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Currently, many studies are already available on people's theoretical knowledge about climate change. The results of some of these studies show the existence of serious confusion regarding certain phenomena and basic concepts of great importance, even despite the fact that, in recent years, the problem regarding climate change has become increasingly relevant in different media, and it is also present in school curricula as a fundamental part of Education for Sustainability. Some of these confusions constitute true alternative ideas. This paper first analyses the incidence and strength of five of these ideas in students of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) and in various groups of teachers in training. Then, a didactic proposal is made to achieve change in one of those ideas, which involves various concepts and principles of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, three case studies are analyzed in Uruguay at the basin level, to identify the factors that favor the flood phenomenon. Transformations in land use and eventually climate change are considered. Over a 30-year period, land use modifications were evaluated using a Geographic Information System, and the variability of rainfall and river levels was analyzed. The three basins show completely different behavior from their land use change, and show increasing trends in rainfall over the period analyzed. It is evident that land use change is one of the most influential factors in the increase of flooding in urban areas. These transformations are mostly related to the exploitation of soil for the generation of commodities for export and generate modifications in the agrarian territories in Uruguay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its impact on human health and its capacity to cause damage, disasters are one of the global problems that most concern the international community. However, and in spite of the efforts made by many health systems, the reduction of vulnerabilities and the lack of strategies to avoid or minimize risks have not received enough attention yet. As Cuba is located in an area of permanent danger of disasters, its health sector has accumulated considerable experience in the management of risks and in the assurance of less risky future scenarios, with active participation of the community and a planned and organized process to address the impact of climate change. This paper summarizes some of these experiences and describes the dangers, vulnerabilities, and risks of disasters in Cuba, its Civil Defense System, and planning and organization in the health sector for disaster reduction, as well as the main effects and challenges of climate change in the health system. Lessons learned and good practices support the key role of human resources to reduce vulnerabilities; the greatest challenges are to avoid or minimize risks, to advance research, to train professionals for climate change, and to optimize the organization of health systems and services in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to start from the political ecology and the philosophy of the liberation, to present a critique to the Agreements of Climatic Change in Paris 2015, given the little or null effectiveness of the environmental policies that are proposed. For this purpose, a critical theoretical essay was carried out on the current capitalist model and its conflicts regarding sustainable development. The methodology used is a critical test to the production-technology contradiction that capitalism poses to civilization and humanity. The results indicate that there are conflicts between the environmental policies specified in said signed climate change agreement, based on their effectiveness for humanity and nature, such as an expanded reproduction of capital vs. life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean acidification is a growing problem that affects global environment. Its effects are detectable now, putting the most extensive water resource on the planet at risk and influencing the climate changes that can be documented across the globe. This paper analyzes the protection of the sea as a measure to ensure a healthy environment for future generations, guaranteeing a better way of life for them. We present the different principles governing bioethics, and we establish their relationship with the processes of sustainable development and the increase of acidification in the ocean, which affects a large number of communities of scarce resources in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, one of the main global risks humankind is currently facing, became a relevant issue on the international agenda in the last few decades. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992, includes both mitigation and adaptation strategies; however, though both are considered equally important, adaptation has been historically relegated to a secondary role within the Convention. The paper first presents an overview of the trajectory of adaptation as a UNFCCC guideline, discusses its institutional evolution and the Convention’s financing mechanisms, and, finally, explores the relations between adaptation and development. The conclusions point to the insufficiency of the Convention with respect to the implementation of measures for adaptation to climate change, but highlight its relevant role as a scenario for debate, as a source of funding, and as a promoter of both national and subnational actions, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]