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Given current emissions trends an increase in global temperatures in excess of 2°C is highly likely in the coming century. In this context, it seems increasingly probable that states may consider solar geoengineering as a stop-gap climate response. Solar geoengineering refers to measures that aim to alleviate some measure of global warming by intentionally increasing the amount of the sun's energy that is reflected into space. Currently the two most discussed solar geoengineering techniques involve either marine cloud brightening or dispersing aerosols in the stratosphere. These techniques could be relatively inexpensive, are within the technological capacities (after a brief period of development) of technologically-advanced countries, and could have an almost immediate impact on temperatures. Yet, while solar geoengineering might potentially be utilised to manage some climate-linked security threats, it itself would create new security challenges. Consequently, this paper explores potential international security implications for Australia if a regional state, or group of states, initiates a solar geoengineering program. We conclude that since solar geoengineering is unlikely to become a first-order international issue, disputation over solar geoengineering will likely reflect, or act as a proxy for, wider patterns of state interaction. However, scenarios in which China and the United States take different positions, or in which there are divisions among regional powers, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Singapore would pose the greatest threat to Australia's national security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an alternative approach for testing for the existence of trend among time series. The test method has been constructed using wavelet analysis which has the ability of decomposing a time series into low frequencies (trend) and high-frequency (noise) components. Under the normality assumption, the test is distributed as F. However, using generated empirical critical values, the properties of the test statistic have been investigated under different conditions and different types of wavelet. The Harr wavelet has shown to exhibit the highest power among the other wavelet types. The methodology here has been applied to real temperature data in Sweden for the period 1850-1999. The results indicate a significant increasing trend which agrees with the 'global warming' hypothesis during the last 100 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article is based on a paper first presented at the Performance Studies international annual conference on Performing Rights at Queen Mary, University of London, 2006. It has been rewritten specially for this themed issue of RiDE in light of my research following publication of Theatre Ecology: Environments and Performance Events in 2007. Mainly in the format of a thought experiment, it argues that the current ecological crisis of global warming could be a systemic ‘insanity’ of planet Earth produced by a human compulsion to perform. It aims to demonstrate that finding cures for this affliction requires a radical revision of how Homo sapiens values human rights via complementary biotic rights inclusive of other organic species. As these rights are an aspect of ongoing global performance ecologies understood as integral to eco-systemic evolution, it becomes necessary for humans to invent refreshed ways of assessing how futures variously emerge through the natures of present and past. The article's thought experimental methods are adopted, in part, so that a few jocular analytical tropes can be treated as entirely serious. Hence it proposes that the concept ‘retro-modernisation’ should be recycled immediately and that one of the shortest of verbal paradoxes is adopted as a motto by all eco-warriors of the dramatic, theatrical and performing arts – but it is certainly not ‘Be spontaneous!’ [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper surveys the energy problem in relation to global warming and the social criteria of India. India's failure to develop a policy on global warming is highlighted and her economic policy judged in relation to her energy options, including such notable work as jatropha development and nuclear energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, an era of global efforts to combat climate change is beginning. Countries belonging to Annex I Parties are obligated to meet their target in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper broadens the scope of research to compare the performance between two groups, Annex II Parties and economies in transition (EIT) Parties (both of which are in the set of Annex I Parties), undertaking responsibilities for GHG emission reduction. This differs from the traditional application of evaluation and aims to identify inherent efficiency differences across systems, rather than separately from the potential inefficiency of individual countries. An efficiency gap was found between the group of Annex II Parties and the group of EIT Parties, by adjusting efficiency levels. Considering a reference set, efficient Annex II countries are referenced, both within their own group and within the EIT group; efficient EIT countries are only benchmarked within the group. The evidence provided can shed light on the function of joint implementation, that Annex I countries will cooperate to reduce GHG emissions, based on their common, but differentiated, responsibilities and capacity for global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a historical overview of the role of North–South differences in expectation and priorities in determining how international negotiations about global warming have been framed and implemented. Our analysis looks at two themes: the problem of technology transfer and knowledge inequity and the persistence of the G-77 as the point of departure for Southern action within the context of environmental negotiations. Our argument is that the North and South remain divided on the consequences of linking environment and development for future policy on conserving the global commons. In particular, the problem of accepting the burden of readjustment appears to be politically unacceptable to both North and South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses global climate change. Current scientific understanding of global climate change suggests that an increasing frequency of disasters due to extreme weather events will be even more conspicuous feature as the twenty-first century progresses. The climate change we are experiencing is better characterized as increased instability rather than simple "global warming." Recent advances in paleoclimatology have made possible a better analysis of the historical and archaeological record, no longer limited to tree rings, we now have climate records based on deep cores drilled in glacial ice and lake sediments from Antarctica to Greenland.

This article presents information on various books related to climatic changes. In the book "Responding to Global Warming: The Technology, Economics and Politics of Sustainable Energy," taking a multi-disciplinary policy perspective that integrates engineering, economics, and decision theory, the writer proposes an innovative strategy in global efforts to limit climate change, linking energy and forestry, North and South. The book "Survival Emissions: A Perspective From the South on Global Climate Change Negotiations," gives background information on the negotiations, as well as the writer's analysis and understanding of the negotiations from a Southern perspective. Taking a cross-disciplinary assessment of fairness and equity issues in the context of global climate change, the book "Fair Weather? Equity Concerns in Climate Change," explores the policy dimensions and analytical needs of the negotiation process. The book "The Way Forward: Beyond Agenda," outlines the successes and failures of the first five years following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Climate change has important implications for assessing impacts of many types of project. If climate change is to be included in environmental assessments, then proponents must be able to incorporate its impacts and inherent uncertainties effectively into their analysis; many proponents do not possess sufficient grounding in how to accomplish this task successfully. In this paper, three basic analytical approaches to uncertainty analysis -- scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, and probabilistic analysis -- are presented that proponents could use for integrating climate change induced impacts and their uncertainties into their environmental assessments, together with a framework for judging the circumstances that determine which method would be applicable. The use of these three approaches is illustrated on the environmental impacts of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversation on global warming started in 1896, when a physical chemist estimated that the mean global temperature would rise several degrees if the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was doubled. The topic eventually became one of the most passionate in the history of science. The author points out that climate experts were initially strongly skeptical of the theory of global warming; it took a variety of evidence to gradually convince them that warming due to human emissions was likely. The public, however, was guided away from this conclusion by a professional public relations effort, motivated by industrial and ideological concerns. Deniers of the scientific consensus avoided normal scientific discourse and resorted to ad hominem attacks that cast doubt on the entire scientific community—while disrupting the lives of some researchers. The author points out that scientists have failed to mount a concerted public relations campaign to defend their position. When trust is lost, he asserts, a determined effort is needed to restore it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and journalists alike interpreted “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change”, a document released in 2008 by a group of American Southern Baptists, as evidence that American evangelicals were becoming increasingly concerned about the environment. Using the tools of textual analysis, I show that this was not the only interpretation of the document at play. While journalists and scholars understood the Declaration as addressing the need to halt climate change, for a group of key Southern Baptist signatories, the document expressed a need for Southern Baptists to engage more actively in the public environmental discourse, lest they relinquish this domain to secular and liberal voices. Critically, the latter group viewed the Declaration as compatible with climate scepticism. My analysis shows how cultural context informs climate change attitudes, while also suggesting socio-historical factors—particularly evangelicals’ embattled mentality—that may support climate change scepticism in Southern Baptist circles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Annals of the Association of American Geographers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the skepticism regarding the facts on global warming and climate change. It recalls the development of the theory of the global warming through the report of scientist James Hansen, and outlines the different debate of climate change skeptics due to its complications and uncertainties of the facts. It points out that despite scientific doubts over the issue, the impacts of the changing climate are real and have significant effects on people.

The Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), which occurred at about 15 Ma, is the most recent global warming episode. Given the fact that no dramatic tectonic movement had taken place, this historical warming episode mirrors the present warming event induced mostly by human activities. Proxy data indicate that the MMCO had a global mean surface temperature of ∼3-4°C higher than the present, equivalent to the warming predicted for the next century by the mid-range scenarios of the IPCC Fourth Report (AR4). With this comparable magnitude of warming, it is therefore of scientific interest to examine whether or not the present warming is similar to the MMCO warming. Since the MMCO boundary conditions such as paleogeography and paleobathymetry were not greatly different from today, contentious scientific issues on possible forcing mechanisms can be assessed. The MMCO climate was simulated using the latest National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model CAM3.1 and Land Model CLM3.0 coupled to a slab ocean model. Two simulations were conducted, the MG700 with a near-present equator-pole meridional sea-surface temperature (SST) gradient and a CO2 level of 700 ppmv and the HG350 with a higher equator-pole meridional SST gradient and a CO2 level of 350 ppmv. These two simulations give the closest proxy global mean surface temperature of 18.4°C with a difference of ±0.6°C. This study analyses these two simulations and provides an insight into possible mechanisms of the MMCO. Results show that the north and south poles respond differently to a 50% reduction in CO2 from the upper bound value of 700 ppmv (an approximate doubling of the present CO2) and a change in equator-pole meridional SST gradient. The Arctic response to a 50% reduction in CO2 is balanced by a 50% decrease in surface temperature but shows no response to the increase in equator-pole meridional SST gradient. The Antarctic situation is opposite to the Arctic: the western Antarctic's response to the increase in the equator-pole meridional SST gradient is nearly balanced by a doubling of the maximum surface temperature, but shows no response to a 50% reduction in CO2; the eastern Antarctic shows a weak response to either a 50% reduction in CO2 or to an increase in the equator-pole meridional SST gradient. This may explain why the Arctic warms much more than the Antarctic in the MMCO and the decoupling of CO2 with temperature as determined by the proxy SST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the politics of Russian climate change by pinpointing how global warming has been framed over a seven year period in a government-owned, leading daily newspaper, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, and how climate experts have intervened in such framings. Russia's climate politics is first summarised and then three framings of climate change are identified and examined. Secondly, the role that expert voices play in the framing of climate change is discussed. The article concludes with a presentation of key findings about scientists' involvement in public debate and hypotheses about the overall trajectory of Russian climate politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic is extremely vulnerable to projected climate change, and global warming may result in major community reorganizations. The aim of this study was a thorough investigation of plant biomass production throughout an entire growing season in five different high arctic vegetation types: Cassiope, Dryas, and Salix heath, grassland, and fen. The main focus was on the gross ecosystem production (GEP), and the biotic and abiotic factors which may influence GEP. Photosynthesis, aboveground biomass, and carbon, nitrogen, and chlorophyll content were measured weekly during nine weeks. There were large differences in seasonal growth and production within and among vegetation types. Mosses contributed considerably to the total C and N pool in grassland, fen, and Salix heath. Fen, which had the highest pool of leaf N, leaf chlorophyll, and moss N, was the most productive vegetation type in terms of GEP, despite the lowest total biomass. Across vegetation types, leaf biomass, leaf N, and moss N pool size influenced GEP. Within most vegetation types GEP correlated with leaf N, in correspondence with the notion that N may limit plant production in many high arctic ecosystems. The timing of the peaks in C and N pools in leaves did not coincide with that in the mosses and in woody tissues. This emphasizes the importance of sampling throughout the growing season, when using field data from the Arctic to estimate plant biomasses and modeling C and N fluxes and pool sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the global climate, examining the the potential for catastrophic climate change (C3). Never before has humankind posed such a global threat, the author states, one that stems from its own technological development. Topics include the looming threat of ecocatastrophe stemming from climate change, the need for radical changes in political and physical economies, and sea level rise due to accelerating icecap melting. Also discussed are reductions in carbon emissions and carbon dioxide released from burning coal.

This article discusses the issue of global inequality. Some scholars characterized the present world configuration as one defined by global apartheid. The planet is one big underdeveloped nation, where resources and wealth are concentrated in the hands of a shrinking minority, while immiseration and injustice are socialized and widespread. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted in their report that there is at least a 90 percent chance that human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, are to blame for most of the warming in the last 50 years.

With gradually progressing climate change in the future, the frequency and scale of hot summers like those observed in various places around the world in recent years will undoubtedly increase, giving rise to strong concerns over increased risk of death due to heat stress. Based on this background, we have developed a method to assess future changes in mortality due to heat stress with the entire globe as the target, and performed trial calculations using this method. The purpose of this report is to draw people's attention to the possible severe consequences of climate change by presenting the severest estimates in the uncertainty range due to adaptation/acclimation expected in the future, so as to induce further analysis and discussion on policies and measures. For the trial calculations, future changes in temperature were derived from the results of simulation using an Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model with the highest spatial resolution in the world at the time of the study. Population densities were assumed not to alter in the future. Assuming that no adaptation or acclimation takes place, when the rates of change of excess mortality due to heat stress are examined by country, the results of our calculations show increases of approximately 100% to 1000%. It is confirmed that the burden of climate change impact is quite unequal among countries, at least from the viewpoint of heat stress mortality. When considered together with present population densities, significant increases in excess mortality density can be seen in China, India, and Europe. These regions are characterized by large losses due to climate change in absolute quantitative terms. The need to consider the adoption of adaptation measures is therefore most urgent in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on an examination of the potential effects of global warming on a water resources system in Korea. Assuming a doubling in CO2 concentration (denoted 2CO2). basin-scale scenarios for precipitation and other hydrometeorologic variables were generated from the existing general circulation model (GCM) results. The generated temperature and precipitation scenarios were input to the NWS-PC model to generate the corresponding streamflow scenarios over the Geum river basin. A reservoir simulation model for Daecheong Dam in the Geum river basin has been developed using the object-oriented simulation environment, STELLA. For each streamflow scenario, the performance of the reservoir was assessed in terms of reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability. Although the simulation results are heavily dependent on the choice of climate change scenarios, the following conclusions can be made: the future streamflow over Daecheong Dam tends to decrease during the dry period, which seriously increases competitive water use issues,' and flood control issues predominate under the 2CO2-High case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the impact of the film, "The Day After Tomorrow," on the public's perception of global climate change risk. On Memorial Day weekend 2004, Twentieth Century Fox released "The Day After Tomorrow," a disaster movie depicting an abrupt and catastrophic climate change. In the movie, a global warming-induced shutdown of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation system[1] triggers extreme weather events worldwide and subsequently a new ice age, with wrenching global consequences. Before it even hit the theaters, however, the movie generated an intense storm of media controversy as scientists, politicians, advocacy groups, and political pundits debated the scientific accuracy and political implications of the movie and global climate change. Numerous predictions were made as to how the movie would influence risk perceptions and attitudes of the U.S. public toward global warming. To answer this question, a national study was conducted to explore the public impact of "The Day After Tomorrow." The study included two nationally representative surveys of the U.S. public. The first survey was implemented a week before the movie's release and the second was done four weeks later, after the movie had played in theaters for three full weekends. The second survey also oversampled movie "watchers" to allow comparative analysis with "nonwatchers." Overall, watchers and nonwatchers demonstrated high levels of concern about global warming yet lower levels of worry.[16] While many Americans are concerned about global warming, fewer of them actively worry about it. This helps to explain the seeming paradox between public opinion surveys that show Americans expressing high concerns about the issue yet giving it low priority in either national or environmental issue rankings. Overall, these results show that "he Day After Tomorrow"had a considerable impact on the global-warming risk perceptions of those who saw the movie.

Heightened public concerts, pending federal legislation, and calls for an international treaty to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases have placed pressure on resource planners to mitigate the causes and impacts of anthropogenic climate change despite uncertainly over its timing and magnitude. Traditional resource planning. however, as predicated on the assumption that future environmental conditions will emulate the past, and is based on total and national, rather than global, objectives, The threat of global warming calls for a new paradigm of resource planning, including expanded sensitivity analysis, incremental response as the threat evolves, an expanded range unadjustments and planning in a global context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]