Community Links
Insights on the Perception and Engagement of Citizens to the Action Plan of the Declaration of Climate Change Emergency by the City Councils: The Case of Sant Cugat del Vallès View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rachil Koumproglou
Climate change threatens the quality life of human communities and the balance of the planet's ecosystems. Greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities are growing constantly, contributing to earth heating above 1C since pre-industrial age and the manifestation of extreme natural events. As a response, city councils around the world declare the climate emergency and are committed to action plans to reach zero net emissions. To study the impact of risk perception of climate change on the acceptance and engagement of local communities to these initiatives, we conducted a survey addressed to the population of Sant Cugat del Valles, a middle size town in Catalonia that declared the Climate Emergency. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the emotions of concern or anxiety about climate change and the perception of personal responsibility to take action are associated with higher support for the Action Plan. However, more people remain indecisive if they are called to participate actively in the planned actions whereas mistrust to local authorities is shown to undermine the confidence of the population on the completion of the goals. Instead, the respondents trust mostly the experts on receiving information about climate change. Another alarming evidence was the almost null participation of young people in the survey, despite being open to all population ages over 16. The implication of these results on the communication strategy of the local government are discussed.
The Anthropogenic Global Warming Hypothesis and the Causality Principle View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Digby Macdonald
The scientific viability of the Anthropogenic Global Warming Hypothesis (AGWH) has been evaluated in terms of the Causality Principle (CP), which is the foundation of scientific philosophy. The colloquial form of the CP is most appropriate here, especially when presenting to a general audience, as: “Every effect has a cause, and the cause must precede the effect”. Furthermore, “for a complex system comprising a series of processes, if any step is non-causal then so is the entire process”. It is important to note that the CP is independent of the mechanism of the change just as are the Laws of Equilibrium Thermodynamics for which there exists a close parallel. If this were not the case, a process may appear to be causal via one mechanism but noncausal via another, even though the initial and final states or the declared cause and effect had not changed; an intolerable conflict and one via which al processes could be declared to be “causal” for convenience and in defiance of common sense. Based on the available experimental data, the relationship that is expressed by the AGWH (that rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is responsible for global warming (GW) as reflected in the rise in temperature) is noncausal because the alleged cause (the change in the atmospheric [CO2]) lags the effect (rise in the temperature) in violation of the CP and hence the AGWH lacks scientific validity.
Featured Enforcing Carbon Majors’ Liability for Climate Change: A Comparative Study of Tort Law-based Climate Litigation in the Netherlands and Spain View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ignacio Portela Giráldez
According to overwhelming scientific evidence, anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing threats to human lives, livelihoods, and democratic institutions. Environmental activists have sought to enforce liability for these climatic changes in different fora, and yet, the institutional response has been laggard and suboptimal. The Judiciary, on the other hand, has been successful in enforcing climate change mitigation through a new body of environmental law that combines, inter alia, international, human rights, constitutional and tort law; climate change litigation (CCL). Public actors are the usual focus of CCL to compel them to enact more stringent environmental regulation, but little attention has been given to corporations, especially Carbon Majors, despite being the main contributors to climate change. In the Netherlands, the Milieudefensie et al. v. Royal Dutch Shell plc. case ruled that corporations can be found liable for breaching their Duty of Care and human rights obligations towards Dutch citizens, if they fail to curb Greenhouse Gas emissions responsible for climate change. In Spain, despite being one of the most vulnerable European countries to climate change, and hosting some of the most emitting oil and gas multinationals, no similar legal study has been carried out yet. For this reason, this research fills this detected knowledge gap and contribute to the ongoing Climate Justice scholarship by showing a possible pathway to reach a similar ruling in Spain against a national Carbon Major, following the legal findings of Milieudefensie.
Assessing Community Vulnerability to Extreme Events in the Presence of Contaminated Sites and Waste Management Facilities: An Evidence-based Indicator Approach View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Meridith Fry
Communities across the world are experiencing a myriad of impacts from intensifying extreme heat, flood, drought, and wildfire events due to climate change. Communities near contaminated sites and waste management facilities may experience further impacts from extreme climate events due to the risk of contaminant releases into the surrounding environment. These overburdened communities are disproportionately impacted by these events due to a combination of economic, health, social, and environmental burdens. Because resources are often scarce for these communities, a dependable, evidence-based approach is needed to assist with prioritizing and targeting resources toward areas that may be impacted the most. Here, we present a conceptual framework for collective understanding of key vulnerabilities and exposure pathways. Indicators and maps were developed to represent contaminated sites, waste facilities, contaminant fate and transport (by air and water), and a range of population sensitivities. This transparent and replicable screening method is based on publicly available data and can be used to identify the communities most vulnerable to extreme climate events. We demonstrate the method in Phoenix and Maricopa County, Arizona (USA), where the approach informed plans for preparedness, response, and recovery. This example highlights how evidence can help decision-makers build their communities’ capacity to address potential future climate risks. Regional, state, and local decision makers can also use this method to develop targeted strategies for preventing adverse health and environmental impacts of disaster-induced contaminant releases.
Sociotechincal Assemblages in Local Food Systems Innovation: Answers to Climate Change View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maria Alice Mendonca
Climate change threatens food security and intensifies risks, especially for the most vulnerable populations, causing instability and directly and indirectly impacting peasant agri-food systems. This paper proposes an ontological-methodological framework to understand how innovations happen in peasant agricultural communities, while they face climate change and ensure food security. The framework is focused in investigating and describing the territorialized socio-technical innovations as processes of agri-food production. First, we situate agri-food systems and climate change discussion within the innovation studies. Second, we present our theoretical outline and mobilize three key concepts: (a) centrality in social actors; (b) assemblages; and (c) sociotechnical innovation. Together, they form the structure of our proposal. Finally, we do some reflections on how to apply and construct this framework empirically and for what proposes. We defend that actor-oriented research, in peripheral regions, with extreme environmental and life conditions, can even give us clues on how we are going to experience situations in other regions of the planet.
