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Summer energy poverty (SEP) is becoming a more concerning issue in southern European countries. This is due to the increasing intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which are particularly severe in urban areas. In this matter, scientific literature has grown on topics such as urban microclimate, passive urban cooling or assessing people's adaptability to high temperatures. However, there is still a gap between scientific knowledge and local policies when addressing energy poverty, particularly SEP. This paper aims to bridge this scientific and policy knowledge gap by gathering existing methodologies and approaches to SEP in the context of southern Europe. The methodology consists on a meta-study on the topic, involving analysis and synthesis of multiple and heterogeneous sources. A collaborative collection and revision of nearly two hundred references was conducted, focusing mainly on Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. Through a screening process, these references were examined and the main ideas, current debates, as well as limitations and boundaries in SEP knowledge were incorporated. Results show that, although authorities have developed local plans to tackle summer vulnerability and energy poverty, a cross-sectional vision is still needed to make operative the scientific advances. Therefore, this paper proposes instruments in the form of definitions, indicators, evaluation methodologies and their policy implications for identifying and addressing SEP in the context of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonising heat is critical for achieving climate change targets and reducing CO2 emissions. The U.K. Government has outlined actions to support the decarbonisation of heat, emphasising the importance of a place-based approach and undertaking action at localised scales. This paper focuses on Greater Manchester, a city region in North West England, with a strategic vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2038. To support the achievement of this vision, Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs) have been developed for the city region's 10 local authorities with this providing a useful case study for understanding the challenges of implementing localised, place-based domestic heat decarbonisation actions. Drawing upon 34 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders associated with Greater Manchester's low-carbon agenda, this paper discusses the disjuncture between Greater Manchester's vision for domestic heat decarbonisation and the implementation of the actions outlined. Three sites have been identified where the disjuncture between the strategic vision and its implementation materialises. Each of these sites of disjuncture – priorities and needs, procurement, and shifting heating expectations and practices – are discussed in turn. The disjuncture present is shown to exclude certain members of society from engaging in decarbonisation practices, and acts as a barrier to the achievement of Greater Manchester's vision for domestic heat decarbonisation. This paper advances understandings on the barriers to achieving place-based decarbonisation visions, and furthers the conceptualisation of 'just transitions'. The identification of sites of disjuncture can be applied to other strategic visions and their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable food practices are increasingly of interest to scholars and practitioners concerned with the impacts of food production, consumption, and waste in an age of climate change. Attention has been paid to households as actors in addressing sustainability concerns. This paper draws on a national survey of Australian sustainable household practices to offer insights into the ways households are practicing sustainability across three everyday entanglements with food: (1) growing food, (2) consuming food and (3) wasting/disposing of food. The paper explores the types of practices enacted across the three entanglements and provides an understanding of the prevalence and barriers for households adopting sustainable food practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation in developing countries has co-evolved with exposure to hazards among the urban poor. Yet, current understandings of hazard vulnerability are context-specific and limiting for shedding light on perceived vulnerability to climate change in the context of informal urbanisation. The overall perception of informal dwellers on the causative and local factors that underly the processes of informal urbanisation and their hazard exposure and consequent vulnerability tends to receive less attention. Using Accra as a case and applying mixed methods, this paper analyses informal residents' perceived vulnerability to hazards. A total of 582 households' surveys and 3 institutional key informant interviews were conducted. The paper argues that hazard vulnerability in informal settlements is spatially differentiated and differentially perceived. The main factor associated with respondents' perceived vulnerability was "threats of eviction". Examination of informal dwellers' hazard responses will improve our understanding of the influence of their perceptions on hazard responses in the context of informal urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic research on mining and climate change and associated impacts on water resources particularly for the developing world has been limitedly explored. Climate change is expected to make water insecurity in rural areas more severe as weather patterns become unfavourable. The extent to which the mining sector is able to reduce its impact on water resources and adapt to climate change will have implications for host communities. This paper explores the relationship between climate change, mining development and water security and how this places rural communities in a position of risk from mining development and climate change for water security. This paper focuses on the Fuleni and Somkhele rural communities located within the uMkhanyakude District Municipality in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, a climate change-induced water scarce area. Despite drought, mining operations continue. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from key social actors in the Fuleni community (i.e. residents opposing mining development) and with Somkhele residents (already burdening with mining operations). Additionally for Somkhele, a questionnaire was used to ascertain 424 household views on the impacts of climate variability and mining impacts on livelihoods and water. Results indicated an interplay between climate change, mining impacts and water (and food) security. Development must be implemented in an integrated and holistic manner that contributes to sustainable development and does not impact on water resources. Technological innovations related to water and energy and inter-sectoral collaborations must be prioritised between mining, the government, and civil society, to achieve water security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the potential of Indigenous Buffalo knowledge as a valuable resource for adapting to the impacts of climate change. Buffalo, particularly in regions where they have been traditionally reared, have played a crucial role in Indigenous cultures and livelihoods. Indigenous communities have developed an intimate understanding of buffalo behaviour, ecological interactions, and their relationship with changing environmental conditions. This traditional Buffalo knowledge encompasses observations, practices, and Indigenous knowledge systems passed down through generations, providing insights into adaptive strategies that can be applied in the face of climate change. Following decolonial and relational theoretical frameworks, we used deep listening to learn how traditional Buffalo knowledge contributed to climate change adaptation strategies in Indigenous communities; how does integrating traditional Buffalo knowledge into climate change adaptation policies and practices contribute to the resilience of vulnerable communities? What challenges and opportunities are associated with incorporating traditional Buffalo knowledge into mainstream climate change adaptation efforts? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban citizens increasingly need to adapt to climate risk. This is especially the case in informal settlements that have limited state engagement and are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Community-based adaptation (CBA) in the informal settlement has the potential to support the transformation that re-shapes power relations as well as reducing climate risk. This paper explores how multiscalar governance in Cape Town can either empower or undermine CBA to flooding in informal settlements. Drawing on urban political ecology, the analysis reveals significant tension around differing ideas of the temporality of informal settlements, as well as token community inclusivity in participatory planning processes. While everyday governance practices have been used by the City of Cape Town at the local scale, a local community-based organisation has used insurgent planning to envision and enact a more just city. A community designed and spear-headed reblocking process (rearranging shacks in a settlement to allow for flood drainage and service delivery) is a powerful example of CBA and represents the potential of community-based organisations to take steps towards transformative action. In order to enable more widespread urban transformative CBA, it is important to address the drivers of vulnerabilities and underlying power dynamics of political decision-making to destabilise the status quo and move towards real adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship on climate change adaptation is increasingly moving from incremental responses to climate injustice towards transformative approaches that deliberately change systems to achieve just and equitable outcomes. A transformative understanding of climate justice is relatively new and evidence of how this could be achieved is in its infancy. In this paper, we conceptualise transformative climate justice as comprised of three subcomponents: (1) inclusive justice (seeking to ensure that no one, especially the most vulnerable, is left behind), (2) epistemological justice (drawing upon diverse knowledges and worldviews), and (3) restorative justice (healing and restoration of communities and the environment). We then present examples of how different local communities in the Philippines are experimenting with climate adaptation strategies that embody these three components of transformative climate justice. Through case studies of communities in Itbayat (Batanes), Tambaliza (Iloilo), and Barangay Assumption (Koronadal), we demonstrate how their adaptive strategies contribute to community and ecological resilience. We find that transformative climate justice arises from mundane and everyday struggles, takes place at the “middle place” between top-down and bottom-up initiatives, and requires a deliberate redistribution of power to counter decision-making processes that reproduce injustices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea defence policy in England has proven contentious in the early twenty-first century, with government willing to defend the coast only where it is considered cost effective and not minded to compensate people for any resulting abandonment of homes. Additional focus is brought to this position by the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which reflect a growing emphasis on climate change effects and other environmental hazards, and the wellbeing of the current generation and those to come. This requires policy makers to seek to balance economic, social and environmental dimensions, and to tackle inequalities; with a central commitment of the goals to "leave no one behind". Subsequent to publication of the SDGs, England was promised a revolution in the government's approach to Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM). This paper seeks to understand the nature of this revolution with particular regard to extant issues around just governance. It finds that policy fails to deal with issues over the local acceptability of proposals for change and the bearing of risk, and instead lies principally in the elevation of the problematic concept of resilience and an accompanying ambivalence towards ideas of sustainability and sustainable development. International agreement that compensation should be paid to those countries suffering the worst effects of climate change, including sea level rise, suggests that adoption of a similar approach to vulnerable homeowners might be the more appropriate revolution and bring policy more into line with the aspirations of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catastrophic extreme weather events are destructive, costly, and bring about significant harm and distress. As a consequence of a warming world, extreme weather is only expected to increase in intensity. Unravelling the ways that frontline communities, such as those in the Cook Islands, are experiencing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from, extreme events over time is vital to document, learn from, and share widely. This paper, drawing from 10 interviews with local Cook Islanders from both urban and remote settings, explores people's perspectives and experiences of, as well as responses to, extreme weather events, with a focus on droughts and cyclones. We found that the immediate devastation of cyclones and the chronic devastation of droughts has impacted participants in diverse ways, most of which take an emotional toll and affect people's abilities to meet household needs. These participant experiences with extreme weather events and the subsequent lessons that have transpired have led to the development of significant local knowledge and traditional coping strategies which enable anticipation, preparation, and adaptation. We highlight the ways that participants draw on cosmology, worldviews, and community resources for different courses of action in response to extreme weather. Tacit knowledge and endogenous spiritual and community resources offer Cook Islanders agency, hope and resilience in the face of climate change into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex linkage between environment, climate change and migration is increasingly capturing global debate. Uganda faces widespread environmental degradation and high vulnerability to climate change impacts that cause livelihood hardships, inducing human mobility. However, the environment, climate change and migration nexus is not well understood and documented, although advocacy to address the livelihood challenges associated with environmental and climate-induced migrations is on the rise. This paper addresses this knowledge gap and presents findings from a review of literature, complemented by key informant interviews and group discussions conducted in the Karamoja, Mt. Elgon and Teso sub-regions of Uganda. The findings show that some socio-economic hardships that cause migrations like natural resources scarcities (water, pastures and fertile soils), hunger and food insecurity and conflicts are linked to slow-onset processes/events related to environmental degradation, rising temperatures and desertification, compounded by sudden-onset events/disasters including; drought, rainstorms, flooding and landslides, that threaten livelihood security and trigger voluntary and forced migrations. Migration also occurs as a coping strategy to environment and climate shocks and stresses. However, empirical research evidence on the numbers of people who have migrated because of environmental change or climate change is still lacking as more research focus has been on the socio-economic and political drivers of migration. Deeper empirical research that incorporates spatial analyses on how the environmental and climate parameters induce migrations is necessary to provide an evidence base to inform transformative policy processes and actions that address human mobility challenges and build resilient societies in Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts are distributed unequally, despite affecting the entire world and its inhabitants. Economically, socially and culturally deprived groups are more vulnerable to climate change impacts. Women comprise the majority among these vulnerable groups, and it is, therefore, crucial to stress gendered perspectives in climate change adaptation strategies that promote gender equality and sustainable development. To that end, this paper documents the adaptation strategies employed by farmers and examines gender differences in climate change adaptation practices in Yunnan Province, China. A random sampling technique was used to select 1520 household heads for the survey. We used descriptive statistics and a multivariate probit model to document four categories of adaptation measures against a set of household features, social network, financial assets and perception variables. We discovered that female and male respondents do not significantly differ in their knowledge and perceptions of climate change, but female- and male-headed household respondents did differ in adopting climate change adaptation measures. The adaptation measures of female- and male-headed households were influenced by different sets of factors. The most significant determinant for both female- and male-headed households was perception of drought events in the last 20 years, followed by access to loans, while income from non-farm-based work had positive and significant impacts only for male-headed households. Findings from this study will help to elucidate the determinants of climate change adaptation decisions for female- and male-headed households in farming communities and the strategic interventions necessary for effective adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal agriculture and livelihoods worldwide are highly vulnerable to changing climates, and Bangladesh is no exception due to its geophysical location. This paper examines rice farmers' vulnerability, adaptation strategies, and adaptation barriers to managing climate change impacts in the coastal region of Bangladesh. Survey data were collected from 220 randomly selected rice farmers located across two coastal districts of Bangladesh. A multinomial logit model was applied to analyze determinants of adaptation strategies of rice farmers. The results reveal that flood is the main risk to vulnerability, followed by cyclones and storms surges and saline intrusion. The main adaptation strategies are cultivating flood and salinity tolerant rice varieties, direct seeding of rice, supplementary irrigation, cultivation of non-rice crops that have shorter growth duration, and rearing of livestock, poultry, and duck. The econometric analysis shows that factors such as household head's education, household income, farm size, access to information, and extension services significantly influence the choice of adaptation strategies of the rice farmers. We recommend to increase investment in research, training of farmers, and targeted extension services to disseminate climate-smart technologies and information for minimising vulnerability of the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interests of children in a climate-challenged future are under-represented within UK policy-making and public discourse. Debates on intergenerational equity have centred on economic logic rather than the moral issue of harms to the next generation, or the responsibilities of today's generation. Civil movements play an important role in changing public and political thinking on this issue; however, research on intergenerational climate justice activism has so far been confined to the youth movement. This study uses an in-depth diary and interview dataset of 20 UK-based activist mothers and fathers to explore the emotional spaces of parenting and campaigning for intergenerational climate justice. Attention was paid to the role of parenthood in the framing and motivation for action, and the way that campaigning was sustained or impeded by activist parents' personal relationships. The study found that the emotional spaces of activist parenting were managed and demarcated through moral boundary work that was used to define, distinguish and legitimise a collective representation. These boundaries were relational and drawn selectively to include similar others and to form bridges with politicians; boundaries also functioned to delegitimise the role of adults without children, and to exclude and excuse younger children and older relatives from playing a part in justice activism. The paper concludes by considering how these processes might impede the movement and have implications for wider social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutions are influential in mediating the impact of adaptation initiatives at the local level, yet there are disconnects between the goals of multi-scale planning initiatives and community priorities. Research to address this challenge primarily focuses on reform to formal institutions in environmental governance. Meanwhile, knowledge of the specific role informal institutions play in governance processes remains limited. This study increases understanding of the interactions between informal institutions and adaptation using a case study of the Native Village of Wainwright on Alaska's North Slope. Qualitative contextual analysis was employed to identify patterns of informal institution and adaptation associations in historic and contemporary situations in Wainwright. The Adaptation Institutional Analysis Framework developed in this paper extends Elinor Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development Framework and is used as a tool to analyse and describe these dynamics. Four primary findings resulted from this analysis (1) identification of informal institutions that have a bearing on adaptation to environmental change and adaptive capacity in Wainwright, (2) insight into how the identified institutions relate to each other and to different aspects of local adaptation, (3) identification of changes in informal institutions that have occurred over time and the potential implications of these changes for local adaptive capacity, and (4) potential opportunities to leverage knowledge of informal institution and adaptation relationships in targeted formal initiatives. The outcomes of this study contribute to an improved understanding of the function and potential of informal institutions in adaptation processes, the benefits of which extend beyond the local context of Wainwright. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based planned adaptation has become a popular vehicle for building the adaptive capacity of communities vulnerable to climate change. In the global south, planned adaptation interventions are often implemented by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with the support of bilateral and multilateral donors. This paper examines the influence of external agencies involved in funding, planning and implementation of community-based adaptation (CBA) initiatives in Bangladesh. We show that the principles of CBA are negatively impacted by top-down project design, simplistic notions of "community", lack of downward accountability and pressures to meet tight timeframes. We found that NGO-initiated CBA interventions tended to repeat the past mistakes of bottom-up approaches, primarily because of embedded institutional culture that inhibits the possibility of achieving socially just, effective and sustainable adaptation outcomes in Bangladesh. We argue that the automatic and normative attribution of NGO interventions as being "good" needs deconstructing to ensure that future initiatives are aligned with and prioritise community needs over external expectations. This requires flexible funding, planning and implementation structure for adaptation projects, which may forge new ways of engaging communities and locally led innovation to adapt to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is disrupting the fundamental conditions of human life and exacerbating existing inequity by placing further burdens on communities that are already vulnerable. Risk exposure varies by where people live and work. In this article, we examine the spatial overlap of the compound risks of COVID-19 and extreme heat in New York City. We assess the relationship between socio-demographic and natural, built and social environmental characteristics, and the spatial correspondence of COVID-19 daily case rates across three pandemic waves. We use these data to create a compound risk index combining heat, COVID-19, density and social vulnerability. Our findings demonstrate that the compound risk of COVID-19 and heat are public health and equity challenges. Heat and COVID-19 exposure are influenced by natural, built, and social environmental factors, including access to mitigation infrastructure. Socio-demographic characteristics are significant indicators of COVID-19 and heat exposure and of where compound vulnerability exists. Using GIS mapping, we illustrate how COVID-19 risk geographies change across the three waves of the pandemic and the particular impact of vaccinations before the onset of the third wave. We, then, use our compound risk index to assess heat interventions undertaken by the City, identify neighborhoods of both adequate and inadequate coverage and provide recommendations for future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic climate change loss and damage (L&D) is a key area of climate policy. Much of the L&D governance has been situated within the international climate regime. A major gap in L&D governance is the lack of understanding of how institutions are dealing with L&D policy and decision-making at national and industry scales. This study examines L&D governance with an emphasis on policy gaps, capacity constraints, availability of data, and access to climate finance in Fiji's sugar industry. Systematic policy analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 28) are conducted to gain insights into L&D governance in Fiji's sugar industry. To date, the Ministry of Sugar Industry has been unable to develop climate change and disaster risk reduction policies and plans. Other institutional constraints in Fiji's sugar industry to avert, minimise, and address L&D include lack of human resources with technical skills as well as limited data and access to financial resources. This research recommends key policy interventions such as developing L&D policy and action plans, building capacity, and implementing a standardised practice of data management between stakeholders for urgent climate action. At the international level, the Warsaw International Mechanism and the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage could be strengthened to mobilise urgent support and action, including finance and technical assistance to avert, minimise, and address L&D in vulnerable countries. Highlights Limited national L&D policy and mechanisms in Fiji have severe implications for farming communities and could exacerbate social-ecological systems vulnerability. The Fijian Ministry of Sugar Industry has been unable to develop robust climate change and disaster risk reduction policies to avert, minimise, and address L&D. At the international level, the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage must become fully operational and provide technical assistance for L&D needs assessment and strengthen L&D governance in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaddi's are a tribal community, practicing transhumance in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas. Transhumance is the seasonal movement (vertical movement) of people with their livestock between fixed higher pasture lands in summer and lower valleys in winter. Due to climate change, the livelihood security of the indigenous community is endangered. The current study explores the problems faced by the Gaddi community in the Chamba district, and how climate change is threatening the traditional transhumant lifestyle. To assess the pattern of climate change in the region, data pertaining to monthly average rainfall and temperature were collected from the India Meteorological Department and was analysed for trend analysis. The climatic data were divided into eight clusters and detailed season-wise analysis was done with the help of various statistical tests. Further, a primary survey of 46 households was conducted to assess the ground-level changes. Transhumance routes followed by the Gaddi community were mapped and overlaid on Land Use/Land Cover maps for the period between 1978 and 2018. The results show an increasing trend in the temperature coupled with declining trend in rainfall and a characteristic shift in the land use pattern over the period. The effect of change in the climate and land use pattern is reflected in the altered course of routes followed by the Gaddi's. The study indicates this livelihood practice is on the verge of extinction, special attention needs to be paid to this vulnerable indigenous tribal community for a resilient Himalayan ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of how local knowledge of climate change converges with science-based assessment is important to effectively support adaptation decision making. This study explores farmers' cognition of climate change and their adaptation in Ethiopia. Household and community level data on socio-economic, institutional, climatic and adaptation variables were collected. In addition, we obtained long-term historical meteorological data from local weather stations for consecutive 31 years. Mean and percentage computation, chi-square test, standard precipitation index and qualitative content methods were applied for data analysis. The analytical results of obtained past weather data revealed that the climate parameters have significantly changed over time, and highly varied across locations and these variations were substantiated by farmers' experiences. There is a high level of agreement between climatological data and farmers' observation that the onset of the rainy season is now shifting markedly, accompanied by an increasing dry spell with greater implication for rainfed systems. In contrast, there is a significant divergence concerning the length of the growing season which is explained by the strong influence of the onset rather than end of the rainy season. As a result, a range of strategies were implemented by farmers to fight against climate change dynamics, short to long term. The study concluded how diversification of climate communication outlets by combining local cognition can play a unique role in promoting risk communication. As a result, risk cognition as a function of socio-psychological factor should be combined into comprehensive science-based consensus that impact decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change (CC) and consequent agricultural productivity repercussions. This study aimed at exploring the difference in farmers' perceptions of CC impacts on crop production and variation in adaptation measures across the Ganges' Tidal Floodplain (GTF) region. To unlock the local level contextspecific nature of adaptation, the study area covered two distinct zones of the GTF: interior zone, surrounded by the Sundarbans mangrove forest, and exterior zone being more exposed to the Bay of Bengal. An analysis of the differences in empirical climate parameter trends and farmers' adaptations to adjust to these changes in the two sample study areas (one from each zone) was conducted. In the exterior zone (Patuakhali), delayed monsoon and increasing intensity of post-monsoon rainfall coupled with poor water drainage resulted in delayed winter vegetable production and late harvest of rainy season rice (aman), eventually leading to a loss of winter rice season (boro). Rainfall in the interior zone (Satkhira) was found erratic and unevenly distributed causing unexpected loss of harvest. Farmers in both areas reported a high impact of CC on crop production. Farmers reported optimisation of fertiliser and pesticide use and planting date adjustment as the most practiced adaptations in both areas. Other preferred adaptation options were rice-fish farming in Satkhira and growing of high-value cash crops in Patuakhali. In terms of weighted average index scoring, Satkhira farmers on average had medium adaptation scores, while most of Patuakhali farmers had medium to low adaptation scores. Living in the same agroecological zone, the difference in farmers' perceptions, climate variability, and adaptation practices call for context- and location-specific adaptation planning and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dryland farming is highly affected by climate variability as its coefficient of variation with precipitation is high. The vulnerability assessment is a useful and effective tool for determining the impact of climate change on dryland farmers towards adaptation. The factors assessment plays an important role in designing and implementing policy research on a local scale in developing nations. The study aims to calculate the vulnerability level and factors affecting it in the dryland community in Southern India using Vulnerability index calculation and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The primary data were collected with a structured questionnaire from randomly selected 200 farming households from ten villages. This study introduced new contextual variables in the vulnerability assessment and compared different ML techniques to analyse the vulnerability factors. The study showed that the dryland community is moderately vulnerable because of its higher adaptive capacity. The results of the ML techniques showed that the factors "Involvement in the awareness programmes, income sources for food, farm size, and education status of the dryland farmers" had a significant impact on the vulnerability level of the community. Potential coping strategies were identified to reduce the vulnerability level of the dryland farmers. The present study showed a pathway that can help the policy research and development plan for the sustainable livelihood of dryland farmers at a micro-level in the climate-changing scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in subnational levels of governance as sites of potential and renewed ambition on climate change. One recent challenge to dominant neoliberal discourses of climate governance is legislation enacted in Wales, which places sustainable development as the central organising principle of local government. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis, supplemented by stakeholder interviews, this research analyses the discursive potential of this legislation in reshaping local governance of climate change. The findings show that the introduction of new legislation can foster the emergence of collaborative structures and collective language, but is limited in its ability to broaden climate governance discourses. This research highlights how seemingly progressive legislation is hampered in its potential through its hybridisation with already-existing neoliberal climate governance discourses and structures. It also demonstrates the importance of discourse analysis in identifying subtle narratives at work in the governance of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has remained a major problem around which global development policies are framed. The effects of climate change are rising tremendously and are more evident in Africa with low adaptive capacity to the impacts of climate change and where climate change has led to drought and desertification with consequences for safety and security in the region. Although the connection between climate change and conflicts is well studied, there is little research on the geopolitical contribution of climate change to conflicts. Using a dominant qualitative approach based on secondary data and eco-violence theory, this study examines how geopolitics affects climate change-induced conflicts and displacement in West Africa. Drawing largely from Nigeria and Mali, the study argues that, despite the destructive effects of anthropogenic activities created by insufficient competing areas for livelihood and subsistence resources, the implementation of climate resolution among countries and regions of the world has remained obscure. The repercussions of the geopolitics of climate change are the insurgencies and cattle herders' unrest in Africa, especially the West African region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change adaptation at the farm level is vital to counterbalance rural poverty and maintain a sustainable agriculture ecosystem. Despite the many unknowns about what determines farmers' adaptation, traditional knowledge on landraces (LRs) cultivation has demonstrated great potential for community-based climate change adaptation. The present study heightens our understanding of the Romanian farmers' perceptions of climate change, their actual on-farm adaptation measures, and the driving and constraint factors towards their decision to cultivate LRs. Drawing on a survey on farmers, we found that those who face an increased number of crops damaged due to extreme climatic events are more likely to cultivate LRs. Findings point to the widespread adoption of LRs as a measure of climate change adaptation. The taste, healthiness, and environmental adaptability attributes are considered the most important reasons Romanian farmers cultivate LRs. The study provides supportive evidence for decision-makers to develop appropriate strategies and institutional responses for on-farm climate adaptation strategies bringing the contribution of LRs to the fore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities experience temperature differences during heat events, in part modulated by green spaces. In the face of climate change, vegetation and green infrastructure are increasingly important for residents' thermal comfort. Generally, socio-economically marginalised communities are more likely to live in neighbourhoods with less access to green spaces, which can lead to the experience of hotter temperatures and higher incidences of poor health during heat-waves. Building on three bodies of literature – thermal inequity and green space planning, risk and vulnerability, and critical urban theory – an interdisciplinary approach was employed to understand residents' perceptions of heat and vulnerability, and disparities in distribution of green space arising due to urban planning in Antwerp, Belgium. Using census data, a high and low-vulnerability district – Borgerhout and Wilrijk – were selected as case studies. Park audits and interviews were carried out to provide insights into parks' cooling ability and residents' potential responses to extreme heat. Results demonstrated an unequal distribution, access and quality of green spaces between inner-city Borgerhout and suburban Wilrijk, suggesting that lower-income, vulnerable residents are systematically disadvantaged by municipal green space planning. All Borgerhout interviewees described feeling too hot in summer, whilst the opposite held true for interviewees in Wilrijk. Results were situated within Antwerp planning documents to understand how neoliberalism and social exclusion drive and reproduce patterns of injustice, introducing the term "heat injustice" to describe entrenched injustice in green space distribution and corresponding resident perceptions, experiences of and vulnerabilities to heat within the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is threefold: (i) to analyse local perceptions on climate change and events; (ii) to examine the impact of climate change on local livelihoods and food security and (iii) to explore climate change adaptive responses and challenges thereof. Using the Dormaa West District in Ghana as a case study, data were obtained from 190 household participants across randomly selected five communities; five focus group discussions and interviews with four planning and climate agencies. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed to analyse the collected data. The results showed evidence of climate change with widespread impacts on local livelihood, particularly food production. There is evidence of unpredictable precipitation and warming temperatures over the past two decades with a high degree of variability. Key adaptive response measures included reliance on remittances, engaging in secondary livelihoods (e.g. driving and petty trading), and adjusting growing and harvesting seasons. Unfortunately, these measures were ad hoc, reactionary and unsustainable. The incorporation of farmer-based adaptation strategies into development and management plans, stakeholder participation, collaborations and partnerships are imperative in finding effective and sustainable adaptive response measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Financing the conservation of critical global carbon sinks in developing countries has been an ongoing focus in global climate change mitigation talks, with the development of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The importance of returning land tenure of these forests to Indigenous People is also recognised as a crucial component of forest conservation as well as fulfilment of Indigenous Rights, as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). However, denunciations of REDD+ by Indigenous rights activists justify concern over transparency and accountability for governments claiming to effectively uphold Indigenous rights throughout the negotiation of their national REDD+ strategies. This case study of the KéköLdi Indigenous Territory of Costa Rica yields essential decolonial transformations for the Costa Rican National REDD+ strategy in order to support ten specific articles of the UNDRIP. These decolonial Indigenous proposals hold the Costa Rican government accountable to its legal commitments to its Indigenous People as well as recognise and respect the robustness of Indigenous environmental knowledge and cultural conservation practices. These decolonial approaches could be applied in other countries that are developing their own national REDD+ strategies while fulfilling their commitment to Indigenous rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the livelihood vulnerability of rice farming households in Can Tho, Dong Thap, and Tien Giang provinces in the Mekong delta region (MDR) of Vietnam using primary data collected from 405 rice farmers, and the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and LVI-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) approaches. The calculated LVI revealed that rice farming households were vulnerable in terms of the social network, livelihood strategies, natural disaster and climate variability, and food security. The LVI-IPCC revealed that Tien Giang province was the most vulnerable to climate change and variability, followed by Can Tho province. The findings suggest that intervention programmes strengthen communication networks among farmers and those local governments and other organisations to provide subsidies and training courses for farmers to cope with climatic events, as well as create more opportunities for them to diversify their income sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]