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Zouheir Mighri
,
Suleman Sarwar
, and
Samuel Asumadu Sarkodie

Abstract

Forests are considered the key factor in controlling climate change and extreme climatic events due to their natural role in carbon abatement. However, twenty-first-century economic development is characterized by intensive resource exploitation, energy intensity, population, and urbanization, and hence it is affecting the natural forest habitat. The persistent deforestation and land degradation with limited sustainable forest management and its related services have long-term effects on environmental sustainability. Here, we investigate the impact of forest and its related services on the past decade of China’s carbon emissions while accounting for economic development, urbanization, and fossil fuels. We use several spatial techniques to ascertain the carbon abatement effect of the forestry-driven economy in halting the ecological degradation process. We report that carbon emissions decline across 30 provinces in China through the expansion of forest investment and forest management activities—instead of increasing the forest land without continuous proper management. Besides, the spatial analysis confirms that forest investments and proper management contribute to reducing carbon levels in neighboring provinces. From a policy point of view, it is more than an urgent need for the Chinese government to conduct forest management reforms, and such policies might be helpful to generate new sources of employment and pollution reduction in China.

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Lauren Hodgson
,
Gabriela Fernando
, and
Nina Lansbury

Abstract

For many people living in low-income coastal communities, marine resources provide a crucial source of animal protein and are of major nutritional importance. However, because of various human-induced pressures, such as overfishing and poor resource management, marine resources are deteriorating at an unprecedented rate. Climate change effects this dynamic by contributing directly to marine resource deterioration and acting as an effect multiplier, worsening already-present problems in the systems. This deterioration threatens the viability of marine resources to support future food security demands and presents multiple health implications for coastal communities that rely upon these resources. This research used a narrative review to explore how the impacts of climate change are projected to impact human health and sustainable development throughout subsistence fishing communities. A case study approach focusing on the Pacific Ocean region of Micronesia was conducted to provide a practical indication of the future scenario applicable to other geographical regions across the globe. The results indicate that climate change is likely to exacerbate adverse health outcomes such as food insecurity, ciguatera fish poisoning, heatstroke, and mental health problems and that climate change may lead to the deterioration of traditional cultural practices. As the climate crisis is happening now and will be an issue extending into the foreseeable future, it is necessary to implement adaptation strategies, funding, and governance to limit global emissions, preserve marine resources, and support human well-being. Therefore, this research details adaptation strategies, such as diversifying fish catch and reviving traditional postharvest preservation methods, that may help communities adapt to climate change.

Significance Statement

The Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021) has indicated that marine resources are deteriorating at an unprecedented rate across all regions of the globe. As marine resources significantly contribute to feeding coastal–semisubsistence communities, it is beneficial to understand how this deterioration will affect human health. Thus, this research indicates that declines in marine resources may exacerbate the prevalence of food insecurity, ciguatera fish poisoning, heat-related illnesses, mental health problems, and chronic diseases within marine-dependent communities. Furthermore, this research details adaptation strategies such as diversifying fish catch, improving postharvest preservation methods, and offering counseling services, which may help support the health and well-being of marine-dependent communities.

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Jonathan Salerno
,
Karen Bailey
,
Jeremy Diem
,
Bronwen Konecky
,
Ryan Bridges
,
Shamilah Namusisi
,
Robert Bitariho
,
Michael Palace
, and
Joel Hartter

Abstract

People’s observations of climate change and its impacts, mediated by cultures and capacities, shape adaptive responses. Adaptation is critical in regions of rainfed smallholder agriculture where changing rainfall patterns have disproportionate impacts on livelihoods, yet scientific climate data to inform responses are often sparse. Despite calls for better integration of local knowledge into adaptation frameworks, there is a lack of empirical evidence linking both smallholder climate observations and scientific data to on-farm outcomes. We combine smallholder observations of past seasonal rainfall timing with satellite-based rainfall estimates in Uganda to explore whether farmers’ ability to track climate patterns is associated with higher crop yields. We show that high-fidelity tracking, or alignment of farmer recall with recent rainfall patterns, predicts higher yields in the present year, suggesting that farmers may translate their cumulative record of environmental knowledge into productive on-farm decisions, such as crop selection and timing of planting. However, tracking of less-recent rainfall (i.e., 1–2 decades in the past) does not predict higher yields in the present, while climate data indicate significant trends over this period toward warmer and wetter seasons. Our findings demonstrate the value of smallholder knowledge systems in filling information gaps in climate science while suggesting ways to improve adaptive capacity to climate change.

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Dolly Y. Na-Yemeh
,
Christopher A. Fiebrich
,
James E. Hocker
, and
Mark A. Shafer

Abstract

Oklahoma’s First-response Information Resource System using Telecommunications (OK-First) has been used for over 25 years to provide education, training, connections, and follow-up support for public safety officials with emergency management responsibilities in Oklahoma. Public safety officials use OK-First training and Oklahoma Mesonet tools to plan and make decisions to save lives and property. However, like most public systems, little is known about user interactions with tools, decisions made, and estimated savings using a weather decision support system. This study used a mixed approach to collect and analyze data from three key sources to assess the perceptions, beneficiaries, and applications of weather support systems for public safety officials. Results showed that a diverse set of tools were needed and used by public safety officials to make decisions in hazardous weather conditions. OK-First tools resulted in estimated self-reported cost savings of over $1.2 million for 12 months. This study provides a crucial step in determining user interactions with tools, training, and services to better understand weather decision support systems used during hazardous weather.

Open access
Staci M. Zavattaro
and
Kelly A. Stevens

Abstract

Television station and on-air talent marketing and branding has been studied with increasing attention because there is recognition that the people are part of an overall brand strategy. In this paper, we focus on broadcast meteorologists and their views of their personal brands and how those work to engage audiences. With Hurricane Dorian in 2019 as the background major weather event, the paper focuses on how on-air meteorologists develop their brand identities. From these interviews, we find 1) personal branding to build trust is paramount, 2) social media are game changers for personal branding, and 3) station branding can influence personal branding. Our findings shed light on the tension some on-air meteorologists experience when seeing themselves as a commodity while also trying to build trust as an expert crisis communicator.

Significance Statement

The purpose of our study is to examine how on-air meteorologists understand the role that personal branding plays—if any at all—in helping them deliver information to viewers. In previous research, Daniels and Loggins noted that, as the landscape for communicating lifesaving information changes, understanding how on-air meteorologists understand their roles and personal identities becomes paramount. If weather is a product, the people delivering the information become part of the product and overall brand strategy, according to Daniels and Loggins. Our exploratory study indicates that personal branding poses some opportunities and challenges for on-air meteorologists, who sometimes see an internal conflict between station branding strategies and their roles as scientists.

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Linda Menk
,
Stefano Terzi
,
Marc Zebisch
,
Erich Rome
,
Daniel LĂĽckerath
,
Katharina Milde
, and
Stefan Kienberger

Abstract

Shifting from effect-oriented toward cause-oriented and systemic approaches in sustainable climate change adaptation requires a solid understanding of the climate-related and societal causes behind climate risks. Thus, capturing, systemizing, and prioritizing factors contributing to climate risks are essential for developing cause-oriented climate risk and vulnerability assessments (CRVA). Impact chains (IC) are conceptual models used to capture hazard, vulnerability, and exposure factors that lead to a specific risk. IC modeling includes a participatory stakeholder phase and an operational quantification phase. Although ICs are widely implemented to systematically capture risk processes, they still show methodological gaps concerning, for example, the integration of dynamic feedback or balanced stakeholder involvement. Such gaps usually only become apparent in practical applications, and there is currently no systematic perspective on common challenges and methodological needs. Therefore, we reviewed 47 articles applying IC and similar CRVA methods that consider the cause–effect dynamics governing risk. We provide an overview of common challenges and opportunities as a roadmap for future improvements. We conclude that IC should move from a linear-like to an impact web–like representation of risk to integrate cause–effect dynamics. Qualitative approaches are based on significant stakeholder involvement to capture expert-, place-, and context-specific knowledge. The integration of IC into quantifiable, executable models is still highly underexplored because of a limited understanding of systems, data, evaluation options, and other uncertainties. Ultimately, using IC to capture the underlying complex processes behind risk supports effective, long-term, and sustainable climate change adaptation.

Open access
Gala Gulacsik
,
Susan L. Joslyn
,
John Robinson
, and
Chao Qin

Abstract

There are lingering questions about the effectiveness of the watch, warning, and advisory system (WWA) used to convey weather threats in the United States. Recently there has been a shift toward alternative communication strategies such as the impact-based forecast. The study reported here compared users’ interpretation of a color-coded impact-based prototype designed for email briefings, to a legacy WWA format. Participants, including emergency managers and members of the public, saw a weather briefing and rated event likelihood, severity, damage, and population affected. Then they recommended emergency response actions. Each briefing described the severity of the weather event and the degree of impact on population and property. In one condition a color-coded impacts scale was added to the text description. In another, an advisory and/or warning was added to the text description. These were compared with the text-only control. Both emergency managers and members of the public provided higher ratings for event likelihood, severity, damage, and population affected and recommended a greater response for higher impact levels regardless of format. For both groups, the color-coded format decreased ratings for lower-impact events. Among members of the public, the color-coded format also led to increases for many ratings and greater response at higher levels relative to the other two conditions. However, the highest ratings among members of the public were in the WWA condition. Somewhat surprisingly, the only effect of the WWA format on emergency managers was to reduce action recommendations, probably because of the inclusion of the “advisory” in some briefings.

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S. M. Asger Ali
and
Duane A. Gill

Abstract

Media organizations can quickly disseminate information from official sources to the general population. The media play a vital role before, during, and after a hazard incident or natural disaster by broadcasting early warnings, coordinating emergency management strategies, providing timely updates, and offering advice on protective actions. Therefore, it is important to examine how news media use various framing devices such as story selection, placement, length, and quotations from officials and citizens in their crisis news coverage. We investigate print media coverage of Hurricane Harvey utilizing data from three newspapers: the New York Times (online), the Wall Street Journal (online), and the Houston Chronicle. By examining the use of descriptors, quotes, and wording about Hurricane Harvey, our research explores how media coverage framed and created a tone for the government and private sectors for their roles in response and recovery processes. Findings reveal that the human-interest frame received the most media attention, whereas the morality frame received less attention. For tone, we find that the overall tone for the government response was balanced and less negative. However, the media tone varies among three levels of government: the tone for the federal government was more negative, whereas the tone for the city and state levels of government was slightly positive. For private sectors, we found that the for-profit sector coverage had a strong negative tone, whereas the nonprofit sector received a strong positive tone. By offering a descriptive analysis of framing and tone, our study reveals how print media sources portray actors involved in recovery and rebuilding efforts for Hurricane Harvey.

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Margaret V. du Bray
,
Barbara Quimby
,
Julia C. Bausch
,
Amber Wutich
,
Weston M. Eaton
,
Kathryn J. Brasier
,
Alexandra Brewis
, and
Clinton Williams

Abstract

This paper explores environmental distress (e.g., feeling blue) in a politically conservative (“red”) and predominantly white farming community in the southwestern United States. In such communities across the United States, expressed concern over environmental change—including climate change—tends to be lower. This is understood to have a palliative effect that reduces feelings of ecoanxiety. Using an emotional geographies framework, our study identifies the forms of everyday emotional expressions related to water and environmental change in the context of a vulnerable rural agricultural community in central Arizona. Drawing on long-term participant-observation and stakeholder research, we use data from individual (n = 48) and group (n = 8) interviews with water stakeholders to explore reports of sadness and fear over environmental change using an emotion-focused text analysis. We find that this distress is related to social and material changes related to environmental change rather than to environmental change itself. We discuss implications for research on emotional geographies for understanding reactions to environmental change and uncertainty.

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Vahid Aliabadi
,
Pouria Ataei
, and
Saeed Gholamrezai

Abstract

Considering the widespread and cross-cultural effects of climate on various production sectors, environmental factors, and human societies, drought is nowadays regarded as one of the most important environmental challenges of the current century. Because of their close relationship with the natural environment and their limited opportunities, rural communities have long been exposed to drought, and farmers in dry and semiarid regions have been applying measures to adapt to and cope with it. The main purpose of this study was to investigate and identify farmers’ native methods to reduce the effects of drought. The research method was phenomenological and survey based. The population included villagers in Kangavar County, Kermanshah Province, in Iran. Sampling was done by the targeted and snowflake method. The data collection instrument was an in-depth interview in the qualitative section and a self-designed questionnaire in the quantitative section. The results showed that farmers used different measures for coping with and adapting to drought, including using no-tillage farming; uprooting trees with high water demands; hope and oblation; mulching; reducing, changing, and/or mixing livestock types (reaction behaviors); diversifying the sources of livelihoods; changing cropping patterns; correcting irrigation practices; changing planting time; seeding before the drought; and using water storage techniques (fractional behaviors). In addition, farmers had a weaker capability to cope with the environmental, economic, and social vulnerabilities than with drought. This presented the vulnerability of farmers to drought in all economic, social, and environmental spheres.

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