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This paper analyses environmental narratives in the legislative stages presented in UK white papers, the Prime Minister's speeches, and the Queen's speeches, all of which were released between 1997 and 2011, during the regimes either of New Labour (1997–2010) or of the currently governing Coalition (2010–). This research acknowledges that the link between risk perception and environmental policy is strong because environmental policy narratives either reflect or influence risk perceptions, or both. The findings of this research demonstrate that the risk of climate change has emerged as a key agenda due to combined risk perceptions on economy and environment. Subsequently, that risk has developed a connection to the risk of energy scarcity and energy facilities. Nuclear power has posed a possible resolution to the energy risk, but at the same time, it has posed another kind of risk too. Under the Coalition government, the risk of natural diversity loss emerged while the risks of climate change and energy continued. The dynamics of the negotiation among different risk perceptions would depend on the power relations among the groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There has been a growing focus on uncertainty as a distinct concept in the risk literature. This paper is concerned with how those involved in the design and implementation of climate change policy conceptualize risk and uncertainty. Based on interviews with policy and industry elites in Australia, China and the UK, it finds that participants did not distinguish between "risk" and "uncertainty" in their conceptualization of climate threats. For the majority of them, politics was the most significant source of risk and uncertainty in climate policy, but delegation of otherwise political decisions to the market was seen as the best solution. The conclusion suggests that the conceptual distinction between risk and uncertainty is less important, for policy and industry elites, than the need to develop mechanisms that account for both persistent scientific uncertainties as well as interpretive and moral ambiguities in climate policy design and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to probe into the social media use by Chinese climate journalists through the examination of their professional practices on social media. Taking COP21 as a case, the study conducted a survey from Chinese COP21 journalists and analyzed WeChat and Weibo posts from Chinese journalists and tweets from their UK and US colleagues. The results show the prevalent use of WeChat among Chinese journalists and the personalization of the social media content accordingly. Compared to their Western counterparts, the use of social media for professional purposes by Chinese COP21 journalists was relatively limited. Nevertheless, several patterns of using social media were identified. Specifically, Chinese journalists tended to more frequently express personal opinions, discuss work experience and favor conventional news sources of authority than UK and US journalists. The results also suggest that climate change in Chinese media discourse will remain more a policy-related issue instead of an environmental or scientific issue, with Chinese government playing a central role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a major issue for all levels of government, global, national and local. Local authorities' responses to climate change have tended to concentrate on their role in reducing greenhouse gases. However, the scientific consensus is that we also need to adapt to unavoidable climate change. Spatial planning at a local level has a critical anticipatory role to play in promoting robust adaptation. This paper reviews the shift in local authorities' planning policies for climate change adaptation in the UK since 2000, and provides evidence of underlying attitudes amongst planning professionals to climate change. It shows that, while the issue of climate change is becoming recognized with respect to flood risk, the wider implications (for instance, for biodiversity and water resources) are not yet integrated into plans. The reasons for this lie in lack of political support and lack of engagement of the planning profession with climate change networks. But the paper also argues there are difficulties in acknowledging the need for adaptation at the local level, with the short-term horizons of local plans at odds with perceptions of the long-term implications of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mobilizing climate finance for climate change mitigation is a crucial part of meeting the 'well-below' 2°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Climate finance refers to investments specifically in climate change mitigation and adaptation activities, which involve public finance and the leveraging of private finance. A large proportion of climate finance is Official Development Assistance (ODA) from OECD countries to ODA-eligible countries. The evidence shows that the largest proportion of climate finance for climate change mitigation has been channelled to the development of renewable energy, with a much smaller proportion flowing to other crucial forms of clean energy-related measures, such as demand-side management (DSM) (particularly sustainable cooling) and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS). This forms the rationale and aim of this synthesis paper: to review the role of climate finance to develop clean energy beyond renewables. In doing so, the paper draws on practical policy and programme experiences of some donor countries, such as the UK, and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). This paper argues that a greater amount of climate finance from OECD countries to ODA-eligible fossil fuel-intensive emerging economies and developing countries is required for sustainable cooling and CCUS, particularly in the form of technical assistance and clean energy innovation. Key policy insights Demand-side management (DSM) and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) are underfunded in climate finance compared with the promotion of renewables. Climate finance for sustainable cooling, in particular, represents just 0.04% of total ODA, despite cooling projected to represent 13% of global emissions by 2030. Public investment in CCUS is limited at US $28 billion since 2007, despite the costs of meeting the Paris Agreement estimated to be 40-128% more expensive without CCUS. Additional climate finance for these sectors should not come at the expense of funding for renewables but should be complementary to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper recounts the surprising and disastrous results of attempting to do historical photographic research at a private archive. I had travelled to the Lee Miller Archives, in Sussex, UK, in order to conduct some preliminary research on Miller’s war work between the years 1944 and 1945. My intention was to begin comparing the drafts, original manuscripts, negatives, and captions to what Vogue published in both the US and the UK. The Archives are located in the former house of Lee Miller and husband Roland Penrose and they are managed by Miller’s son Antony Penrose. While my preparatory correspondence with the employees was straightforward and I had submitted lists of what I wanted to look at, once I arrived things immediately changed. This paper details the paternalistic climate of the Archives, as it reads some of Miller’s photography in relation to questions of history and representation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2004, the UK government published advice to planning authorities on ways in which the planning system might respond to climate change. This paper provides an account of the process of the formulation of that advice and the subsequent policy guidance, analysing the tensions revealed and offering an explanation of why the process took some time. It argues that the story can be understood in institutionalist terms, which recognize the different perspectives of planning policy communities and climate change policy communities. The decision to publish advice provided a policy arena in which these different interests sought to influence the agenda, employing competing policy discourses of discretionary enablement and more urgent prescription. These discourses partly reflected different approaches to the role of government, but also revealed the complexities of climate change as a new and uncharted issue facing the planning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the climate change adaptation measures in the construction industry in Great Britain. Development of government policy to encourage the required adaptation in the building industry; Dimensions of climate change impact; Governance of adaptation; Justification of government intervention; Choice of instruments for the adaptation; Uncertainty about climate change.

Environmental concerns show that transport is responsible for almost a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and it is also the fastest growing sector. Modal shift towards public transport could help slow down, or even reverse, this trend. There appear to be a number of constraints that are preventing this from happening. This paper explores the constraints to modal shift to rail transport from the perspective of cognitive work analysis, specifically the abstraction hierarchy, the contextual activity template and social organisational and cooperation analyses. Whilst these analyses may not present any new barriers, they do show how the constraints are interlinked in an explicit manner. These interrelations are important for two reasons. First, in consideration of constraint removal, one must anticipate the likely effects on the remainder of the system. Second, by linking functions and situations, new concepts of travel may be identified and explored. Practitioner Summary: The purpose of this study was to use a semi-structured approach to identifying constraints to modal shift from a variety of perspectives. It is argued that cognitive work analysis offers a new way of thinking about the modal shift problem and helps to generate new insights into potential solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the climatic influence on COVID-19 transmission risks in 228 cities globally across three climatic zones. The results, based on the application of a Boosted Regression Tree algorithm method, show that average temperature and average relative humidity explain significant variations in COVID-19 transmission across temperate and subtropical regions, whereas in the tropical region, the average diurnal temperature range and temperature seasonality significantly predict the infection outbreak. The number of positive cases showed a decrease sharply above an average temperature of 10°C in the cities of France, Turkey, the US, the UK, and Germany. Among the tropical countries, COVID-19 in Indian cities is most affected by mean diurnal temperature, and those in Brazil by temperature seasonality. The findings have implications on public health interventions, and contribute to the ongoing scientific and policy discourse on the complex interplay of climatic factors determining the risks of COVID-19 transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the climate change in Great Britain. Public awareness of climate change; Reliability of climate science; Uncertainty about climate change at the level of built environment; Importance of insurance industry in mitigating climate change; Policy options and tools.

It is well known that textile fabrics lose strength when subjected to unprotected outdoor exposure, and the amount of strength lost for a given period of time, or for a given number of sun-hours as measured by the Campbell-Stokes apparatus, may vary considerably according to the nature of the fibre and to the climatic conditions prevailing at the exposure site. From data recorded at eight exposure sites in the United Kingdom during 1961 and 1962, it is possible to draw certain conclusions. Thus, in rural areas, such as Pontypool (Mon.), Invergowrie (Perth), and Carlton (Durham), where 'clean' or unpolluted atmospheres might be expected to exist, an 11-oz/yd² cotton duck was found to be more resistant than either a 10½-oz/yd² nylon or a 14-oz/yd² Terylene fabric. In semi-rural areas, such as Lanark and Farnborough (Hants.), 11-oz/yd-²cotton duck appeared to be as resistant as Terylene. It was only in urban areas, such as Didsbury and Droylsden (Lanes.) and Bradford (Yorkshire), that cotton was found to be inferior to Terylene and to a less extent to nylon. The 16-oz/yd² cotton fabric was found to be more resistant than the 11-oz/yd² one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When doctors become aware of a threat to public health, they have a professional duty to try to mitigate the threat. Climate change is a recognized major threat to planetary and public health that requires actions to both mitigate, and adapt to, climate change. The limited time and resources available to change what humankind are doing and protect planetary health add urgency to the threat. Some doctors take non-violent direct actions if their governments fail to take the effective actions needed. Professional regulatory organizations like the UK's General Medical Council (GMC) are charged with protecting the health of patients by setting standards for, giving ethical advice about, and supervising the behaviour of doctors. This article examines the conflict between climate activist doctors and the GMC interpretation of a doctor's duty of care when there is threat to public health from climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite a peak in activism against climate change in the UK, new environmental direct action networks have not yet received much academic attention. Taking perhaps the most prominent of such networks – the Camp for Climate Action – which held several high-profile protest events between 2006 and 2011 as a case study, and using a theoretical framework that understands society as being distinctly ‘post-political’ in character, we ask questions about the knowledge claims that form the foundations of radical environmental politics. Drawing on published statements and press releases, as well as from our insights as active participants in the Camp, we analyse the strategy of environmental protest where climate change has become its focus. The Camp for Climate Action was a contested political arena. We argue that the Camp's strategy was characterised by ‘scientised’, ‘post-political’ politics which operated within an ethical framework that prescribed individual responsibility as the primary basis for action. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the recognition of weather as an element of architectural development and painting, by architect John Soane and the painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. It discusses Soane's and Turner's responses to the industrialisation and pollution in Great Britain during the 18th century. Soane responded by designing internal climate and environment in buildings. Turner's response to the climate was of fascination and he represented various subjects in different weathers.

Wind power is currently the fastest growing renewable technology and will play a significant role in constraining the extent of climate change. However, the very fact that its 'fuel source' is driven by the climate may leave it exposed as climate changes over the coming decades. In this preliminary assessment, the potential for changes in climate to affect the significant onshore wind resource in the United Kingdom (UK) is explored using the regional climate change scenarios published by the UK Climate Impacts Programme in 2002. The scenarios indicate seasonal changes in potential wind production with winter production generally increasing while summer decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of climate change adaptation considerations into management of the coast poses major challenges for decision makers. This article reports on a case study undertaken in Christchurch Bay, UK, examining local capacity for strategic response to climate risks, with a particular focus on issues surrounding coastal defense. Drawing primarily on qualitative research with local and regional stakeholders, the analysis identifies fundamental disjunctures between generic concerns over climate change and the adaptive capacity of local management institutions. Closely linked with issues of scale, the problems highlighted here are likely to have broad and continuing relevance for future coastal management elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the nature, pace and implications of climate change. It has been said that action and analysis on climate change is first dependent on problem definition. The article also cites the views of several contributors concerning climate change and spatial planning in Great Britain. It also discusses how the planning community responds and manages the process of contestation.

Frequency data for epiphytic bryophytes in systematically sampled 2×2 km grid squares within a belt transect aligned S.W. to N.E. across southern Britain were analysed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The environmental data used in the analysis included variables representing climate, atmospheric pollutants, forest cover, geology, altitude and presence of water courses. The two most important canonical gradients obtained expressed the effects of moisture availability and atmospheric pollution/geology on the epiphytic flora. Frullania tamarisci, Neckera pumila, Metzgeria temperata, Microlejeunea ulicina and Hypnum andoi were restricted to tetrads with high moisture availability, whereas Syntrichia ruralis, Grimmia pulvinata, Tortula muralis and Aulacomnium androgynum only occurred as epiphytes in tetrads with low moisture status. At one end of the second CCA axis were species characteristic of acid woodland, including Dicranum tauricum and D. montanum, which may be indicative of elevated deposition of sulphur and nitrogen from atmospheric pollution. Calcicole bryophytes and taxa that avoid acid substrata (e.g. Syntrichia laevipila, S. papillosa and Ulota phyllantha) were positioned on the other end of this axis. The CCA axes were used to generate log-linear regression models for individual epiphyte species. For 12 species, fitted distributions for the transect tetrads were compared with the observed distributions and used to predict epiphyte distributions for a wide area of southern Britain based on an independent set of environmental data. A separate analysis was made of the associations between particular epiphytes and their phorophytes by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). The primary DCA axis represented a sequence of epiphytes from species more commonly associated with calcareous masonry (e.g. Syntrichia ruralis and Grimmia pulvinata) to calcifuges such as Tetraphis pellucida, Hypnum jutlandicum, Dicranum montanum and Orthodontium lineare. The corresponding ranking of host trees was from Sambucus nigra, Malus sp., Ulmus spp., Salix spp. and Acer campestre, all species characterized by nearly neutral or nutrient-rich bark, to those with strongly acidic bark including Carpinus betulus, Betula spp. and Castanea sativa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]