Global Crisis Research Articles

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cultural Tourism in the Republic of Kosovo: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Objective: This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector in Kosovo, aiming to identify challenges, assess recovery strategies, and propose measures for sustainable development. It highlights the role of culture in fostering resilience, well-being, and social cohesion during crises. Theoretical Framework: The research is based on theories of cultural resilience, creative economy, and crisis management. These frameworks provide insights into the cultural sector’s vulnerabilities and its potential as a driver for societal recovery and transformation. Method: A qualitative, exploratory approach was employed, utilizing direct surveys, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Data were gathered from stakeholders in the formal cultural sector and the independent cultural scene to evaluate their experiences and needs during the pandemic. A SWOT analysis further structured the findings. Results and Discussion: The study reveals significant financial, infrastructural, and operational challenges for the cultural sector during the pandemic, alongside a lack of institutional support. However, it also identifies opportunities for innovation, digitalization, and collaboration. These results are discussed within the context of the theoretical framework, with practical recommendations to address weaknesses and leverage strengths for recovery. Research Implications: The study emphasizes the urgency of targeted government support, enhanced public policies, and sustainable funding mechanisms to revitalize Kosovo’s cultural sector. It also highlights culture’s critical role in mental health, community resilience, and economic recovery. Originality/Value: By providing a comprehensive analysis of Kosovo’s cultural sector during a global crisis, this research offers practical recommendations and contributes to broader discussions on cultural resilience and sustainable development in similar contexts globally.

Liquid Metal Nanobiohybrids for High-Performance Solar-Driven Methanogenesis via Multi-Interface Engineering.

Nanobiohybrids for solar-driven methanogenesis present a promising solution to the global energy crisis. However, conventional semiconductor-based nanobiohybrids face challenges such as limited tunability and poor biocompatibility, leading to undesirable spontaneous electron and proton transfer that compromise their structural stability and CH4 selectivity. Herein, we introduced eutectic gallium-indium alloys (EGaIn), featuring a self-limiting surface oxide layer surrounding the liquid metal core after sonication, integrated with Methanosarcina barkeri (M. b). The well-designed M. b-EGaIn nanobiohybrids exhibited superior performance, achieving a maximum CH4 yield of 455.64 ± 15.99 μmol g-1, long-term stability across four successive 7-day cycles, and remarkable CH4 selectivity of >99%. These improvements stem from enhanced proton-coupled electron transfer involving hydrogen atoms at the core-shell interface, further facilitated by the elevated expression of hydrogenases at the abiotic-biotic interface. This study provides an insightful concept for nanobiohybrid design through multi-interface engineering, advancing sustainable and scalable CO2-to-biofuel conversion under ambient conditions.

Factors Impacting Undergraduate’s Satisfaction and Continuance Intention to Use Online Courses in Chengdu, China

Background and Aim: During the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the adoption of online education for college students uncovered various benefits and challenges, reflecting a distinct set of circumstances shaped by the global health crisis. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pivotal factors—including learning involvement, validation, informational quality, system excellence, service standard, and user contentment on the overall assessment, and affect college students' commitment to ongoing participation in online courses. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a quantitative approach, collecting data through questionnaires distributed among the targeted demographic. To validate the hypotheses and analyze the data, A variety of methods were utilized, including the Index of Item–item-objective congruence (IOC) assessment, a preliminary study, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The results indicated that every component—engagement, confirmation, information quality, system quality, service quality, and satisfaction—had a positive impact on students' intention to continue with online courses, either directly or through mediating variables. Remarkably, satisfaction emerged as the most influential factor driving the desire to continue using online educational platforms. Conclusion: To enhance college students' ongoing engagement with online courses, efforts should concentrate on elevating aspects such as learning engagement, confirmation, information quality, system quality, and service quality.

Gene pseudogenization in fertility-associated genes in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), a species with long-term low effective population size.

We are witnessing an ongoing global biodiversity crisis, and an increasing number of mammalian populations are at risk of decline. Species that have survived severe historic bottlenecks, such as the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) exhibit symptoms of inbreeding depression including reproductive and developmental defects. Although it has long been suggested that such defects stem from an accumulation of weakly deleterious mutations, the implications of such mutations leading to pseudogenization has not been assessed. Here, we use comparative analysis of eight felid genomes to better understand the impacts of deleterious mutations in the cheetah. We find novel pseudogenization events specific to the cheetah. Through careful curation, we identify 65 genes with previously unreported premature termination codons that likely affect gene function. With the addition of population data (n=6) we find 22 of these premature termination codons in at least one resequenced individual, four of which (DEFB116, ARL13A, CFAP119 and NT5DC4) are also found in a more recent reference genome. Mutations within three of these genes are linked with sterility, including azoospermia, which is common in cheetahs. Our results highlight the power of comparative genomic approaches for the discovery of novel causative variants in declining species.

Evolution of Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutics: From Conventional Drugs to Medicinal Plants, Immunotherapy, Microbiotherapy and Nanotherapy

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents an escalating global health crisis, constituting the leading cause of dementia among the elderly and profoundly impairing their quality of life. Current FDA-approved drugs, such as rivastigmine, donepezil, galantamine, and memantine, offer only modest symptomatic relief and are frequently associated with significant adverse effects. Faced with this challenge and in line with advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this neurodegenerative condition, various innovative therapeutic strategies have been explored. Here, we review novel approaches inspired by advanced knowledge of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. Among the therapeutic alternatives, immunotherapy stands out, employing monoclonal antibodies to specifically target and eliminate toxic proteins implicated in AD. Additionally, the use of medicinal plants is examined, as their synergistic effects among components may confer neuroprotective properties. The modulation of the gut microbiota is also addressed as a peripheral strategy that could influence neuroinflammatory and degenerative processes in the brain. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of emerging approaches, such as the use of microRNAs to regulate key cellular processes and nanotherapy, which enables precise drug delivery to the central nervous system, is analyzed. Despite promising advances in these strategies, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise. Therefore, it is proposed that achieving effective treatment in the future may require the integration of combined approaches, maximizing the synergistic effects of different therapeutic interventions.

Liquid Metal Nanobiohybrids for High‐Performance Solar‐Driven Methanogenesis via Multi‐Interface Engineering

Nanobiohybrids for solar‐driven methanogenesis present a promising solution to the global energy crisis. However, conventional semiconductor‐based nanobiohybrids face challenges such as limited tunability and poor biocompatibility, leading to undesirable spontaneous electron and proton transfer that compromise their structural stability and CH4 selectivity. Herein, we introduced eutectic gallium–indium alloys (EGaIn), featuring a self‐limiting surface oxide layer surrounding the liquid metal core after sonication, integrated with Methanosarcina barkeri (M. b). The well‐designed M. b–EGaIn nanobiohybrids exhibited superior performance, achieving a maximum CH4 yield of 455.64 ± 15.99 μmol g−1, long‐term stability across four successive 7‐day cycles, and remarkable CH4 selectivity of >99%. These improvements stem from enhanced proton‐coupled electron transfer involving hydrogen atoms at the core–shell interface, further facilitated by the elevated expression of hydrogenases at the abiotic–biotic interface. This study provides an insightful concept for nanobiohybrid design through multi‐interface engineering, advancing sustainable and scalable CO2‐to‐biofuel conversion under ambient conditions.

Examining the dynamics of plagiarism: a comparative analysis before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

This research explores the impact of the unforeseen global crisis on education and assessment practices, investigating plagiarism rates through a comprehensive analysis of 25,864 written assignments from 42 academic institutions in 2019, 2020, and 2023 before, during, and after crises, such as pandemics. Utilising the theory of planned behaviour comparing undergraduate plagiarism rates before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using an automated plagiarism detection tool (Originality). The comparison traverses academic fields, disciplines, institutional rankings, and written language assessments. Contextualising this phenomenon is crucial for a comprehensive understanding and targeted interventions against undesirable behaviour. The results show that before and after COVID-19, plagiarism rates were similar, while during COVID-19, plagiarism rates augmented. Furthermore, assignments written in English contained higher plagiarism rates than those in Arabic and Hebrew. We discuss post-pandemic plagiarism rates bounce-back in higher education on the one hand and concern about artificial intelligence writing tools on the other hand. We also discuss plagiarism among multilingual students. The study concludes with practical implications and suggestions for future research in the evolving landscape of academic integrity.

Global dissemination of the beta-lactam resistance gene blaTEM-1 among pathogenic bacteria.

Antibiotic resistance presents a burgeoning global health crisis, with over 70% of pathogenic bacteria now exhibiting resistance to at least one antibiotic. This study leverages a vast dataset of 618,853 pathogenic bacterial genomes from the NCBI pathogen detection database, offering comprehensive insights into antibiotic resistance patterns, species-specific profiles, and transmission dynamics of resistant pathogens. We centered our investigation on the beta-lactam resistance gene blaTEM-1, found in 43,339 genomes, revealing its extensive distribution across diverse species and isolation sources. The study unveiled the prevalence of 15 prominent antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including those conferring resistance to beta-lactam, aminoglycoside, and tetracycline antibiotics. Distinct resistance patterns were observed between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, indicating the influence of phylogeny on resistance dissemination. Notably, the blaTEM-1 gene demonstrated substantial prevalence across a wide array of bacterial species (8) and a high number of isolation sources (11). Genetic context analysis revealed associations between blaTEM-1 and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) like transposons and insertion sequences. Additionally, we observed recent horizontal transfer events involving clusters of blaTEM-1 genes and MGEs underscore the potential of MGEs in facilitating the mobilization of ARGs. Our findings underscore the importance of adopting a One Health approach to global genomic pathogen surveillance, aiming to uncover the transmission routes of ARGs and formulate strategies to address the escalating antibiotic resistance crisis.

The role of visuals in the perceptions of risk and of self-efficacy and the behaviors towards the pandemic of Covid-19

The Covid-19 has spread rapidly, becoming a global health crisis. In crises, especially in public health problems such as a pandemic, it is important to reach the target audience effectively. In this process, the use of visuals helps to convey risk messages effectively. To control the pandemic and prevent its spread, individuals’ risk perception, self-efficacy and behaviors towards the pandemic are of great importance. The aim of this study is to measure how the visuals those individuals are exposed to about the Covid-19 pandemic affect their perceived risk level and self-efficacy, and how these relationships direct their behavior towards the pandemic. For the implementation of the study, data were collected from 410 people working in public institutions, in Türkiye. Structural equation modeling, t-test and Anova techniques analyzed the data collected in the survey conducted in the survey model. According to the research results, gender and educational status significantly affect employees’ attention to visuals and risk perception. According to the results of the research model, the research factors affect each other positively. Individuals’ interest in visuals increases their perceived risk and self-efficacy perceptions. Perceived risk and self efficacy for the epidemic, on the other hand, affect their behavior towards the epidemic.

Leveraging digital connectivity for innovation performance: a fsQCA study on Chinese high-tech manufacturing firms

The digital connectivity view (DCV) represents a distinct strategic framework for understanding how firms leverage interconnected digital technologies to create sustainable competitive advantages in global markets. While digital connectivity promises enhanced innovation performance, organizations face significant challenges in effectively leveraging these capabilities, with outcomes remaining highly uneven across industries. This study examines how different configurations of digital connectivity elements and organizational capabilities drive innovation performance in manufacturing firms through an integrated theoretical framework combining dynamic capabilities theory and DCV. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 63 Chinese high-tech manufacturing firms, the research identifies multiple distinct pathways to high innovation performance. The findings reveal four key mechanisms that explain how firms effectively leverage digital connectivity, with digital-architecture resources playing a central role. Different capability configurations produce varying levels of radical and incremental innovation outcomes. The research advances innovation management literature by empirically validating configurational patterns, developing a novel theoretical framework bridging DCV with dynamic capabilities theory, and providing practical insights for manufacturing firms in emerging economies navigating global crises while maintaining innovation vitality.

ALC-0315 Lipid-Based mRNA LNP Induces Stronger Cellular Immune Responses Postvaccination.

At the end of 2019, SARS-CoV-2 emerged and rapidly spread, having a profound negative impact on human health and socioeconomic conditions. In response to this unprecedented global health crisis, significant advancements were made in the mRNA vaccine technology. In this study, we have compared the difference between two SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) mRNA-Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines prepared from two different ionizable cationic lipids: ALC-0315 and MC3. Characterization of RBD mRNA-LNPs showed that both MC3-LNP and ALC-0315-LNP are highly uniform and stable. Furthermore, we assessed the humoral immune response in mice after immunization; our findings indicated that both vaccine formulations effectively enhanced the formation and differentiation of germinal center (GC). Notably, the mice immunized with the ALC-0315-LNP vaccine elicited higher levels of IgG and its subclasses and significantly enhanced the activation of dendritic cells and T cells in draining lymph nodes (dLNs) compared to those immunized with the MC3-LNP vaccine. Further analysis of the T cell phenotype after splenic restimulation showed that mice injected with both LNP mRNA vaccines had significantly increased activation of the splenic T cells and Th1-type cytokine production. In addition, our finding showed that both LNP mRNA vaccines significantly increased the proportions of follicular helper T cells (Tfh) and long-lasting plasma cells in the dLNs of mice on day 14 postimmunization compared to control. In conclusion, both ALC-0315 and MC3 exhibited good stability and immunogenicity as mRNA-LNP recipes, but the ALC-0315-based mRNA-LNP vaccine showed higher efficacy in humoral and cellular immune responses compared to MC3.

Review Essay: Postanthropocentric Political Theories

At least since Aristotle defined human beings as “political animals,” politics in the Western tradition has largely been defined in anthropocentric terms. Politics was a realm of distinctively human endeavors, while nonhuman nature remained outside. Nature might impinge on or set limits to political action, but was conceived as constitutively outside of politics. However else nonhuman entities might engage with humans or each other, these relations or engagements were not understood as political. Until quite recently, Western political theory was decidedly anthropocentric. The rise of environmental problematics, and particularly the political salience of the global climate crisis, however, have made the idea of a constitutive separation between (nonhuman) nature and (human) politics less tenable. Not only the material manipulation of the nonhuman world, but also its conceptual framing, are increasingly understood as political projects.1 At the same time, Western political thought has become increasingly open to non-Western cosmologies that do not posit a rigid divide between human and non- (or more-than-) human worlds. Environmental (or green) political theory has become an increasingly robust subdiscipline,2 and political theory, like a number of other humanities disciplines, has undergone an “animal turn.”3 Three of the four recent books under consideration form part of this latter animal turn while Sharon Krause’s Eco-Emancipation is firmly situated in the field of environmental political theory.

Trends in Pediatric Procedural Cancellations Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant, widespread impacts on surgical care for pediatric patients.1-3 As key agencies recommended delaying non-urgent cases after declaration of the pandemic, pre-hospital procedure cancellations became common.4 Expectedly, peak waves of COVID-19 infections were associated with a decrease in overall surgical volume.1,3 While most cancellations occurred prior to scheduled procedure date, same day procedure cancellations (SDCs) persisted. These SDCs affected children whose time-sensitive care was intentionally sanctioned despite the global health crisis; procedure cancellations, especially those same day, are likewise known to represent significant financial, emotional and employment burdens on patient families.5,6 Understanding that a sustained increase in SDCs would magnify these negative effects on patients and families, we sought to describe the impact of COVID-19 on SDC incidence, with a focus on SDCs due to acute illness, in pediatric patients during the pre-pandemic, early, and late waves at an urban, tertiary children’s hospital.

Effect of Kinases in Extracellular Vesicles from HIV-1-Infected Cells on Bystander Cells

As of 2023, there were 39.9 million people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1). Although great strides have been made in treatment options for HIV-1, and our understanding of the HIV-1 life cycle has vastly improved since the start of this global health crisis, a functional cure remains elusive. One of the main barriers to a cure is latency, which allows the virus to persist despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Recently, we have found that exosomes, which are small, membrane-enclosed particles released by virtually all cell types and known to mediate intercellular communication, caused an increase in RNA Polymerase II loading onto the HIV-1 promoter. This resulted in the production of both short- and long-length viral transcripts in infected cells under cART. This current study examines the effects of exosome-associated kinases on bystander cells. The phospho-kinase profiling of exosomes revealed differences in the kinase payload of exosomes derived from uninfected and HIV-1-infected cells, with CDK10, GSK3β, and MAPK8 having the largest concentration differences. These kinases were shown to be biologically active and capable of phosphorylating substrates, and they modulated changes in the cell cycle dynamics of exposed cells. Given the relevance of such effects for the immune response, our results implicate exosome-associated kinases as new possible key contributors to HIV-1 pathogenesis that affect bystander cells. These findings may guide new therapeutic avenues to improve the current antiretroviral treatment regimens.

Optimal allocation of antenatal and young child nutrition interventions: an individual-based global burden of disease calibrated microsimulation

BackgroundUndernutrition remains a global crisis and is a focus of Sustainable Development Goals. While there are multiple known, effective interventions, complex interactions between prevention and treatment and resource constraints can lead to difficulties in allocating funding. Simulation studies that use in silico simulation can help illuminate the interactions between interventions and provide insight into the cost-effectiveness of alternative packages of options.MethodsWe developed an individual-based microsimulation model based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study data to test a range of nutrition interventions, including antenatal interventions (iron and folic acid, multiple micronutrients, and balanced energy protein supplementation) and child interventions (treatment for severe acute malnutrition, treatment for moderate acute malnutrition, and wasting prevention with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements). We also developed an analytic approach to process the results of the microsimulation and identify the optimal intervention funding allocation for a given budget size. We use Ethiopia as an example in this paper.ResultsIn our illustrative example of Ethiopia, the reallocation of the baseline budget to minimize disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) resulted in first funding the antenatal multiple micronutrients to their maximum coverage and then funding treatment for severe child acute malnutrition. Relative to the baseline allocation, the reallocation optimized to minimizing DALYs resulted in 592,000 fewer annual DALYs, constituting an 8.3% reduction in total DALYs in Ethiopia.For budgets larger than the baseline, our model recommended funding first targeted moderate acute malnutrition treatment, second universal moderate acute malnutrition treatment, third wasting prevention with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements, and fourth balanced energy protein supplementation.ConclusionsOur simulation is a novel model for estimating optimal allocation of spending on antenatal and child health nutrition interventions which accounts for the interaction between preventive and therapeutic approaches. Our illustrative results show that an optimized reallocation of current spending can substantially improve pregnancy-related and child health without additional funding. We hope this model can add validity and confidence to prior results to aid stakeholders in funding decisions.

Deep eutectic solvent enhances antibacterial activity of a modular lytic enzyme against Acinetobacter baumannii

In this study, we evaluated the combined effect between MLE-15, a modular lytic enzyme composed of four building blocks, and reline, a natural deep eutectic solvent. The bioinformatic analysis allowed us to determine the spatial architecture of MLE-15, whose components were bactericidal peptide cecropin A connected via a flexible linker to the cell wall binding domain (CBD) of mesophilic 201ϕ2 − 1 endolysin and catalytic domain (EAD) of highly thermostable Ph2119 endolysin. The modular enzyme showed high thermostability with the melting temperature of 93.97 ± 0.38 °C, significantly higher than their natural counterparts derived from mesophilic sources. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of MLE-15 was 100 µg/mL for a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while the MIC of reline ranged from 6.25 to 25% v/v for the same strains. The addition of reline effectively reduced the MIC of MLE-15 from 100 µg/mL to 3.15–50 µg/mL. This combination displayed additive effects for most strains and synergism for extensively antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Bacillus subtilis. The subsequent evaluation revealed that MLE-15 eliminated planktonic cells of A. baumannii RUH134, but was ineffective against matured biofilms. However, combined with reline, MLE-15 reduced the bacterial load in the matured biofilm by 1.39 log units. Confocal fluorescence microscopy indicated that reline damaged the structure of the biofilm, allowing MLE-15 to penetrate it. Additionally, MLE-15 and its combination with reline eradicated meropenem-persistent cells of A. baumannii RUH134. Effectiveness in lowering the MIC value of MLE-15 as well as protection against antibiotic-tolerant persister cells, indicate that MLE-15 and reline combination is a promising candidate for effective therapies in bacterial infections, which is especially important in the light of the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance.

Secondary School Learning Management Model for Shanxi, China After Covid-19

The COVID-19 pandemic instigated a global educational crisis, compelling an abrupt transition from traditional in-person instruction to emergency remote teaching. This sudden shift underscored the need for robust learning management models capable of navigating unprecedented disruptions. The objectives of this research were to ascertain the needs and recommendations for designing a post-COVID-19 learning management model for secondary schools in Shanxi Province, and to develop and evaluate the model. We conducted the research in three phases, the initial investigation using survey and interview techniques, the construction and revision of the model by focus-group meeting, and the evaluation of the model by stakeholders. The statistics were used. The findings of the first phase provided the needs of the model and recommendations for its design. We called the learning management model derived from this research the ILAR Model, which included the three elements of Investigation (I), Learning Action (LA), and Reflection (R). The investigation provided student backgrounds for lesson planning; learning action consisted of learning roles, learning resources, and learning activities; and reflection included learning evaluation and learning feedback. The model evaluation revealed the highest quality in all aspects: appropriateness, feasibility, and effectiveness.

Obesity-Related Chronic Kidney Disease: From Diagnosis to Treatment

Obesity has emerged as a global epidemic with far-reaching health complications, including its role as an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Increasing evidence suggests that obesity contributes to CKD through multiple mechanisms, including chronic inflammation, hemodynamic alterations, insulin resistance, and lipid accumulation. These processes can culminate in histopathological changes collectively referred to as obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the prevalence, clinical manifestations, and pathophysiology of ORG. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of identifying key biomarkers that facilitate the early detection of ORG. Finally, we explore emerging therapeutic strategies that offer promise in mitigating this growing global health crisis.

The effects of deprivation, age, and regional differences in COVID-19 mortality from 2020 to 2022: a retrospective analysis of public provincial data

BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) quickly spread around the world after its initial identification in Wuhan, China in 2019 and became a global public health crisis. COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths as important disease outcomes have been investigated by many studies while less attention has been given to the relationship between these two outcomes at a public health unit level. In this study, we aim to establish the relationship of counts of deaths and hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 over time across 34 public health units in Ontario, Canada, taking demographic, geographic, socio-economic, and vaccination variables into account.MethodsWe analyzed daily data of the 34 health units in Ontario between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022. Associations between numbers of COVID-19 related deaths and hospitalizations were explored over three subperiods according to the availability of vaccines and the dominance of the Omicron variant in Ontario. A generalized additive model (GAM) was fit in each subperiod. Heterogeneity across public health units was formulated via a random intercept in each of the models.ResultsMean daily COVID-19 deaths increased quickly as daily hospitalizations increased, particularly when daily hospitalizations were less than 20. In all the subperiods, mean daily deaths of a public health unit was significantly associated with its population size and the proportion of confirmed cases in subjects over 60 years old. The proportion of fully vaccinated (2 doses of primary series) people in the 60 + age group was a significant factor after the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. The deprivation index, a measure of poverty, had a significantly positive effect on COVID-19 mortality after the dominance of the Omicron variant in Ontario. Quantification of these effects was provided, including effects related to public health units.ConclusionsThe differences in COVID-19 mortality across health units decreased over time, after adjustment for other covariates. In the last subperiod when most public health protections were released and the Omicron variant dominated, the least advantaged group might suffer higher COVID-19 mortality. Interventions such as paid sick days and cleaner indoor air should be made available to counter lifting of health protections.

Bottom-up perspectives on “climate adaptation” from “vulnerable” coastal communities: a political ecology perspective from Taiwan

ABSTRACT The global climate crisis severely affects coastal communities worldwide. Not only do coastal communities have to cope with the effects of the climate crisis, such as sea-level rise, increased flooding, changing weather patterns, droughts and increased salinisation, they also have to cope with other non-climate related shocks and stresses. Many studies often focus on the “climate adaptation” processes of these “vulnerable” communities in linear and cause-and-effects ways. This study approaches the concept of climate adaptation and vulnerability from a political ecology perspective in the context of coastal Taiwan – a region heavily affected by climate change. Through in-depth interviews, this study argues that households have developed various strategies to adapt not only to environmental changes (e.g. increased cold spells and flooding) but also to top-down flood hazard mitigation planning and infrastructure, changing demographics, and encroaching solar panel companies (for the “greater good of the nation”). Furthermore, decisions made in the past have a direct impact today, such as land subsidence due to the massive shift towards aquaculture several decades ago. These factors showcase how adaptation and vulnerability are relational concepts being coshaped by both structural determinants, such as political economy and power relations, and micro-level factors, such as personal aspirations and people’s life courses.