-breeding local species with high-breed species to produce resistant breeds of cattle, cultivating resistant pasture species, rotational grazing and using traditional medicines to treat cattle diseases have reduced resource degradation and curbed the effects of climatic aberrations. Nevertheless, these indigenous knowledge systems are eroding fast due to poor indigenous institutions and non-integration into policy. This work will reinforce capacities of decentralized communities in developing and implementing local adaptation plans on climate change.

The influence of partisan news on climate mitigation support: An investigation into the mediating role of perceived risk and efficacy.

Perceptions of efficacy play a central role in motivating people to engage in climate actions. However, there has been little investigation into how different climate efficacy beliefs are formed and how they may be associated with support for climate mitigation policies. This study, based on the motivated control framework, examines how risk perceptions may differentially be associated with four types of efficacy constructs (self-efficacy, personal outcome expectancy, collective efficacy, and collective outcome efficacy). It also places the motivated control framework in the context of the partisan information sphere and examines how exposure to partisan news may influence mitigation policy support through the mediators of risk perceptions and the efficacy constructs. Results suggest that liberal- and conservative-leaning news exposure, respectively, associate with higher and lower supports for policies. Overall, risk perception was a significant mediator, and the mediating function of efficacy varied depending on the specific construct being examined. For liberal news use, increased risk perceptions had a positive association with policy support through self-efficacy and collective outcome expectancy but also had an unexpected negative association with policy support through personal outcome expectancy and collective efficacy. For conservative news use, decreased risk perceptions resulted in further decreased beliefs of self-efficacy and collective outcome expectancy, resulting in lower levels of support for climate policies. We also find that political ideology is a significant moderator for the mediation model. Implications for climate change communication are discussed.

Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Influence Policies Addressing Climate Change

In this paper, the authors present the findings of an empirical case study examining the efficacy of the Games Realising Effective &amp; Affective Transformation (GREAT) Case Study design process. The process is underpinned by an established Mixed Methodological Research (MMR) framework for eliciting the preferences of gamers and determining their priorities in climate change policies. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, the GREAT Project examines the impact and affordances of games for social engagement. The project explores the innovative potential of games as new forms of dialogue between citizens and policy stakeholders. The games are used as tools for players to express their preferences and actively shape policy issues. We present the first case study on this approach, which is one of ten to be undertaken with various partners over the next two years to test and validate the methodology, investigate its potential, and present findings. In partnership with the popular PC &amp; Console game Smite, by the Hi Rez, game development studio. The study involved stakeholders’ participation in the co-creation of research questions, designed to influence the prioritisation of future climate policies. The activity was embedded the Smite game playing community via the Playmob platform in January 2024 and engaged over four thousand active players with a completed response rate of 58 %. Quantitative analysis of the data collected during this period will be presented by the authors. In summary, the engagement in and completion rates of the activity were high, validating the initial GREAT project approach. The methodological approach and the substantive data sets produced are of interest to any organisation considering engaging diverse groups active in gaming communities in the political process, including NGOs and policymakers. The project and methodology applied is at the core of this paper.

Utilities and the Future Grid

It is widely accepted among energy industry professionals that the industry is undergoing a significant and rapid transformation. There are increasing challenges facing the industry including extreme weather events, widespread aging of the electric grid infrastructure, rapidly increasing electricity demand, as well as the impact of climate change policy initiatives. This has spurred an innovation rebirth in an industry that has traditionally been viewed as outdated, and most importantly inaccessible for participation by average customers. However, as the challenges of the changing industry and effects of climate change are impacting their day‐to‐day lifestyles, energy customers are now demanding more visibility, choices, and flexibility from their energy providers, putting a spotlight on the roles and services of utility companies.

Issues of Climate Change in Nepal

This study discusses the multifaceted impacts of climate change on Nepal's environment, economy, and society. It highlights the country's vulnerability to climate-related challenges such as erratic weather patterns, glacial melting, and the resulting socio-economic consequences for its population. The document also outlines Nepal's efforts to address these challenges through policy frameworks like the National Climate Change Policy and the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of international cooperation, community-based adaptation initiatives, and the promotion of renewable energy as key strategies to build resilienceand mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in Nepal. The paper serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the complexities of climate change in Nepal and the various measures being implemented to safeguard the country's future. It provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners involved in climate action, emphasizing the need for a coordinated and multi-faceted approach to address the evolving impacts of climate change.

Narratives Behind Climate Strategy in Finland

The 2015 Paris Agreement (PA) represents a profound change in global climate governance becoming a blueprint for other governance arenas. However, the varying success of reaching the national climate targets, unstable security, and growing right-wing populism poses a question of which direction the EU climate policy is moving after ten years of PA. The success of this agreement depends heavily on the effectiveness of national climate change policies wherein political parties have a critical role in developing these policies while also impacting public attitudes on climate change. We use the case of Finnish climate strategy as a case of national climate strategy. We analyzed Finnish climate policy documents by using Ostrom’s IAD Framework and Multiple stream framework analysis to create the narratives behind the Finnish climate strategy. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework (IAD) is a conceptual tool that Ostrom and her colleagues developed to analyze and understand the complex interactions and dynamics within institutions that govern common-pool resources. Our research question is: What are the narratives behind the Finnish climate strategy? Key words: Climate strategy, narrative, IAD framework, Multiple stream analysis framework

A Literature-based Overview of Current Narratives on the Capacitation of Community Leaders in Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

In most many countries worldwide, community leaders (CLs) are expected to play an important role in mobilising and soliciting contributions from others for the proactive implementation of climate change adaptation strategies. Due to a lack of capacity at the local leadership level, several local-level climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives have not been effectively actioned with most of them frequently excluding local decision-makers, and key community stakeholders. Basing assessment on what is available in the literature, it is evident that there is urgent need for the scientific community to develop innovative strategies that facilitate the meaningful implementation of informed climate change policies. To successfully address the challenges of climate change, this paper posits that it is necessary for researchers, policy makers and planistrators must endeavour to explore and implement actionable local-level climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. The take-home message from this paper is that the time to act is now and refrain from doing so until it is too late to do so for tomorrow may never come. The likely implications for the benefits of proactive and effective community leaders are considered against this backdrop and insights from literature-based multi-level governance, participatory learning, action-oriented transformative leadership initiatives that were sourced from the literature.

Climate Change Awareness and Policy Implementation in Canberra

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the climate change awareness and policy implementation in Canberra. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study revealed that while there is a high level of public awareness and concern about climate change among residents, translating this awareness into effective policy action remains a challenge. The local government has implemented various policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability, but gaps persist in policy enforcement and public engagement. The findings suggest that stronger collaboration between policymakers, community stakeholders, and educational campaigns is needed to bridge the gap between awareness and actionable outcomes in combating climate change in Canberra. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social cognitive theory, framing theory &amp; the theory of planned behavior may be used to anchor future studies on climate change awareness and policy implementation in Canberra. Educational campaigns should incorporate interactive workshops, online resources, and community events that encourage participation and foster a deeper understanding of climate policies. Policymakers should allocate funding for climate education initiatives, ensuring that they are integrated into school curricula and community learning programs, thereby institutionalizing climate education.

Typology of Governance: Case Study of the Evolution of National Climate Change Policy

Typology of Governance: Case Study of the Evolution of National Climate Change Policy

Managing the decline of coal in a decarbonizing China

AbstractPressures to address climate change are eroding the privileged role coal has held in China throughout its modernization. Phasing down coal requires a suite of supply‐ and demand‐side tools to both reduce production (and therefore, maintain sufficiently high prices) and shift to coal alternatives across diverse consumption sectors. This review outlines contours of the coming coal transition by documenting coal's rise in modern China, its status in key debates of today's energy system, and the range of modeling scenarios of coal's future to mid‐century. In addition, through an analysis of current efforts and impacts in four transition policy areas—supply‐side, demand‐side, employment and social impacts, and stranded assets and fiscal revenues—it identifies gaps and future recommendations. Emerging scholarship on enhancing political feasibility and fostering a “just transition” needs to move beyond global cases and address highly localized and temporally bound impacts.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation &gt; Future of Global Energy Policy and Governance &gt; National Climate Change Policy