Griffith Asia Institute’s Post

📣 The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, California Strategic Growth Council, California Energy Commission, and the California Natural Resources Agency are looking for University of California and The California State University representatives to lead the development of California’s Fifth #ClimateChange Assessment Topical Synthesis Reports! The Topical Reports will uplift issues of statewide significance, focusing on climate change impacts and risks as well as opportunities to build #adaptation capacity and #resilience. These areas include, 1. Racial Equity & Climate Justice, 2. Climate-Induced Human Displacement & Migration, and 3. Climate Impacts to the Economy. Prospective applicants can review our Call for Topical Report Coordinating Lead Authors (linked in the comments) for further details about the application process and topical report focus areas.

Published book "Companion to Development Studies" including a chapter on climate adaptation Routledge just published the impressive new edition of the book: The Companion to Development Studies (550 pages!), edited by Emil Dauncey, Vandana Desai and Robert B. Potter. Ronan McDermott, Karstenen Schulz, Lorzenzo Squintani and myself contributed with a short chapter on Climate Adaptation. Key conditions for climate adaptation are a clear political agenda and an enabling inclusive form of governance, which is oriented towards social justice and equality. This is likely to become more relevant as the rising costs of climate measures disproportinately affect those already vulnerable to climate risks. Other key conditions for cimate adaptation are support for civic collective action and community responses, as well as financing.

Julia Teebken's new article in Global Environmental Change addresses the role local environmental agencies, bureaucrats, and policy practitioners can play in addressing "vulnerable populations." She asserts that "in climate change adaptation research and practice ... the concept has long been contested." The article emphasizes the following points: — Local policymaking on climate adaptation and "vulnerable populations" is deficient. — Political bias prevents select "vulnerable populations" from being prioritized. — Accidental forms of adaptation focus on blue-green infrastructure in city centers. — Vulnerability is more deeply rooted in the external conditions of the individual. — We must refocus the debate on vulnerable, unresponsive political institutions. #climateadaptation #climateaction #resilience #climatepolicy #AdaptationLeader

🤔 A groundbreaking global study from the University of Nottingham reveals a surprising gap in understanding the term #climatejustice, even among those living in the most affected regions. While many are aware of the social, historical, and economic inequalities exacerbated by the #climatecrisis, they still lack familiarity with this crucial concept. 🌍 The research surveyed over 5,600 adults across 11 countries, finding that two-thirds had never heard of climate justice. Yet there’s a silver lining: a strong majority (78%) recognizes that poorer communities bear the brunt of #climatechange impacts and believe those from the hardest-hit areas should have a greater voice in decision-making. #EJFriday

Another published article, another big PhD milestone. This article is about the relationships and organising processes that made WAs climate and health community of practice and inquiry (a world first) possible and set in motion more climate responsive policy processes in WA. We explore how care work, trust, solidarity, etc are central to transformative climate policy and advocate for decision making centred on Aboriginal and lived experience expertise and connection to Country. It was a difficult story to tell because climate governance in WA is typically limited by fossil fuel interests and promotes unambitious top-down extractive technological and market based responses. This means that climate justice organising within the public sector is highly sensitive and writing about it is risky. On top of that, the relational and intersectional organising processes we examine are often underappreciated and overlooked. I'm so grateful to the anonymous co-researchers for letting us share this story and the co-authors for pulling this story together! https://lnkd.in/gu5uqPMC

An international study involving people from 11 countries has shown that most people, including those in areas most affected by #climatechange, don't understand the term "#climatejustice." However, they do recognise the social, historical, and economic injustices that characterise the #climatecrisis. The findings could help shape more effective communications and advocacy. Researchers from the Univeristy of Nottingham's School of Psychology led a study that surveyed 5,627 adults in 11 countries (#Australia, #Brazil, #Germany, #India, #Japan, #Netherlands, #Nigeria, #Philippines, #UnitedArabEmirates, #UnitedKingdom, and #UnitedStates) to assess familiarity with the concept of climate justice. This is the first study to examine public understanding of climate change outside of #Europe and #NorthAmerica. The research has been published in Nature Climate Change. The findings demonstrate that basic recognition of the social, historical, and economic injustices that characterise the climate crisis is common around the world, even if people do not consciously connect this understanding with the concept of climate justice. The researchers found that two-thirds of people in these countries had never heard of climate justice. The majority of people surveyed were supportive of climate justice-related beliefs, including the notions that poorer people suffer worse impacts from climate change (78% agreement), people from the worst-affected communities should have more of a say in decisions concerning climate change (78%), and that capitalism and colonialism are underpinning elements of the climate crisis (70%). Endorsement of these climate justice-related beliefs was also positively associated with engagement in climate actions and support for just climate policies. Climate justice broadly encompasses recognition that (1) climate change impacts are unequally felt across society; (2) the worst affected groups often have the least say in the selection and implementation of societal responses to climate change, and (3) climate change-related policymaking processes often fail to recognise the legitimate interests of politically voiceless communities, consequently contributing to further disenfranchisement of marginalised groups. It is a framework that enables those involved in policymaking to identify and tackle the multiple different ways in which the climate crisis intersects with longstanding patterns of social injustice.

How to make your research inform two different and often siloed areas of policy? Dr Bethany Jackson from Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, in a blog for Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), draws on her experience from the (Modern Slavery PEC-funded) research project on addressing modern slavery and climate change risks. 1️⃣ Engage with non-elite policy actors - talk to experts within departments and not only senior policymakers 2️⃣ Make useful recommendations - tailored and allocated to specific governance actors and departments (sounds obvious but doesn't always happen) 3️⃣ Timing or recommendations - talk to policymakers early to check they make sense for them 4️⃣ The future of policy impact - engagement with policymakers itself can open doors to new ideas – particularly in an intersectional policy area.  Read the whole blog: https://lnkd.in/gDHXmJaR

How do we ensure the most vulnerable communities benefit from climate initiatives? Dr. Cecilia Martinez's article, "Mapping the Path to Climate and Environmental Equity," reveals how climate and economic justice screening tools are game-changers for identifying and supporting vulnerable communities. This report by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Bezos Earth Fund integrates complex data with lived experiences to drive real impact. See how we’re making strides toward a more equitable future: https://bit.ly/3WTktu6.

I'm very thrilled to share that our new book, the 'De Gruyter Handbook of Climate Migration and Climate Mobility Justice' (Editors Andreas Neef, Natasha Pauli and Bukola Salami, RN, PhD) has been released! It was an incredible experience assisting with the editing of this volume - with contributions from 49 authors across 22 chapters. There are case studies from around the world, including the Pacific, Australia, North America, South America, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Africa. Enormous thanks to all the authors who contributed chapters to this epic book. There are six main sections: * Part 1 The Climate-Migration Nexus: Concepts and Controversies * Part 2 Climate (Im)Mobility: Drivers and Decision-Making * Part 3 Forced Displacement, Health Impacts of Im/mobility and Security Implications * Part 4 Representations of Climate Mobility in Media, Religion and Education * Part 5 Intersectionalities of Climate Mobilities * Part 6 Legal and Ethical Considerations on Planned Relocation in the Context of Climate Change Here's the overview: "Accelerating climate change is widely predicted to have profound impacts on human mobility over the coming decades. Climate mobilities and immobilities invoke issues of justice and social inequality and pose numerous socio-cultural, health, economic, legal and political challenges. Current international legal frameworks and national governance mechanisms provide insufficient protection for people displaced by climate change who are often subjected to health risks, psychosocial trauma, human rights abuse, and even new climatic risks. At the same time, there is a need to better understand how climate change interacts with other mobility drivers and why many climate-affected people decide to stay put or remain trapped in at-risk locations. Drawing on a wide range of disciplinary traditions and featuring Indigenous voices and youth perspectives, this book introduces new conceptual frameworks and empirical studies to examine the unique challenges facing people on the move and those staying behind."

“As the climate emergency worsens the work of social scientists becomes even more vital.” In a blog from our archive, Professor Jenny Pickerill FAcSS and Professor Matt Watson, of The University of Sheffield, explain why the climate emergency is a social and political problem and how solutions must come from social science research alongside any technological advances. They also explore issues of social justice and the impact of grassroots environmentalism, demonstrating the social and political nature of the problem and its potential solutions. Read now ➡ https://lnkd.in/exGXtVnM #socialscience #climatechange #solutions