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The climate crisis is increasingly forcing people to flee their homes, whether internally or across state borders. However, existing international and domestic law does not provide sufficient protection for those forcibly displaced by extreme weather events. In 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order and subsequently a report on the impact of climate change on migration, which marked a first step in federal policy toward recognition of the nexus between climate change and displacement. At the local level, Connecticut has already become a destination for climate-displaced people. For instance, after Hurricane Maria landed in Puerto Rico in 2017, approximately 13,000 Puerto Ricans came to the state. Since then, local service organizations have led efforts to help the community relocate after the disaster. Nearly six years after Maria, this Article provides the first ethnography of Puerto Rican women who relocated in Connecticut in the aftermath of the hurricane, discussing the ways in which federal law and policy have failed to meet the needs of Puerto Ricans and other climate-displaced people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SEC's efforts to standardize climate disclosure have revealed deep divides among the public and among corporate and securities law scholars about the proper scope and goals of climate disclosure reform. This controversy comes at a time when investor demand for ESG investment products is rising exponentially and when other regulators worldwide are already moving to standardize how climate risk and other ESG information is reported to investors. This Article clarifies the line-drawing choices behind mandatory climate risk disclosure, explains the established frameworks for corporate climate reporting that regulators internationally are building upon, and identifies how both have informed the SEC's proposed climate disclosure rules. This Article contributes to the debates over ESG disclosure mandates by exploring the boundaries and intersections of climate risk and broader ESG concepts and by considering the potential liability implications of mandatory climate risk disclosure. It concludes by explaining the impact and limits of the SEC's line-drawing choices and outlining steps that could be taken to better achieve the goals of the proposed reforms and perhaps to move beyond them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically curtailed within the next two to three decades, sea-level rise will displace tens of millions of people worldwide - and potentially many more - in the latter decades of the current century and the early decades of the next. Displacements are already taking place in small communities situated in erosion-prone, low-lying coastal locations. The scale and geographical distribution of displacements will expand as atoll states and densely populated coastal deltas and coastal plains experience growing damage from tropical cyclones, storm surges, and king tides. Many coastal settlements around the world are experiencing rapid population growth, which further increases the number of people at risk. Governments will need to invest heavily in protective infrastructure for high-population-density settlements and to develop strategies for organized relocations of people from high-risk locations that will need to be abandoned. Experience suggests that the costs will be beyond the means of many less-developed and middle-income countries, and that the socioeconomic well-being of those who must relocate will be heavily compromised. An anticipatory “migration with dignity” strategy proposed by the government of Kiribati may be one way to avert worst-case displacement scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the relationship between adolescents' efficacy beliefs (both personal and collective), climate anxiety (as measured with climate worry), group dynamics during an environmental intervention, and behavioral intentions in a setting where their agency was called upon. Data were collected in French-speaking Switzerland during and after four environmental education interventions during which adolescents developed climate-related projects or narratives in small groups. Questionnaire data (N = 150 adolescents) were matched with observations (from group dynamics) and interview data (from teachers). Self- and collective efficacy, climate anxiety, citing group work as a most interesting part of the intervention, and observed group attention were all positively related to stronger pro-environmental intentions. In addition, feeling involved in the group was also indirectly related to pro-environmental behaviors, through climate anxiety. Overall, our results suggest that being worried about climate change has the potential to translate into climate action. In addition, working in small groups has clear benefits for adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate migration discourses tend to misrepresent the complex realities and experiences of people whose lives are impacted by climate change. All too often, the images conjured are of inevitable, massive, and permanent cross-border movements, contributing to apocalyptic and securitised climate imaginaries that cast migration as a threat to western societies. Climate mobilities scholarship contradicts these assumptions as inaccurate and damaging, with empirical research demonstrating that climate change affects peoples' realities and experiences of mobilities in varied and multi-faceted ways. And yet, despite these well-established findings, overly simplistic climate migration narratives still abound. This poses a question: how can climate mobilities be better represented? To explore this question, I analyse six documentary films that portray island and coastal communities facing the possibility of migration. Methodologically, I use filmmaker interviews to contextualise the films' production. Drawing on mobilities theory, I show that understanding the representation process (filmmaking) requires close attention not just to the mobilities of people being represented, but also of those engaged in representation (the filmmakers) and the subsequent circulation of the representation (film) itself. Whose mobilities are prioritised in this process is crucial. Ultimately, I argue that climate mobilities scholarship can learn from the filmmakers' experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws from the expanding field of climate mobilities, which explores the nexus between climate change, environmental conditions and (im)mobility based on the 'mobilities paradigm'. Environmental hazards collide with transportation infrastructures, for instance through the adverse effects of floods, heat waves, and ice thawing on roads, and may for instance disrupt or hamper everyday mobility. Frequent disaster-induced mobility impairments may render individuals unable to commute between places and decrease their socioeconomic opportunities. Emphasising the material aspects of mobilities, this paper argues that an analysis of mobility systems helps to develop a deeper understanding of (im)mobility inequalities and injustices in the context of environmental risk and climate change. Sheller's mobility justice perspective is taken as a way to critically address mobility disruptions and to reflect on the interconnection of different (im)mobility patterns. Empirically, the paper draws on a case-study of Tajikistan's Bartang Valley, where disaster-induced mobility impairments reduce the residents' capacities to circulate and access food markets, healthcare facilities, and job opportunities. Overall, the paper is an invitation for the fields of environmental and climate mobilities to consider the impacts of environmental conditions on infrastructures, matter, and things that enable or hamper human (im)mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article emphasizes the importance of implementing a comprehensive national strategic plan to address the effects of climate change on human health, specifically within vulnerable populations. Topics discussed include the Climate Change Health Protection Plan of 2019 (CCHPP), the Climate Health Act (CHA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Climate and Health Program (CHP).

Background: The effects of food insecurity linked to climate change will be exacerbated in subsistence communities that are dependent upon food systems for their livelihoods and sustenance. Place-and community-based forms of surveillance are important for growing an equitable evidence base that integrates climate, food, and health information as well as informs our understanding of how climate change impacts health through local and Indigenous subsistence food systems.Methods: We present a case-study from southwestern Uganda with Batwa and Bakiga subsistence communities in Kanungu District. We conducted 22 key informant interviews to map what forms of monitoring and knowledge exist about health and subsistence food systems as they relate to seasonal variability. A participatory mapping exercise accompanied key informant interviews to identify who holds knowledge about health and subsistence food systems. Social network theory and analysis methods were used to explore how information flows between knowledge holders as well as the power and agency that is involved in knowledge production and exchange processes.Results: This research maps existing networks of trusted relationships that are already used for integrating diverse knowledges, information, and administrative action. Narratives reveal inventories of ongoing and repeated cycles of observations, interpretations, evaluations, and adjustments that make up existing health and subsistence food monitoring and response. These networks of local health and subsistence food systems were not supported by distinct systems of climate and meteorological information. Our findings demonstrate how integrating surveillance systems is not just about what types of information we monitor, but also who and how knowledges are connected through existing networks of monitoring and response.Conclusion: Applying conventional approaches to surveillance, without deliberate consideration of the broader contextual and relational processes, can lead to the re-marginalization of peoples and the reproduction of inequalities in power between groups of people. We anticipate that our findings can be used to inform the initiation of a place-based integrated climate-food-health surveillance system in Kanungu District as well as other contexts with a rich diversity of knowledges and existing forms of monitoring and response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient urban environmental design considers appropriate thermal comfort condition, shaded space, and activity intensity. Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and visible sky, i.e., the sky view factor (SVF), are usually used as indicators to determine the outdoor thermal comfort and amount of shaded space, respectively. The activity intensity in urban parks, which is dependent on culture and micrometeorological conditions, was represented inappropriately by attendance density in Taiwan. To optimize the park design and improve the park utilization rate in Taiwan, several environmental factors such as sound pressure levels and numbers of park visitors were measured, and PET values and SVF values were calculated from primary micrometeorological data such as wind speed and globe temperature. This study proposed equivalent continuous sound pressure level (Leq) as a novel indicator to represent park activity intensity and investigated the correlation between Leq and SVF at different PET values. Leq was more appropriate than was attendance density in representing the park activity intensity in Taiwan. In addition, Leq was highly negatively correlated with SVF when visitors felt that the outdoor thermal comfort condition was hot or very hot. In other words, a lower degree of shading in the park resulted in lower activity intensity. Park visitors tended to engage in activities in the shaded regions because of more favorable thermal comfort conditions (i.e., neutral PET). The established quantitative relationships among Leq, PET, and SVF can serve as a reference for park planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are usually perceived as the age group that is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This paper examined the effects of climate‐change‐related diseases on children's health in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Systematic random sampling was used to select households from the 12 wards in the study area. A questionnaire focusing on perceived evidence of climate change and perceived factors contributing to the incidence of climate‐change‐related diseases was administered to 120 respondents. Hospital records of children under 13 years of age diagnosed with climate‐change‐related ailments were compiled. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Harsh weather conditions and the outbreak of tropical diseases were the most significant evidence of climate change, with both having the same households' perceived climate change evidence agreement index (HPCCEAI) of 4.93. Increased pollution resulting from the use of domestic generators and industrial plants was the most perceived significant factor contributing to climate change with an HPCCEAI of 4.80, followed by incessant refuse burning (HPCCEAI = 4.68). Two of the most prevalent diseases were malaria (39.9%) and diarrhea (20.4%). The incidence of the diseases varied over the years. Infants (32.3%) and toddlers (24.0%), who were children less than 3 years of age, were found to be the most susceptible to climate‐change‐related diseases than other age groups. It is recommended that the government should make efforts to regulate climate change causative factors and improve the quality of health services rendered to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo in 2020 and the period will be the hottest period of the year in Japan. Marathon is a sport with a large heat load, and it is said that the risk of heat stroke rises more than other sports activities. The thermal environment of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon course is analyzed by using wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) map of the center area of Tokyo. The change due to the place, the effect of the shadow of the building, and the position on the course was analyzed from the distribution of WBGT and UTCI in the short-term analysis of sunny day from August 2 to August 6, 2014. To make the distribution map, we calculated distributions of sky view factor and mean radiant temperature of the 10 km × 7.5 km analyzed area in the center of Tokyo. Distributions of air temperature and humidity are calculated from Metropolitan Environmental Temperature and Rainfall Observation System data, which is a high-resolution measurement network. It was possible to incorporate the local variation of temperature and humidity of the analyzed area. In the result, the WBGT is about 1 °C lower and the UTCI is about 4-8 °C lower in the shadow of buildings from 9:00 to 10:00 than in the sunny side. As a cooling method, making a shadow is a relatively effective method. The variation along the course considering the distribution of meteorological data within the area is about 0.5 °C WBGT and 1 °C UTCI range. If we allow the error of this range, one-point meteorological data can be applied for the estimation along the course. Passing the right side (left side in the case of return) of the course could keep the accumulated value slightly lower along the course in the morning because the marathon course roughly runs from west to east and buildings’ shadow is on the relatively right side (south side). But practically, the effect of changing the position on the course was small. The long-term analysis on the degree of risk for each hour was also carried out by using one-point data of the first 10 days of August from 2007 to 2016. The risk increased rapidly after 8:00. It will be safer if the marathon race is finished before 9:00 or if the race is held after 19:00. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To collect and identify the issues that may affect the future global and local management of biological invasions in the next 20–50 years and provide guidance for the prioritization of actions and policies responding to the management challenges of the future. Location: Global Methods: We used an open online survey to poll specialists and stakeholders from around the world as to their opinion on the three most important future issues both globally and at their respective local working level. Results: The 240 respondents identified 629 global issues that we categorized into topics. We summarized the highest rated topics into five broad thematic areas: (1) environmental change, particularly climate change, (2) the spread of species through trade, (3) public awareness, (4) the development of new technologies to enhance management and (5) the need to strengthen policies. The respondents also identified 596 issues at their respective local working levels. Management, early detection, prevention and funding‐related issues all ranked higher than at the global level. Our global audience of practitioners, policymakers and researchers also elicited topics not identified in horizon scanning exercises led by scientists including potential human health impacts, the need for better risk assessments and legislation, the role of human migration and water management. Main conclusions: The topic areas identified in this horizon scan provide guidance where future policy priorities for invasive alien species should be set. First, to reduce the magnitude and speed of environmental change and its impacts on biological invasions; second, to restrict the movement of potentially invasive alien species via trade; third, to raise awareness with the general public and empower them to act; and finally, to invest in innovative technologies that can detect and mitigate adverse impacts of introduced species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a Perspective, Lawrence Stanberry and colleagues discuss impacts of climate change on children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the cold stress caused by a strong local wind called “Hijikawa-arashi,” through in situ vital measurements and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This wind is a very interesting winter phenomenon, localized in an area within 1 km of the seashore in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture in Japan. When a strong Hijikawa-arashi (HA) occurred at 14-15 m s−1, the UTCI decreased to − 30 °C along the bridge where commuting residents are the most exposed to strong and cold winds. On the bridge, most participants in our experiment felt “very cold” or “extremely cold.” The UTCI of HA can be predicted from a multiple regression equation using wind speed and air temperature. The cold HA wind is also harmful to human thermo-physiological responses. It leads to higher blood pressure and increased heart rate, both of which act as cardiovascular stress triggers. Increases of 6-10 mmHg and 3-6 bpm for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI were seen on all observational days, including HA and non-HA days. In fact, the participants’ body skin temperatures decreased by approximately 1.2 to 1.7 °C for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI. Thus, the UTCI variation due to the HA outbreak corresponded well with the cold sensation and thermo-physiological responses in humans. This result suggests that daily UTCI monitoring enables the prediction of thermo-physiological responses to the HA cold stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat wave (HW) events are becoming more frequent, and they have important consequences because of the negative effects they can have not only on the human population in health terms but also on biodiversity and agriculture. This motivated a study of the trends in HW events over Extremadura, a region in the southwest of Spain, with much of its area in summer devoted to the production of irrigated crops such as maize and tomatoes. Heat waves were defined for the study as two consecutive days with temperatures above the 95th percentile of the summer (June-August) maximum temperature (Tmax) time series. Two datasets were used: One consisted of 13 daily temperature records uniformly distributed over the Region, and the other was the SPAIN02 gridded observational dataset, extracting just the points corresponding to Extremadura. The trends studied were in the duration, intensity and frequency of HW events, and in other parameters such as the mean, low (25th percentile) and high (75th percentile) values. In general terms, the results showed significant positive trends in those parameters over the east, the northwest and a small area in the south of the region. In order to study changes in HW characteristics (duration, frequency and intensity) considering different subperiods, a stochastic model was used to generate 1000 time series equivalent to the observed ones. The results showed that there were no significant changes in HW duration in the last 10-year subperiod in comparison with the first. But, the results were different for warm events (WE), defined with a lower threshold (the 75th percentile), which are also important for agriculture. For several sites, there were significant changes in WE duration, frequency and intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Understanding the potential links between floods and infectious diarrhea is important under the context of climate change. However, little is known about the risk of infectious diarrhea after floods and what factors could modify these effects in China. Objectives This study aims to quantitatively examine the relationship between floods and infectious diarrhea and their effect modifiers. Methods Weekly number of infectious diarrhea cases from 2004 to 2011 during flood season in Hunan province were supplied by the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. Flood and meteorological data over the same period were obtained. A two-stage model was used to estimate a provincial average association and their effect modifiers between floods and infectious diarrhea, accounting for other confounders. Results A total of 134,571 cases of infectious diarrhea were notified from 2004 to 2011. After controlling for seasonality, long-term trends, and meteorological factors, floods were significantly associated with infectious diarrhea in the provincial level with a cumulative RR of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.43) with a lagged effect of 0–1 week. Geographic locations and economic levels were identified as effect modifiers, with a higher impact of floods on infectious diarrhea in the western and regions with a low economic level of Hunan. Conclusions Our study provides strong evidence of a positive association between floods and infectious diarrhea in the study area. Local control strategies for public health should be taken in time to prevent and reduce the risk of infectious diarrhea after floods, especially for the vulnerable regions identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the world argues about whether climate change is real, what if all systems are failing? This paper seeks to ignite further discussion concerning human impact on all aspects of our environment as we move further into the Anthropocene, not only in terms of the pressure we produce, but also how our activity changes the nature of the relationships between Earth's systems. The paper suggests that we currently lack the tools and analytical capacity to understand the significance of these changes and therefore we cannot answer the question, “are all systems failing?”. We discuss how complexity theory, complex networks, and Artificial Intelligence, could contribute part of a solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate is closely related to human longevity. In China, there are many climate types. According to national population censuses from 1982 to 2000, most provinces with a high ratio of centenarians are located in western and northwestern China far from the sea; these areas are characterized by a dry, cold climate, very high altitude, very high daily temperature range, strong winds, and partial hypoxia. Meanwhile, provinces with a high ratio of nonagenarians from 1982 to 2000 are located in southern China near the sea. Previous studies have attributed the high ratio of centenarians in western and northwestern China to the extreme local climate. However, centenarians in these areas decreased greatly in 2010, whereas residents in southern China frequently reached 90 to 100 years old in 2010. This study aims to explain this strange phenomenon and find whether extreme climate in Tibetan plateau and northwestern China or moderate climate in southern China is more conducive to longevity. The study found that mortality rate in Tibetan plateau is much higher than southern China, then a population evolution experiment was proposed to compare longevity indicators between low mortality rate and high mortality rate and shows that longevity indicators will decrease in the near future and increase above their original levels after several decades when the mortality rate is decreased. Results of this study show individuals in northwestern China do not live as long as those in eastern and southern China. A moderate climate is more conducive to longevity than extreme climate in China. The longevity of a region should be judged by long-term longevity indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting household resilience to climate extremes has emerged as a key development priority. Yet tracking and evaluating resilience at this level remains a critical challenge. Most quantitative approaches rely on objective indicators and assessment frameworks, but these are not fully satisfactory. Much of the difficulty arises from a combination of conceptual ambiguities, challenges in selecting appropriate indicators, and in measuring the many intangible aspects that contribute to household resilience. More recently, subjective measures of resilience have been advocated in helping to overcome some of the limitations of traditional objective characterizations. However, few large-scale studies of quantitative subjective approaches to resilience measurement have been conducted. In this study, we address this gap by exploring perceived levels of household resilience to climate extremes in Tanzania and the utility of standardized subjective methods for its assessment. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey involving 1294 individuals was carried out by mobile phone in June 2015 among randomly selected adult respondents aged 18 and above. Factors that are most associated with resilience-related capacities are having had advance knowledge of a previous flood, and to a lesser extent, believing flooding to be a serious community problem. Somewhat surprisingly, though a small number of weak relationships are apparent, most socio-demographic variables do not exhibit statistically significant differences with regards to perceived resilience-related capacities. These findings may challenge traditional assumptions about what factors characterize household resilience, offering a motivation for studying both subjective and objective perspectives, and understanding better their relationship to one another. If further validated, subjective measures may offer potential as both a complement and alternative to traditional objective methods of resilience measurement, each with their own merits and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human cystic (CE) and alveolar (AE) echinococcoses are zoonotic parasitic diseases that can be influenced by environmental variability and change through effects on the parasites, animal intermediate and definitive hosts, and human populations. We aimed to assess and quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of human echinococcoses in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), China between January 1994 and December 2013, and examine associations between these infections and indicators of environmental variability and change, including large-scale landscape regeneration undertaken by the Chinese authorities. Methods: Data on the number of human echinococcosis cases were obtained from a hospital-based retrospective survey conducted in NHAR for the period 1 January 1994 through 31 December 2013. High-resolution imagery from Landsat 4/5-TM and 8-OLI was used to create single date land cover maps. Meteorological data were also collected for the period January 1980 to December 2013 to derive time series of bioclimatic variables. A Bayesian spatio-temporal conditional autoregressive model was used to quantify the relationship between annual cases of CE and AE and environmental variables. Results: Annual CE incidence demonstrated a negative temporal trend and was positively associated with winter mean temperature at a 10-year lag. There was also a significant, nonlinear effect of annual mean temperature at 13- year lag. The findings also revealed a negative association between AE incidence with temporal moving averages of bareland/artificial surface coverage and annual mean temperature calculated for the period 11-15 years before diagnosis and winter mean temperature for the period 0-4 years. Unlike CE risk, the selected environmental covariates accounted for some of the spatial variation in the risk of AE. Conclusions: The present study contributes towards efforts to understand the role of environmental factors in determining the spatial heterogeneity of human echinococcoses. The identification of areas with high incidence of CE and AE may assist in the development and refinement of interventions for these diseases, and enhanced environmental change risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental change and natural events can impact on multiple dimensions of human life; economic, social, political, physical (built) and natural (ecosystems) environments. Water distribution networks cover both the built and natural realms and are as such inherently vulnerable to accidental or deliberate physical, natural, chemical, or biological threats. An example of such threats include flooding. The damage to water networks from flooding at the building level can include disrupted supply, pipe damage, sink and sewer overflows, fittings and appliance malfunctions etc. as well as the consequential socio-economic loss and distress. It has also been highlighted that the cost of damage caused by disasters including flooding can be correlated to the warning-time given before it occurs. Therefore, contiguous and continuous preparedness is essential to sustain disaster resilience. This paper presents an early stage review to: 1. Understand the challenges and opportunities posed by disaster risks to critical infrastructure at the building level. 2. Examine the role and importance of early warnings within the smart systems context to promote anticipatory preparedness and reduce physical, economic, environmental and social vulnerability 3. Review the opportunities provided by smart water microgrid/net to deliver such an early warning system and 4. Define the basis for a socially-integrated framework for resilience in building water networks based on smart water micro grids and micronets. The objective is to establish the theoretical approach for smart system integration for risk mitigation in water networks at the building level. Also, to explore the importance and scope integration of other social-political dimensions within such framework and associated solutions. The findings will inform further studies to address the gaps in understanding the disaster risks in micro water infrastructure e.g. flooding, and; to develop strategies and systems to strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response and anticipatory action for such risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistics is the most crucial aspect in supply demand activities. This aspect become more important in unexpected situation such as in disaster condition. There are a tremendous amount of disaster logistics literatures. However, only limited of them discussed how judgmental adjustment is incorporated in disaster logistics. This research aims to evaluate this issue by doing a critical literature review of academic literatures. The analysis will be focused on inventory system as the part of logistic. In the context of warehouse, judgmental adjustment in term of demand classification, forecasting, and stock control of the item(s) is reviewed. The findings demonstrate that there are very lack studies discussed these terms. Furthermore, there is still no guidance and policy on how human intervene the decision in managing the warehouse in disaster logistic. This preliminary research suggests that there is a huge scope for contributing and further advancing the current stage of knowledge in the area of disaster logistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, Vietnam has been recognized as one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change and its associated phenomena, including natural disasters and extreme weather events (NDEWEs). The increasing pattern of NDEWEs witnessed over recent times underlines the importance of disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Vietnam. The Vietnamese built environment, which plays a crucial part in the national economy and facilitates the functions of the entire society, is one that is directly exposed and susceptible to disasters. Nonetheless, the achievements of the Vietnamese built environment in integrating DRR has, due to various problems, remained somewhat limited and research on NDEWEs specific to the country’s built environment is currently nebulous and sporadic. This paper presents an investigation into the progress and shortcomings in integrating DRR into the construction and maintenance of the built environment in Vietnam. The investigation is based on a comprehensive review of legislative documents and related literature which was conducted as part of a wider research which aims to establish a framework that employs various instruments and strategies to integrate DRR more effectively into the built environment in Vietnam. The challenges identified by the study include lack of capacity and coordination at the national level; gaps in legal frameworks and lack of guidance for implementation; complex institutional arrangements; incompatibility of building codes and lack of enforcement; lack of qualified human resources; and inadequate understanding among the general public. These findings are of special importance to further research into developing a complete collection of measures to overcome the existing challenges in the application of DRR in the built environment and urban infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding is increasingly global challenge due to climate change and urban development practices. It can also be devastating to those affected. In the United Kingdom, it is projected that the number of people at high risk of flooding could rise from 1.5 to 3.5 million by 2080. Currently 400,000 homes and 75,000 businesses in England have an annual chance of flooding. In the UK, the Environment Agency provides useful information on flood risks for a given location. This information is supported with different guides by the local Councils on how to prepare for, and get help during flooding. What remains unclear and easy to access are customisable retrofit actions based on local flood risks, necessary for an individual or household to implement anticipatory retrofit actions, thereby improving the resilience of their homes. With this in mind, and knowing that studies about flood impacts focuses more on new construction or infrastructure solutions, this study aimed to provide a tangible solution to raise the awareness of people living in a flood area about the level of risk they are exposed to, and to aid decision-making about effective preventive solutions specifically designed for their house, in an autonomous way. The output is a decision-support tool developed to consolidate information about flood risks and present customised retrofit measures. The tool refers to the notions of damage and vulnerability of private housing to inform its operational diagnostic methodology. The output is a “to do list” of retrofitable work to increase resilience of the house against flood. 40 potential users evaluated and delivered positive feedback on the usefulness and functionality of the tool to raise awareness and improve resilience action. Future studies aim to fine-tune the tool and scale up the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different categories of human beings have been affected due to a range of disasters in Sri Lanka. The effects of such disasters vary according to these categories, in particular, the effect on adolescents’ reports as vital. However, there is a dearth of research with regard to this in Sri Lanka. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the flood disaster at Rahula College in May 2016 on adolescents in terms of physical, educational, economical and interpersonal relations and mental aspects. The randomly selected sample considered of flood disaster affected students of grade 10-11; 25 males and 25 females. The quantitative data was collected using a survey questionnaire. The survey data was triangulated with semi- structured interviews with teachers (10) and students (6) and analyzed using SPSS. Fact findings revealed that the effect in terms of physical, mental, educational, economical and interpersonal relations on both girls and boys was at considerable amount. The majority have been affected by post trauma stress disorder (PTSD), whilst the effect of social problems was high among females than males. The support received from friends, school teachers, social workers and Media recorded as powerful in resolving most of the problems encountered by adolescents due to flood disaster. This study is offered insights of professional counselors, about how to design counseling programs on coping skills for disaster affected adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, global warming has become one of the major topics to be considered by the world community. Considerable evidence exists to prove that the highest portion of this warming is caused by anthropogenic activities. Calculating Carbon Footprint (CFP) is the valuable first step towards making quantifiable emission reduction because it denotes how human react on global warming as a person, organization, country and world. Different types of organizations such as universities, fire brigades, rescue services, food manufacturers, hotels, hospitals have estimated their CFP nowadays. Among these organizations, Divisional secretariat offices play a major role for the general public as the main government organizations in the country. Therefore, main objectives of this study were to assess the CFP of a divisional secretariat office in Thihagoda in southern Sri Lanka and suggest suitable methods for reducing their CFP. After defining the organizational and operational boundaries according to Green House Gas (GHG) protocol using three scopes 1, 2 and 3, CFP of each emission sources and activities were calculated in tCO 2e /year by multiplying activity data with emission factors (EF). Emission factors were developed according to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Activity data were collected from bills, data sheets, personal communication and questionnaire for transportation by company own vehicle, food waste disposal, usage of liquid petroleum gas (LPG), backup generator (scope 1), for purchased electricity (scope 2) and for employee commuting and usage of water (scope 3). The results show that total CFP of this organization is 36.09 tCO 2-e /year, which is comparatively less than other organizations in Sri Lanka. The CFP under scope 1, 2, and 3 are 25.3%, 17.7% and 57.1% of the total respectively. Since the highest percentage of CFP depicts under scope 3 and it is due to employee commuting (56.73%), employees should be encouraged to use public transportation rather than private transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is considered as the major threat to the human beings in the future. Vulnerability to the climate change refers to the potential of a system to be harmed by an external threat and it is a function of exposure, sensitivity to impacts and the ability or lack of ability to cope or adapt. Adaptive capacity (AC) represents the ability of a region or community to cope with and thrive in the face of change. In this context, an attempt has been made to construct indexes to measure the adaptive capacity using five assets as economic, social, human, physical and natural. The data were obtained from Sri Lanka Household and Expenditure Survey covering 25000 households. One purpose of this research is to demonstrate a method of aggregating adaptive capacity indicators that result in a composite index. Indicators of Adaptive capacity are developed and a Weighted Principal Components Analysis (WPCA) is performed on assets. Households, who are dominantly dependent upon several resources, have always been adjusting their livelihood against the vagaries of climate. Multiple Factor Analysis for Mixed Data (FAMD) is used to handle the household data. As output shown in the analysis that the positive relationship between adaptive capacity and social assets are clearly followed by economic assets and physical assets, but human assets have been attributed a negative association. Batticaloa, Jaffna, Ampara, Moneragala, Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Puttlam districts had lower adaptive capacity, along with Colombo and Gampaha had a higher level of adaptive capacity. Furthermore, inter-household analysis of AC indicate that the poor households with less recourses are risky anywhere, irrespective of where they are located. Policy measures and development efforts should be focused towards improving the AC of the less owners of the assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International collaborations in the context of Disaster Resilience (DR) is pivotal due to several reasons. It helps to propose ways to create more coherent international approaches on disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and resilience strengthening; it helps to enhance risk management capabilities by bridging the gap between science and legal/policy issues; it helps to address the issue of efficient management of trans-boundary crises. The need to optimise international cooperation in relation to resourcing research, capacity building to undertake research and facilitating its uptake is mentioned throughout the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR). Given their different capacities, as well as the linkage between the level of support provided to them and the extent to which they will be able to implement the SFDRR, developing countries require an enhanced provision of means of implementation, including adequate, sustainable and timely resources, through international cooperation and global partnerships for development, and continued international support, so as to strengthen their efforts to reduce disaster risk. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of engagement of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries in Asia in international collaborations to improve their Research and Innovation (R&I) capacities in DR. Based on a project entitled ASCENT (Advancing Skills Creation and Enhancement), the findings of the paper focuses on three Asian countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Other than an extant literature review, the paper findings are drawn from a questionnaire survey carried out in eight HEIs from the said countries. There are already several regional initiatives that promote collaboration among HEIs towards building resilience. These networks should be supported and encouraged to grow. These global networks should collaborate with existing bodies to ensure that the role of higher education is understood and can be made use of. Findings of this paper supports the need for an enhanced international partnership to improve the science-policy interface in DR and to achieve the objectives of the SFDRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dhaka is one of the most vulnerable cities of the world to the adverse effects of climate change and variables. Children of Dhaka are the most vulnerable group of people to any crucial change in weather pattern or climate; i.e. heat wave and heavy precipitation. However, little research has been conducted with children on their perception of climate change which is important for developing coping strategies - resilience to inform urban development and planning policies for the city. This mixed method research conducted a cross-sectional survey on children of three schools in Dhaka. Analysis of the survey shows that socio-economic and educational background of the children defines their access to infrastructure, services and facilities; thus frame their experience and perception of vulnerabilities. Children have clear perception on the changes in temperature and rainfall in Dhaka. Although they feel more comfortable with heavy precipitation than increased heat, yet both the conditions affect their physiological health and daily activities negatively. The actions they suggested to cope with the negative impacts of climate change are mostly reactive than anticipatory in nature illustrating dependency on adults to increase their adaptive capacity. However their concern for every-day stress and well-being affected by the deteriorating weather conditions illustrate a sense of anxiety among them. The children also identified a few coping strategies - resilience to adapt to the impacts of extreme weather events that may inform to develop a comprehensive urban design guideline and planning policy for Dhaka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of 21 st century challenges including globalisation, urbanisation, climate change and anti-microbial resistance, disaster risk governance must ensure top-level buy-in from city leaders. The Sendai Framework calls for focused action in strengthening disaster risk governance. Over the last decade Greater Manchester has transformed its disaster risk governance to reflect a more sophisticated understanding of resilience. At the start of this century, the UK experienced a series of crises that led to modernisation of its civil protection arrangements. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 enabled Greater Manchester to formalise existing partnership structures to strengthen the local platform for disaster risk reduction. This created the multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder Greater Manchester Resilience Forum which coordinates civil protection activities for nearly 3 million residents. The UK recognises that local and national platforms need to work together and this alignment is delivered through a specialist Government team working closely with the Forum. In 2014 Greater Manchester joined the UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign. Use of the campaign’s toolkit led to a review of governance and renewed trans-disciplinary collaboration across multiple thematic local partnerships. A role model city within the campaign, Greater Manchester also participated in an EU-funded project (USCORE) to pilot the UNISDR’s Disaster Resilience Scorecard. Outcomes highlighted the importance of place-based assurance together with relevant metrics to inform decisions. This case study draws on this experience of strengthening disaster risk governance arrangements, a journey which will continue as Greater Manchester works with the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have reported a strong association between temperature and mortality. Additional insights can be gained from investigating the effects of temperature on years of life lost (YLL), considering the life expectancy at the time of death. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this work was to assess the association between temperature and YLL at seven low-, middle-, and high-income sites. METHODS: We obtained meteorological and population data for at least nine years from four Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites in Kenya (western Kenya, Nairobi), Burkina Faso (Nouna), and India (Vadu), as well as data from cities in the United States (Philadelphia, Phoenix) and Sweden (Stockholm). A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to estimate the association of daily maximum temperature and daily YLL, lagged 0-14 d. The reference value was set for each site at the temperature with the lowest YLL. RESULTS: Generally, YLL increased with higher temperature, starting day 0. In Nouna, the hottest location, with a minimum YLL temperature at the first percentile, YLL increased consistently with higher temperatures. In Vadu, YLL increased in association with heat, whereas in Nairobi, YLL increased in association with both low and high temperatures. Associations with cold and heat were evident for Phoenix (stronger for heat), Stockholm, and Philadelphia (both stronger for cold). Patterns of associations with mortality were generally similar to those with YLL. CONCLUSIONS: Both high and low temperatures are associated with YLL in high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Policy guidance and health adaptation measures might be improved with more comprehensive indicators of the health burden of high and low temperatures such as YLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate emissions from biomass burning can both alter the atmosphere's radiative balance and cause significant harm to human health. However, due to the large effect on emissions caused by even small alterations to the way in which a fuel burns, it is difficult to study particulate production of biomass combustion mechanistically and in a repeatable manner. In order to address this gap, in this study, small wood samples sourced from Côte D'Ivoire in West Africa were burned in a highly controlled laboratory environment. The shape and mass of samples, available airflow and surrounding thermal environment were carefully regulated. Organic aerosol and refractory black carbon emissions were measured in real time using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer and a Single Particle Soot Photometer, respectively. This methodology produced remarkably repeatable results, allowing aerosol emissions to be mapped directly onto different phases of combustion. Emissions from pyrolysis were visible as a distinct phase before flaming was established. After flaming combustion was initiated, a black-carbon-dominant flame was observed during which very little organic aerosol was produced, followed by a period that was dominated by organic-carbon-producing smouldering combustion, despite the presence of residual flaming. During pyrolysis and smouldering, the two phases producing organic aerosol, distinct mass spectral signatures that correspond to previously reported variations in biofuel emissions measured in the atmosphere are found. Organic aerosol emission factors averaged over an entire combustion event were found to be representative of the time spent in the pyrolysis and smouldering phases, rather than reflecting a coupling between emissions and the mass loss of the sample. Further exploration of aerosol yields from similarly carefully controlled fires and a careful comparison with data from macroscopic fires and real-world emissions will help to deliver greater constraints on the variability of particulate emissions in atmospheric systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that approximately 30% of childhood diseases can be attributed to environmental factors and 40% involve children under the age of five years old, representing about 10% of world population. This study aimed to analyze the relationship of climate variables in the prevalence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children under two years old, in Rondonopolis-MT, from 1999 to 2014. It was used a cross-sectional study with a quantitative and a descriptive approach with meteorological teaching and research data from the database from the health information system. For statistical analysis, it adjusted the negative binomial model belonging to the class of generalized linear models, adopting a significance level of 5%, based on the statistical platform R. The average number of cases of ARI decreases at approximately by 7.9% per degree centigrade increase above the average air temperature and decrease about 1.65% per 1% increase over the average air relative humidity. Already, the rainfall not associated with these cases. It is the interdisciplinary team refocus practical actions to assist in the control and reduction of ARI significant numbers in primary health care, related climate issues in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate human impact on climate change, it is essential to determine the contribution of emissions to the concentration of certain trace gases. This study presents an advanced version of the tagging method for OH and HO2 (HOx) which attributes HOx concentration to emissions. While the former version V1.0 only considered 12 reactions in the troposphere, the new version V1.1, presented here, takes 19 reactions in the troposphere into account. For the first time, also the main chemical reactions for the HOx chemistry in the stratosphere are regarded (in total 27 reactions). To fully take into account the main HO2 source by the reaction of H and O2, the tagging of H radical is introduced. In order to close the budget between the sum of all contributions and the total concentration, we explicitly introduce rest terms, which balance the deviation of HOx production and loss. The contributions to the OH and HO2 concentration obtained by the improved tagging method V1.1 deviates from V1.0 in certain source categories. For OH, major changes are found in the categories of biomass burning emissions, biogenic emissions and methane decomposition. For HO2, the contributions differs strongly in the categories biogenic emission and methane decomposition. The tagged long-lived species of reactive nitrogen compounds NOy, non-methane hydrocarbons NMHC and peroxyacyl nitrates PAN show only little changes. O3 from biogenic emissions and methane decomposition decreases in the tropical troposphere. Variations for CO from lightning, biogenic and methane decomposition are found in the Southern Hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and health was established as a formal field of endeavor in the early 1990s, with the number of publications increasing since the mid-2000s. The key findings in assessment reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2014 indicate the progress in understanding the magnitude and pattern of the health risks of a changing climate. The assessments maintained a similar structure, focusing on assessing the state of knowledge of individual climate-sensitive health outcomes, with confidence in the key findings tending to increase over time with greater understanding. The knowledge base is smaller than for other key sectors (e.g., agriculture) because of limited research investment in climate change and health. Vulnerability, adaptation, and capacity assessments can inform prioritization of the significant research gaps in understanding and managing the health risks of a changing climate; filling these research gaps would provide policy- and decision-makers with insights to increase short- and longer-term resilience in health and other sectors. Research needs include to understand how climate and development pathways could interact to alter health risks over time, better understand upstream drivers of climate-sensitive health outcomes, project aggregate health impacts to understand the breadth and depth of challenges that may need to be managed at geographic scales of interest, and project the time of emergence of changes in the geographic range and intensity of transmission of infectious diseases and other climate conditions. Engagement with other sectors is needed to ensure that their mitigation and adaptation activities also promote and protect health and take the health sector's needs into account. Making progress in these areas is critical for protecting the health of future populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tromp Award is the highest honor awarded by the International Society of Biometeorology (ISB). The award acknowledges outstanding research in biometeorology by a scientist under the age of 35 and was established in conjunction with the Tromp Foundation and the ISB. In honor of the 60th anniversary of the ISB, this article will provide a brief summary of the life of Dr. Solco Tromp and of the six awardees of the Tromp Award since the inaugural issuance of the award in 1999. The Tromp Award was established in part to recognize and support the efforts of young biometeorological professionals. As the brief summary of the awardees and a few of their selected subsequent publications have shown, the ISB and the Tromp Award has proven effective at identifying and supporting promising young scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper presents the history of the Climate and Human Health Commission at the International Society of Biometeorology after more than one decade since its creation. A brief history of the origins of the human biometeorology is revealed through some of the main research topics and publications of the founders of the society in this field. Secondly, it is presented as a brief review of the activities of the commission in the last 10 years, based on the reports that have periodically been submitted by members of the commission to the Bulletin of the society. A summary of the topics of interest on human biometeorology and the most frequent research topics are also described. Thirdly, the need of adapting human biometeorology contents, methods and techniques to a changing world is articulated according to some of the new environmental threats in the XXI century. Finally, a list of future actions and research lines collected through a form from members of the commission is presented. The paper concludes with the existence of great challenge for human biometeorology in order to transform biometeorological knowledge into specific services to improve the wellbeing of human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some sources of heterogeneity among cities, i.e. age, gender, race, income and education, have been the object of substantial inquiry. The reasons are obvious. These differences are easily observed and may have important implications for economic activity. This study considers another potentially important population characteristic, obesity. Descriptive statistics reveal that the intercity variance in obesity rates is substantial. Empirical results demonstrate that demographic and regional amenity variables all help to explain intercity differences in obesity. Because obesity is important for climate preferences, health and productivity, its omission from previous studies and its correlation with amenity and demographic characteristics could create problems for empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Heat related mortality is of great concern for public health, and estimates of future mortality under a warming climate are important for planning of resources and possible adaptation measures. Papers providing projections of future heat-related mortality were critically reviewed with a focus on the use of climate model data. Some best practice guidelines are proposed for future research. Methods: The electronic databases Web of Science and PubMed/Medline were searched for papers containing a quantitative estimate of future heat-related mortality. The search was limited to papers published in English in peer-reviewed journals up to the end of March 2017. Reference lists of relevant papers and the citing literature were also examined. The wide range of locations studied and climate data used prevented a meta-analysis. Results: A total of 608 articles were identified after removal of duplicate entries, of which 63 were found to contain a quantitative estimate of future mortality from hot days or heat waves. A wide range of mortality models and climate model data have been used to estimate future mortality. Temperatures in the climate simulations used in these studies were projected to increase. Consequently, all the papers indicated that mortality from high temperatures would increase under a warming climate. The spread in projections of future climate by models adds substantial uncertainty to estimates of future heat-related mortality. However, many studies either did not consider this source of uncertainty, or only used results from a small number of climate models. Other studies showed that uncertainty from changes in populations and demographics, and the methods for adaptation to warmer temperatures were at least as important as climate model uncertainty. Some inconsistencies in the use of climate data (for example, using global mean temperature changes instead of changes for specific locations) and interpretation of the effects on mortality were apparent. Some factors which have not been considered when estimating future mortality are summarised. Conclusions: Most studies have used climate data generated using scenarios with medium and high emissions of greenhouse gases. More estimates of future mortality using climate information from the mitigation scenario RCP2.6 are needed, as this scenario is the only one under which the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 2°C or less could be realised. Many of the methods used to combine modelled data with local climate observations are simplistic. Quantile-based methods might offer an improved approach, especially for temperatures at the ends of the distributions. The modelling of adaptation to warmer temperatures in mortality models is generally arbitrary and simplistic, and more research is needed to better quantify adaptation. Only a small number of studies included possible changes in population and demographics in their estimates of future mortality, meaning many estimates of mortality could be biased low. Uncertainty originating from establishing a mortality baseline, climate projections, adaptation and population changes is important and should be considered when estimating future mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Human-induced climate change requires conservation strategies incorporating its potential effects on species and communities. Key components of population persistence can be attributed to resistance (the capacity to remain unaffected) or resilience (capacity to absorb and recover) to climate change. In situ climatic refugia can act as resistant distribution units, and ex situ climatic refugia and the corridors to reach them may enhance resilience. We develop a novel approach selecting conservation priorities, resistant units and resilient areas according to structural connectivity and future distribution, to identify strategies that maximize the chances of species persistence in a changing climate. Location Italian Alps. Methods Conservation priorities were defined across species according to the regional conservation status and the level of threat from climate change, and across sites according to their suitability for target species and their related potential for population persistence (in situ climatic refugia, i.e., resistant units) or redistribution (ex situ climatic refugia and main corridors according to current and future connectivity, i.e., resilient units). Results Models suggested a marked loss of suitable area for all species by 2050 (ranging from ~50% for pygmy owl and water pipit, to 84% for snowfinch in the worst scenario), and a general loss of connectivity, which was particularly marked for pygmy owl and snowfinch. The approach applied to Alpine birds of different habitats led to a spatially explicit definition of conservation priorities. Main conclusions The spatial definition of conservation priorities according to species (regional importance and level of threat), resistance and resilience refines the definition of management/conservation priorities (including protected area definition), complementing the existing approaches to address climate change-induced threats in planning conservation and ecological networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the influence of geographic variation on the risk of digital ulcer (DU) development in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.Methods: This cross-sectional, multicentre study evaluated patients with SSc from centres located in different geographic regions of Brazil (subtropical and tropical climate zones). Demographic and clinical data were collected.Results: The study included 141 patients with SSc (26 from the subtropical and 115 from the tropical zone). In total, 43 DUs were observed in 23 (16%) of the patients. By a simple logistic regression model, the presence of DUs was associated with a higher modified Rodnan skin score, previous necrosis or amputation of the extremities, flexion contracture of the fingers, active smoking, higher avascular score on capillaroscopy, higher severity of Raynaud's phenomenon, a higher Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) score, a higher visual analogue scale score for Raynaud's phenomenon and overall disease, and the subtropical climate zone. Using multiple logistic regression, the presence of DUs was significantly associated with patients living in the subtropical climate zone [odds ratio (OR) = 5.4, p = 0.002], necrosis or amputation (OR = 5.2, p = 0.011), and a higher HAQ-DI score (OR = 2.6, p = 0.021).Conclusion: In this multicentre study in a continental country with different climates, patients with SSc living in a subtropical climate region had a 5.4 times higher risk of developing DUs than patients living in a warmer region (tropical climate), suggesting a more severe course of peripheral vasculopathy among patients living in geographic regions with relatively cold weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic and altitude features of living region may affect human body. Many changes in several tissues and organs and several health problems due to climatic and altitude effects were defined in the literature. However, there were limited number of studies which evaluated correlation between development of frontal sinus and climatic/altitude effect. In this study, widths, heights, AP lengths and volumes of frontal sinus were compared by Paranasal CT scans in populations living in Van which has colder climate and higher altitude and Manisa which has milder climate and lower altitude. It was found that widths, antero-posterior lengths and volumes of frontal sinus were higher in populations living in colder climate and higher altitude according to populations living in milder climate and lower altitude. Heights of frontal sinuses were on the contrary of this. These results were found appropriate to increasing of cephalic index in cold climate according to Allen's Rule. We suggest that larger population study should be made with peoples having the same or similar race and genetic structure in different climate and altitude regions and the proportional comparison of frontal sinus measurements with cephalic index should be considered in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate adaptation politics presents both obstacles and opportunities for correcting inequities that leave some communities especially vulnerable to climate-related environmental harms. By revealing these obstacles and opportunities, theories of procedural justice can help to identify procedural reforms and political strategies that advance the interests of vulnerable populations. An account of procedural justice is proposed that foregrounds the capability for political control over one’s environment, defined as having the political power to influence adaptation decisions. While the variables shaping this capability in the politics of environmental injustice often interact in ways that reproduce environmental inequities, adaptation politics has the potential to produce more transformational outcomes. To illustrate this potential, differences between the politics of environmental injustice and the politics of climate adaptation are drawn on to sketch the basic features of a typology of vulnerable populations’ political capabilities in the politics of climate adaptation, before highlighting the potential points for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]