Weather Experiences Research Articles

Experiences of heat stress while homeless on hot summer days in Adelaide

Historically, heat waves have resulted in more Australian deaths than any other natural hazard and continue to present challenges to the health and emergency management sectors. While people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of heat waves, little research has been reported about their hot weather experiences. This paper reports findings from interviews with 48 homeless people sleeping rough in Adelaide CBD on very hot days. While the majority reported drinking a litre or more of water in the previous 24 hours, 79% reported experiencing one or more heat stress symptoms. The research highlights that the protective actions people sleeping rough can take during hot weather are limited by their circumstances and may not be sufficient to prevent dehydration and heat stress. The levels of dehydration and heat stress symptoms suggest that immediate responses could include making drinking water more readily available. It may be helpful to provide information which highlights heat stress symptoms including indicators of dehydration. The role of outreach in providing connections, support and advice is most likely to ameliorate the risk of heat stress. However, the long-term response to protect people from heat stress is access to housing.

When’s a Gale a Gale? Understanding Wind as an Energetic Force in Mid-Twentieth Century Britain

Abstract After the Second World War, the British state became interested in the potential of wind as an energy source. Over a period of twenty years, from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, scientific and non-scientific communities surveyed airspaces and landscapes to produce the first national wind survey of Britain. This work informed the development and siting of the first wind turbine connected to public electricity supply, in Orkney, Scotland, in 1951. Meteorologists, physicists, and engineers developed ways of “reading” the wind that used highly localized geographies and topographies, and the skills of local people, to accrue data and map the wind regime. Though conducted at a national scale, the research emphasized that the nature of wind—how it behaved, how it was experienced, and how it could be harnessed—was best understood at a local scale. While science focused on wind’s productive potential, Orkney islanders remained attentive to wind’s destructive powers and used turbine-generated wind data to support place-based identities forged, in part, through weather experience.

Temperature emergence at decision-relevant scales

Signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios are a useful method to assess the significance of future climate change relative to past experiences. Most assessments of climate change emergence have focused on S/N ratios of annual mean temperatures. However, averaging the daily experiences of weather across space or time removes the climate variability actually felt by individuals, and thus presents a less informative view of the speed of current climate change. For example, S/N ratios of annual-mean temperatures experienced by the global population after only 1 °C of warming are larger than emergent changes in daily temperatures after 3 °C of warming, and generally four times more significant when comparing the same warming threshold. Here, I examine the emergence of S/N ratios in temperature at decision-relevant scales, with a focus on daily temperatures where people live. I find that 2 °C of global warming will lead to between 30% and >90% of the global population experiencing the emergence of unusual daily temperatures (>1σ), while it is very unlikely (90% confidence) that more than 60% of the global population will also experience the emergence of unfamiliar daily temperatures (>2σ).

Extreme weather and ratings on corporate climate mitigation policies

AbstractThis study examines whether the extreme weather events (EWEs) incurred at the headquarters of firms have an impact on their climate mitigation policies. I show that, controlling for county fixed effects, the annual number of EWEs at the headquarter counties of the largest public firms in the US significantly improves the subsequent ratings of their climate mitigation policies, with recent EWEs having a more pronounced impact. I also find that the EWEs at the neighboring counties do not have a similar effect, and provide some evidence that the impact of EWEs on climate ratings is stronger for weakly governed firms, and that some EWEs positively affect the likelihood of utility firms’ expressing a concern for climate risk through their SEC filings. These results support the idea that personal weather experiences can influence managerial belief in anthropogenic climate change which in turn affects corporate climate mitigation policies.

Editorial introduction

References Alcock, I., White, M.P., Taylor, T., Coldwell, D.F., Gribble, M.O., Evans, K.L., Corner, A., Vardoulakis, S. and Fleming, L.E., 2017. ‘Green’ on the ground but not in the air: Pro-environmental attitudes are related to household behaviours but not discretionary air travel. Global Environmental Change, 42, pp.136–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.11.005 Broomell, S.B., et al., 2015. Personal experience with climate change predicts intentions to act. Global Environmental Change, 32, pp.67–73. Carson, R., 1962. Silent spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Demski, C., et al., 2017. Experience of extreme weather affects climate change mitigation and adaptation responses. Climatic Change, 140, pp.149–164. Feeney, J., 2019. Hunter-gatherer land management in the human break from ecological sustainability. The Anthropocene Review, 6(3), pp.223–242. Giddens, A., 1984. The constitution of society. Cambridge: Polity Press. Marx, K., 1959 [1894] Capital: Volume three. London: Lawrence and Wishart. Schneider-Mayerson, M. and Leong, K.L., 2020. Eco-reproductive concerns in the age of climate change. Climatic Change, 163, pp.1007–1023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02923-y Smith, M. 2019. Concern for the environment at record highs. YouGov. [online] Available at: <https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/06/05/concern-environment-record-highs> [Accessed 14 December 2020]. Spence, A., et al., 2011. Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience. Nature Climate Change, [e-journal] https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1059. Tucker, C.K., 2019. A planet of 3 billion. Washington, DC: Atlas Observatory Press. Vollset, S.E., Goren, E., Yuan, C.-W., Cao, J., et al., 2020. Fertility, mortality, migration, and population scenarios for 195 countries and territories from 2017 to 2100: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet, 396(10258), pp.1285–1306. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30677-2

Local Weather Effects: Perception of Climate Change and Public Support for Government Intervention

ObjectiveThis article examines how people's lived experience of local weather might influence climate policy preferences in the presence of strong partisan bias.MethodsUsing a comprehensive dataset combining four‐wave panel survey responses from U.S. residents over three years with geocoded data on their local weather experience, we evaluate the impacts of local weather variations on beliefs about climate change, risk perceptions of climate change, and climate policy preferences. The panel structure of our data allows us to causally identify how one's actual experience of weather modifies climate change opinions over time.ResultsWe find that both long‐ and short‐term unusual local weather experiences change individuals' climate change opinions and preferences on climate change policy.ConclusionOne's lived experience alters beliefs in climate change, risk perceptions of climate change, and preferences for government climate policy even in the context of strong partisan bias.

Weathering Climate Change in Archaeology: Conceptual Challenges and an East African Case Study

Research on the social dimensions of climate change is increasingly focused on people's experiences, values and relations to the environment as a means to understand how people interpret and adapt to changes. However, a particular challenge has been making seemingly temporally and geographically distant climate change more immediate and local so as to prompt behavioural change. Environmental humanists, anthropologists and historians have tried to address the challenge through analysis of the experiences, philosophies and memories of weather. Archaeology, commonly preoccupied by hard science approaches to climate change, has largely been absent from this conversation. Nevertheless, with its insights into material outcomes of human experiences and relations, it can become integral to the discussion of ‘weathering’ climate change and historicizing weather. Here, drawing on the subtleties of responses by Ilchamus communities in Kenya and using a mix of historical and archaeological sources, we highlight their experiences of weather since the end of the Little Ice Age and explore the potential of building archaeologies of weather.

The Sea Will Rise, Barbuda Will Survive: Environment and Time Consciousness

In this article, we examine the link between environmental consciousnesses and time consciousness. We argue that the way people think about time shapes their experience of climate change threats. We contrast western hegemonic concepts of time—the Gregorian Calendar, the Dooms Day Clock, linear time—with the way Barbudans of Antigua and Barbuda, an island nation in the Caribbean experience time—cyclical, through boom and bust cycles. We found that this boom and bust framework was indeed supported by climate change and weather experiences on the island—hurricanes, droughts, changes in the lagoons—as well as economic experiences—cargo boat delays bringing supplies, paycheck delays. By understanding local explanatory models of time, especially those that contrast to western climate science frameworks of time, better solution-driven work can be achieved in the face of climate change realities.

Adult Age Differences in Coping Strategies After the 2016 Flood

The 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had a devastating impact on south Louisiana, as did the more recent flooding in 2016. Multiple disaster exposures are associated with distress which may be lessened through adaptive coping behaviors, although prior disaster losses may affect current coping responses. In this study, we assessed self-reported coping strategies, resilience, and mental health outcomes after the 2016 flood. The sample was comprised of mostly middle-aged and older adults (N = 223, age range: 18-89 years). Three groups were compared: (1) non-flooded adults as controls, (2) once-flooded adults with structural damage to homes and property in 2016, and (3) twice-flooded adults who had relocated to Baton Rouge because of catastrophic losses in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and they experienced damage in the 2016 flood. Analyses of variance confirmed that the three groups differed in coping responses, with non-flooded controls using significantly fewer strategies than their once and twice flooded counterparts. Correlation analyses demonstrated that age was positively associated with adaptive forms of coping (acceptance, religiosity) and negatively correlated with maladaptive coping (self-blame). These data suggest that awareness of prior severe weather experiences and catastrophic losses, which are likely for older adults living in hurricane prone areas, are an important consideration for disaster planning and the development of age-sensitive interventions to mitigate adversity.

Weather-related influences on rural-to-urban migration: A spectrum of attribution in Beira, Mozambique

This article investigates the pathways linking environmental and economic drivers of rural-to-urban migration in Mozambique. Using examples from two rural-to-urban migrant communities located in the coastal city of Beira, we build on a generalizable migration framework (Black et al., 2011) in order to explore how perception and lived experience influence migration decision-making in contexts of environmental stress. We combine content analysis and descriptive statistics of semi-structured interview and household survey data. Using a decision-tree diagram to trace pathways linking experiences of adverse weather to migration, we evaluate the relative strength with which respondents attribute migration to weather-related factors. Qualitative findings reveal that (1) the weather’s influence on migration falls on a spectrum of attribution, (2) while few migrants directly link their migration to weather-related factors, the overwhelming majority link weather to worsening economic conditions in origin areas, and (3) migrants reject the label of climate migrant, and maintain that migrating from rural areas is primarily an economic decision. Results indicate that people would stay in rural areas, regardless of extreme weather, if resilient economic livelihoods existed.

Preparing to adapt: are public expectations in line with climate projections?

In this study, we compare expressed public expectations of future climate with climate projections. Along with identifying general trends, we examine how demographic and ideological factors, as well as past weather experience, may affect these expectations individuals express. Through our analysis of a state-wide survey of Oklahomans in 2019, we find that Oklahomans, on average, expect a cooler, wetter future than most climate projections suggest. One’s future temperature expectations were significantly related to gender, age, political affiliation, and perceptions about recent temperatures. In particular, females, Democrats, Millennials, and those who thought the past 3 years were hotter than average were more likely to expect warmer futures. Meanwhile, precipitation expectations were significantly related to one’s recent drought and extreme rainfall experience, age, and race. Our results also suggest that expressed expectations of future temperatures are more likely to be influenced by ideological and demographic variables than expectations of future precipitation.

How weather experiences strengthen climate opinions in Europe

Previous research has shown that we believe more in the reality of climate change when we experience warmer-than-usual temperatures. This reflects a psychological process in which easily accessible information from personal weather experiences is used as a heuristic to form climate opinions. This paper replicates and extends upon a research design and results of Egan and Mullin to provide the first systematic European study of the Local Warming Effect. Based on data from 12 European countries, the analysis shows that when objective temperatures increase by two standard deviations (5 °C) relative to normal temperatures, climate opinions are strengthened by around 0.5–1.0 percentage points – comparable to the effect of a full step to the left on a 0–10 political ideology scale.

”Juhannuksena sää saattaa olla lämmin”

Ilmasto konkretisoituu ihmisten arkeen sään kautta; ilmaston merkitys välittyy sään kokemisessa ja säälle annetuissa paikallisissa merkityksissä. Näin sään ja sille annettujen kulttuuristen merkitysten tutkiminen tuo arvokkaan lisän ilmastonmuutoksen arkisten seurausten hahmottamisessa ja voi auttaa ymmärtämään erilaisia ilmastonmuutosnäkemyksiä ja näistä juontuvia ilmastopolitiikan konflikteja. Tämän vuoksi kiinnostus arkisten sääkokemusten tutkimukseen on kasvanut viime vuosina. Artikkeli tarjoaa katsauksen tähän kansainvälisesti kehittyvään kulttuurisen ilmastotutkimuksen kenttään, sekä tarkastelee empiirisesti sään kulttuurisia merkityksiä Suomessa sanomalehtiaineiston avulla. Empiirinen analyysi pohjaa sääuutisointiin erikoisena säävuonna 2018 kahdessa sanomalehdessä: Helsingin Sanomissa ja Maaseudun Tulevaisuudessa. Sääuutisoinnista nostetaan esiin kolme keskeistä piirrettä: kesän sään merkityksellisyys, sään epätavallisuuden ja ongelmallisuuden korostaminen sekä sääpuheen kontekstisidonnaisuus. Ilmastonmuutoksen näkökulmasta tutkimus tarjoaa eväitä sopeutumistarpeiden paremmalle ymmärtämiselle.

Talking about the Weather. Roland Barthes on Climate, Everydayness, the Feeling of Being, and Poetics

The paper reads Rolands Barthes’ considerations on weather and climate in his last lecture cycle La Préparation du Roman by contextualizing its brief remarks with his previous discussions on this topic. Barthes develops a phenomenological concept of climate, showing how experiences of place across the seasons shape certain habits. These manifest in expectations, perceptions, daily routines, and language. However, his particular interest is devoted to the question of how an existential experience of weather in its contingency can be regained. Furthermore, he investigates how poetry tries to capture the uniqueness and singularity of respective weather appearances against the patterns and narratives of the climate sedimented in the language system.

Climate, weather and society in Ireland in the long eighteenth century: the experience of the later phases of the Little Ice Age

This paper aspires to map the climate and weather experience of the population of Ireland during the later phases of the Little Ice Age (LIA). Comprising four sections, it begins with an examination of the impact of the Late Maunder Minimum spanning the challenging 1690s—the coldest decade of the LIA—and the amelioration in temperature that was a feature of the early decades of the eighteenth century. Though Ireland was not as severely impacted as other parts of western Europe at this time, the population experienced its share of weather-induced crises—severe cold, serious flooding, high winds and, on occasion, drought—accounts of which can be found in contemporary weather diaries and newspapers. Weather-induced harvest crises posed a still more formidable challenge, and part two of the paper seeks, by correlating these events with volcanic forcing, both to identify those episodes that can be ascribed to specific volcanic events, and to make a case for the inclusion of larger environmental forces in the historic reconstruction of the island's climate. Volcanic forcing is most readily illustrated in the case of the major Lakagígar eruption (1783–4), but the temporal correlations that can be drawn with famines and subsistence crises in 1740–41, 1755–6, 1766 and 1815 suggests that it was a more persistent factor. The population was insufficiently informed to make such connections, of course, and parts three and four of the paper focus on the impact of extreme weather events on people and on identifying how economic growth and the improvement to the kingdom's infrastructure enhanced their capacity to negotiate climatic and weather induced crisis into the early nineteenth century when, following a phase of reduced temperature—the so-called Dalton Minimum c. 1795–1825—the LIA can be said to have concluded.

Climate, weather and society in Ireland in the long eighteenth century: the experience of the later phases of the Little Ice Age

This paper aspires to map the climate and weather experience of the population of Ireland during the later phases of the Little Ice Age (LIA). Comprising four sections, it begins with an examination of the impact of the Late Maunder Minimum spanning the challenging 1690s—the coldest decade of the LIA—and the amelioration in temperature that was a feature of the early decades of the eighteenth century. Though Ireland was not as severely impacted as other parts of western Europe at this time, the population experienced its share of weather-induced crises—severe cold, serious flooding, high winds and, on occasion, drought—accounts of which can be found in contemporary weather diaries and newspapers. Weather-induced harvest crises posed a still more formidable challenge, and part two of the paper seeks, by correlating these events with volcanic forcing, both to identify those episodes that can be ascribed to specific volcanic events, and to make a case for the inclusion of larger environmental forces in the historic reconstruction of the island's climate. Volcanic forcing is most readily illustrated in the case of the major Lakagígar eruption (1783–4), but the temporal correlations that can be drawn with famines and subsistence crises in 1740–41, 1755–6, 1766 and 1815 suggests that it was a more persistent factor. The population was insufficiently informed to make such connections, of course, and parts three and four of the paper focus on the impact of extreme weather events on people and on identifying how economic growth and the improvement to the kingdom's infrastructure enhanced their capacity to negotiate climatic and weather induced crisis into the early nineteenth century when, following a phase of reduced temperature—the so-called Dalton Minimum c. 1795–1825—the LIA can be said to have concluded.

Editorial introduction – Special Issue: Biodiversity

References Broomell, S.B., et al., 2015. Personal experience with climate change predicts intentions to act. Global Environmental Change, 32 pp.67–73. Carson, R., 1962. Silent spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Demski, C., et al., 2017. Experience of extreme weather affects climate change mitigation and adaptation responses. Climatic Change, 140, pp.149–164. European Commission, 2015. Special Eurobarometer 436: attitudes of Europeans towards biodiversity. [pdf] European Commission. Available at: <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eurobarometers_en.htm> [Accessed 20 March 2019]. Ehrlich, P. R., & Ehrlich, A. H. 2012. Solving the human predicament. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 69(4), pp.557–565. Fisher, S. Fitzgerald, R., Poortinga, W., 2018. Climate change. Social divisions in beliefs and behaviour. In: D. Phillips, J. Curtice, M. Phillips, and J. Perry, eds. 2018. British social attitudes 35. London: The National Centre for Social Research. pp.146-171. Gell, F. 2019. The Blue Planet effect: the plastics revolution is just the start. The Guardian, [online] 25 March. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/25/plastics-revolution-marine-life> [Accessed 27 November 2019]. Godfray, H.C.J., et al., 2018. Meat consumption, health, and the environment. Science, [e-journal] Vol. 361, Issue 6399, eaam5324 DOI: 10.1126/science.aam5324. Henderson, L., 2019. Sociological perspectives on plastic pollution. British Sociological Association. [online] Available at: <https://www.britsoc.co.uk/about/latest-news/2019/march/sociological-perspectives-on-plastic-pollution/> [Accessed 27 November 2019]. Hill, L., 2019. Aviation Index 2019 -public attitudes towards aviation in the UK. Paris: IPSOS Mori. [online] Available at: <https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/aviation-index-2019-public-attitudes-towards-aviation-uk> [Accessed 27 November 2019]. IPBES, 2019. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. [pdf] Bonn: IPBES secretariat. Available at: <https://ipbes.net/system/tdf/ipbes_7_10_add.1_en_1.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=35329> [Accessed 17 November 2019]. IPSOS, 2018. Global views on the environment – 2018. [pdf]Paris: IPSOS. Available at: <https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/Global_Views_on_the_Environment.pdf> [Accessed 25 November 2019]. Kahn, M. and Kotchen, M., 2011. Business cycle effects on concern about climate change: the chilling effect of recession. Climate Change Economics, Vol. 2, No. 3 pp.257–273. Legagneux, P., et al., 2018. Our house is burning: discrepancy in climate change vs. biodiversity coverage in the media as compared to scientific literature. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, [e-journal] 5:175. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2017.00175. Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J. and Behrens, W.W., 1972. The limits to growth. Washington DC: Universe Books. McCarthy, J. 2019. Climate change concerns higher in the northeast, west U.S. Gallup [online] Available at: <https://news.gallup.com/poll/248963/climatechange-concerns-higher-northeast-west.aspx> [Accessed 25 November 2019]. Naess, A., 1973. The shallow and the deep long-range ecology movements: a summary. Enquiry, 16, pp.95-100. Ritchie, H. and Roser, M., 2017. Meat and dairy production. Our World in Data. [online] Available at: <https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production> [Accessed, 21 November 2019]. Scruggs, L. and Benegal, S., 2012. Declining public concern about climate change: can we blame the great recession? Global Environmental Change, 22, pp.505–515. Smith, M. 2019. Concern for the environment at record highs. YouGov. [online] Available at: <https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/06/05/concern-environment-record-highs> [Accessed 25 November 2019]. Spence, A., et al., 2011. Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience. Nature Climate Change, [e-journal] https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1059. Veríssimo, D. et al., 2014. Has climate change taken prominence over biodiversity conservation? BioScience 64, pp.625–629. WHO, ND. Global and regional food consumption patterns and trends: 3.4 Availability and changes in consumption of animal products. https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/3_foodconsumption/en/index4.html.

Preflight Weather Decision Support Tool (PWDST): User-Centered Design Process and Usability Validation

General Aviation flight operations have been negatively affected by the slow decreasing weather related accident rate for the last 20 years. Upon further investigation, research suggests, that poor preflight planning and a lack of aviation weather experience and knowledge may be contributing factors to the stagnant weather related accident rate. Our team developed a Preflight Weather Decision Support Tool (PWDST) to help novice pilots access, interpret, and apply weather information. We used a user-centered design process which involved an initial task analysis, low-fidelity prototyping, low-fidelity usability testing, user interviews and expert review. This study assessed and compared the perceived usability, difficulty, and the system assistance satisfaction of the PWDST. Participants (n=9) completed a usability study and a series of surveys during, as well as, after the completion of the preflight planning scenario. A series of Mann-Whitney U Tests were conducted to compare the difference between Private Pilot and Certified Flight Instructors (CFI) perceived usability, difficulty, and system assistance satisfaction ratings. Results indicated, there were no significant differences between group ratings. Overall, both groups reported above average usability, system assistance and low difficulty rating for the PWDST. Future research and possible implications are discussed.

Personal harm and support for climate change mitigation policies: Evidence from 10 U.S. communities impacted by extreme weather

A growing body of research examines the role of extreme weather experience—as one of the most personal, visceral (and increasingly frequent and severe) impacts of climate change—in shaping views on climate change. A remaining question is whether the experience of an extreme weather event increases climate change concern via experiential learning or reinforces existing views via motivated reasoning. Building on this work, we explore the relationship between personal experience and climate change policy preferences using surveys in 10 communities that experienced extreme weather events (3 tornadoes, 3 floods, 2 wildfires, 1 hurricane and 1 landslide). We find that self-reported personal harm aligns with objective measures of event impacts and that personal harm (i.e., experience) is associated with higher levels of policy support. However, we do not find that objective measures of event impacts are related to policy support. Though political ideology (i.e., motivated reasoning) dominates our model of policy support in predictable ways, personal harm moderates this relationship suggesting that conservatives reporting higher levels of personal harm from the event are, on average, more likely to express support for climate policy than those reporting lower levels of harm. We postulate that while extreme weather events may serve as teachable moments on climate change, their lessons may only reach conservatives who feel personally harmed, even in the communities most affected.

Recency effects and participation at the extensive and intensive margins in the U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program

Participation in the U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) has increased over time at both extensive (insured acres) and intensive (coverage level) margins, but there are clear spatio-temporal variations in these trends. Farmers’ decisions are likely influenced by recent indemnity or weather experiences (i.e., recency effects). We develop a model to identify two channels through which recent adverse weather experiences may affect participation, one where the weather shocks directly affect participation and the other where they affect participation through indemnity payouts. With historic FCIP data over the period 2001–2017, we use parametric and non-parametric methods to estimate these effects. At both extensive and intensive margins, higher past indemnities are found to encourage participation. This provides evidence that prior adverse weather shocks work indirectly. Less evidence is found in favour of direct weather effects. We also find that the increase in participation due to indemnities peaks in the year following a loss.