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Agricultural soils have the potential to store C (carbon), thereby improving soil health, and contributing to climate change mitigation. However, the capacity of a soil to hoard C may be limited. We tested the C saturation behavior of agricultural soils belonging to predominant soil orders (Inceptisols, Entisols, Alfisols, Aridisols and Vertisols) in Indian Subcontinent. A mesocosm experiment in open environmental conditions was conducted with six rate of farmyard manure (FYM) addition (0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0 and 40 Mg ha−1) for three and half years and total carbon (TC) was analyzed. Addition of more than 10 Mg FYM ha−1 enhanced TC content of soil with the period of experimentation irrespective of soil orders. Application of C input of the agriculturally recommended addition of FYM in India at 5.0 Mg ha−1 maintained the soil TC content. Without addition of any C input, sometimes there was depletion in native carbon. With higher levels of C additions, all the soils did not show any evidence of C saturation, thereby suggesting their higher potential to additional C storage. Indian agricultural soils could contribute significantly toward achieving the target of "4 per 1000" initiative of the United Nations. Higher organic carbon in soils would make agroecosystems more resilient toward extreme climate events and sustain crops productivity thereby could help to meet the food demand of the ever-increasing population of the country in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shines a light on the act of social construction of climate change mitigation as a policy issue at the hands of expert bodies enjoying epistemic power, notably the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), using Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) as key tools. This is crucial to the politics of tackling climate change as IPCC models and scenarios profoundly shape what are seen as viable futures and mitigation policy options. Analysing how technocratic governance bodies broach climate change, its mitigation, and the associated economic costs and implications, reveals contestations within the technocratic politics of climate change. The particular social construction of mitigation as a policy issue through IAMs and IPCC scenarios has important and real socio-ecological consequences. This engagement with the technocratic politics of mitigation problematises five key assumptions that are fed into modelling, and reveals why and how they matter politically. We also highlight ways in which contestable assumptions built into IPCC IAMs undermine their credibility and usefulness for planning mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Huasteca region of Mexico, certain food plant species have been neglected due to public policies that have reduced support for family agriculture and favored the commercialization of processed and ultra-processed foods. It is important to identify and characterize these underutilized food plant species in the context of climate change and food and nutritional poverty. A survey was conducted among 45 participants in four rural localities, and field visits were carried out. The data obtained were analyzed thematically and through descriptive statistics. The study area is experiencing a progressive abandonment of species, resulting in a loss of germplasm and the traditional knowledge that underlies it. The reintroduction of these species into agroecosystems can be achieved by incorporating them into the local culinary practices. This will promote the resilience of agroecosystems and contribute to the food and nutritional security of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In approximately one decade, global temperatures will likely exceed a warming level that a United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report considers a "red alert for humanity". We propose exploring tidal flat diatoms to address climate change challenges. Tidal flats are extensive coastal ecosystems crucial to the provisioning and regulation of aquatic environments. Diatoms contribute to tidal flat biomass production and account for 20% of global primary productivity and 40% of annual marine biomass production, making them crucial for nutrient cycling and sediment stabilization. Potential CO2 removal from Korean tidal flats by diatoms is estimated to be 598,457–683,171 t CO2 equivalents (CO2e) annually, with the economic value of blue carbon (BC) resulting from diatom activity being approximately US$ 17.95–20.50 million. Dissemination of this potential could incentivize coastal wetland protection and climate change mitigation measures. The global estimated CO2e removal potential of tidal flat diatoms is 40,957,346–46,754,961 t CO2e, representing 0.11–0.13% of the annual global greenhouse gas emissions, even though tidal flats cover 0.0025% of the Earth's surface and diatoms represent less than 0.5% (by weight) of all photosynthetic plants. Researchers should combine ecology and economics to develop standardized approaches for carbon input monitoring and quantification. Further, spatiotemporal analyses of environmental threats to tidal flat diatoms are necessary for conserving their biodiversity and function as a critical BC source. Land-based cultivation for large-scale biomass production and biorefinery processes can contribute to a greener, more prosperous future for humanity and the marine ecosystems upon which we rely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines tourism professionals' perceptions of climate change and their reactions to the associated challenges. Sixteen in-depth interviews with tourism professionals who work at Arctic destinations in Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark (i.e. Greenland), reveal that the professionals acknowledge several pressing issues arising from climate change, such as glacier retreating and snow shortfall. It discovers one salient adaptation action in association with snow-related activities. Further, three streams of driving forces prompt the professionals to devise sustainable mitigation actions entailing (1) staging socially responsible and wellbeing tourist experiences, (2) implementing waste programmes friendly to the Arctic ecosystem, and (3) cultivating eco-friendly practices through certifications and educational programmes. Lastly, to further construe the attitudes of tourism professionals, this study elicits the Climate Resilience Model on Arctic Tourism, characterizing the interplay among climate impacts, driving forces, and climate actions by the tourism business across four Arctic nations under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the most recent climate projections, urban settings and historic centres will be affected by considerable increases in temperature extremes and heat waves as a result of climate change. For this reason, the issue of energy efficiency and indoor comfort in historic buildings has become a topic of major interest for the significant number of buildings in the national and European territories. The performance redevelopment of architectural heritage, particularly religious buildings, requires accurate design, through a careful assessment of the occupants' needs and the historic building's characteristics, to guarantee adequate levels of thermal comfort and ensure an indoor climate suitable for safeguarding the cultural asset. In this regard, the study investigates, through a data-driven approach and building performance analysis, the indoor comfort level of a religious building in the historical centre of Rome that presents phenomena of excessive indoor overheating. The objective is to identify passive cooling strategies, through the optimization of natural ventilation levels and reduction of surface temperatures of the envelope exposed to solar radiation, in order to propose different design scenarios. The results show how a data-driven process in a digital environment can significantly contribute to the identification of optimal and integrated design strategies and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finland shows strong support for reducing its climate footprint originating from the built environment as part of the national carbon neutrality goal by 2035. Two prime examples are increasing wood use in construction and favoring building renovation to alleviate emissions from the use of virgin construction materials. However, the open question remains whether citizens also support these decarbonization pathways. By using national-level data from a randomly sampled citizen survey in Finland (n = 1448), we model citizen preferences to these two decarbonization pathways. The results suggest that a preference to renovate rather than to build anew is shown by respondents of the female gender; over 55 years of age; with a lower household equivalent income; and possessing housing property investment. Wood material is positively favored by respondents with higher age; a lower household equivalent income; living in smaller population centers in the countryside; and owning forestland. Interestingly, the effect of climate agency was negative in both models. This can be interpreted in the wood material case as reflecting conflicting views of negative environmental effects from forest harvesting to produce renewable building materials. In the renovation model case, we argue that the climatic impact of renovations remain weakly understood by citizens in Finland, given that the media and national regulations emphasize operational emissions. These results benefit both policy makers and municipal-level decision making in understanding of acceptability of wood material use and building retrofits among the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude of the current environmental degradation requires an urgent restructuring of food production systems. In this sense, agroecology is considered a sustainable approach, because it provides tools to guide transition toward sustainable production systems and to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Nevertheless, it is imperative to possess evidence regarding the implementation of agroecology and current extent. The goals of this study are to compare two instruments for assessing agroecological transitions, to measure the agroecological performance of extensive livestock systems in slightly disturbed wetlands, identify agroecological elements that differentiate farm categories, and identify relationships among these elements. We evaluated 19 representative extensive livestock production ranches from central-western Argentina. We used the Characterization of Agroecological Transition (CAET) from the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE). Moreover, CAET was modified through interaction with ranchers and technicians (Adapted CAET). The results obtained with both tools revealed that the agroecological performance of extensive livestock systems is currently in transition, with an overall average of 56.9%. This suggests that there is a group of farmers implementing agroecological strategies which have the potential to drive the transition to achieve the SDGs. This research provides valuable knowledge for applying agroecology principles in minimally impacted wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventionalization of organic farming calls into question its sustainability. No consensus has been reached on the criteria allowing evaluation of this conventionalization. We propose a methodology based on autonomy – a major sustainability attribute from an agroecological perspective. It was applied to Mediterranean beef cattle and pig livestock systems in Spain and led to the differentiation of five models based on their degree of closeness to conventional systems. Semi-intensive white pig systems were the most conventional compared to the extensive dehesa pastureland systems. In most cases, conventionalization derived from the farms’ socioeconomic and institutional context. It is essential to adapt and change public policies in order to improve livestock farm sustainability and to prevent the most vulnerable farmers from disappearing: they are the ones who generate the most valuable ecosystem services. The proposed methodology, based on environmental and socioeconomic indicators, is applicable to assess the conventionalization of other organic systems beyond the Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDistress about climate change is a growing global phenomenon associated with mental health problems. We sought to understand climate change distress among youth in Brazil, a country that plays a critical role in climate change. After identifying individuals experiencing at least mild functional impairment due to climate anxiety based on a cross-culturally validated scale, we conducted 4 focus groups and 20 in-depth interviews with youth ages 10–16 (total N = 65). Data analysis used deductive and inductive thematic coding done in Atlas-ti. Climate change-related distress was common, including sadness, despair, and anxiety, and was associated with concerns about the local physical environment. Education about climate change in school was lacking, leading to misinformation and uncertainty. Global warming concerns and lack of deforestation policies were stressors, and the media was the most common information source about climate change. Participants expressed concern about Indigenous peoples and demonstrated anxiety about future unknowns, but also showed hope. Results suggest that education about climate change in schools and training for youth facing climate distress are important ways forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silvopasture is a form of agroforestry that has been practiced around the globe for millennia and involves integrating trees, livestock, and forage within the same area. Recent increased attention and research on this practice has provided greater evidence that it can deliver both economic and environmental benefits, including climate mitigation and adaptation. However, it is not widely used in the United States. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the current state of silvopasture and opportunities for expansion of this practice in California, one of the primary agricultural regions in the United States. California is geographically suited to silvopasture and already has large land areas dedicated to both orchards and grazing though these two types of agriculture are typically managed and documented separately. We report the results of our statewide survey of silvopasture producers, including benefits, motivations, and challenges associated with this practice. Finally, we recommend ways in which the barriers to silvopasture adoption could be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to predict the active communication behaviors and their Behavioral Intentions to Support Federal Climate Policies from the view of government public relations. Using data from an online survey of 548 adults living in the United States, this study investigated the roles of Government-Citizen Relationships (GCR) and situational perceptions (i.e. Problem Recognition, Constraint Recognition, and Involvement Recognition) in predicting active communication behaviors (i.e. information seeking, forefending, and forwarding) and federal climate policies in the framework of situational theory of problem solving (STOPS). The results of this study indicate that GCR is critical in predicting active communication behaviors and public support. While Involvement Recognition among situational perceptions is significant to predict active communication behaviors and public support, program recognition and Constraint Recognition are partially significant. The results highlight the pivotal mediating roles of situational perceptions – Problem Recognition, Constraint Recognition, and Involvement Recognition – in the link between GCR and public support for federal climate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first climate action stocktake cycle under the Paris Agreement was completed in 2023 to assess global progress on mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance goals. State-driven action needs to be complemented by sectoral efforts, and this paper builds on the first Tourism Stocktake undertaken in 2023 that examined climate action in the tourism sector. First, an expert elicitation survey was conducted to validate and deepen the findings from the stocktaking activity. Second, an analysis of the Stocktake's 40 metrics was undertaken against six criteria of indicator quality. The expert survey revealed a sector still in the early stages of implementing its climate response, with a consensus that 2030 tourism emission reduction targets would not be achieved. Tourism policy and investment were deemed inconsistent with climate ambitions, and current adaptation is insufficient for projected climate change, so that future impacts will restrict tourism development in some destinations. Analysis of the metrics exposed significant data gaps and a core set of 13 robust metrics to measure change over the next stocktaking cycle is identified. The paper concludes with recommendations to advance sector capabilities and collaboration to monitor progress on climate action for an updated Tourism Stocktake in 2026. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become a global issue, but no study has examined the discursive construction of resistance to climate change as part of crisis response in the media. To fill this gap, this study employs Wodak's discourse-historical approach to examine 82 news articles collected from China's English-language news media. The analysis reveals three themes used in the construction of a discourse of resistance to climate change: (1) climate change as a global enemy, (2) China as a leading climate change fighter, and (3) other nations as China's allies in the fight. These themes are articulated in the news stories using discursive strategies such as nomination, predication, argumentation, and mitigation. The article sheds light on the language state-run news media uses to project China's image abroad and encourage international collaboration and action in the fight against climate change. It also illustrates how discourse analysis can illuminate the geopolitical and sociocultural dimensions of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media greatly facilitates people's access to information; however, it can also lead to information overload and exposure to uncomfortable content that may cause individuals to avoid it. As a result, two types of influencing mechanisms emerge: information exposure and information avoidance, which may impact users' behaviors. Currently, there is limited understanding of the simultaneous effects of social media information exposure and avoidance on individuals' behavioral intentions towards climate change mitigation. Using survey data for 1056 Chinese Gen-Z undergraduates and based on the extended theory of planned behavior, this paper utilizes a partial least squares structural equation model to examine the effects of social media information exposure and information avoidance on individual low-carbon behavioral intention. The results show that information exposure on social media has a positive relationship with behavioral attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, and then increasing the low-carbon behavioral intention. Information avoidance has a negative association with three factors, respectively, and decreases the low-carbon behavioral intention. Additionally, exposure to social media information has the greatest impact on the subjective norm and the least impact on behavioral attitude; information avoidance has the greatest impact on behavioral attitude, whereas perceived behavioral control is the least affected. Drawing from the results, we propose policy recommendations that facilitate information exposure while addressing avoidance in shaping low-carbon behavioral intentions. Those implications would help reconcile the two opposing effects while promoting public engagement in climate activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries, including Germany have struggled to agree on ambitious climate action, in part because technocratic policy advice failed to adequately consider the social and political consequences. The combination of science and citizen deliberation could enable a new coalition to stimulate policy learning along different climate policy options. The Ariadne Project was a transdisciplinary research project about different policy options for the German Energy Transition. It facilitated an iterative social learning process between researchers and citizens during focus groups, citizen conferences and online deliberations. As such, this case sheds light on a new culture of science–society relations. To assess if and how learning occurred, we ask whether the involved citizens and researchers have changed their understanding of policy options and of each other. We found that citizens were very enthusiastic about the new learning opportunities, and their roles within them. While researchers appreciated the new experience, they also faced challenges. We argue that despite these challenges, there is inherent value in providing spaces for researchers and citizens to interact with and jointly inform policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Green Deal (EGD) represents the most ambitious environmental policy framework in European history, aimed at improving the health and well-being of citizens and future generations through climate action and becoming the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050. The EC has initiated the European Democracy Action Plan and the European Climate Pact to include the participation of citizens in a meaningful way to help achieve these goals (i.e. not simply a tokenistic gesture or box-ticking exercise). While these efforts to ensure greater citizen participation and deliberation in environmental policy are good first steps, there is still a lack of clarity about what meaningful citizen engagement should look like. This paper will propose that for such efforts to be successful, we need to assess different perspectives in the debate and provide recommendations based on this. This paper provides a systematic review of various approaches within the academic literature on citizen participation and deliberation in environmental policy (ecocentrism, biocentrism, ecomodernism, ecofeminism, environmental pragmatism, environmental citizenship, environmental rights, and environmental justice). Following this, we provide a list of 16 criteria (in five thematic sections) for policymakers, civil society organisations (CSOs), and society, to ensure meaningful citizen participation and deliberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a reality that can no longer be ignored, so much so that combating climate change and its impact is one of the main goals of the UN Agenda 2030. Youths, albeit the main victims of climate change, are often excluded from decision-making processes on sustainable actions. More and more young people are joining collective pro-environmental movements, raising their voices against the current inadequate sustainable policies and claiming to be the main actors of change. However, pro-environmental collective actions are often judged negatively by public opinion, diminishing their effectiveness and potentially impacting youth participation. In light of this, it is critical to understand the individual, contextual and relational aspects that lead young people to engage with these movements. The present study aimed to systematically review the existing literature on factors that might promote youth participation in pro-environmental movements. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a literature search of three databases (PsycINFO, ProQuest, and SCOPUS). Moreover, we deepened our research by focusing on two relevant theoretical models on collective actions, the Social Identity Model of Collective Action and the Social Identity Model of Pro-Environmental Action. After the screening and the eligibility phases, 11 articles (12 studies) were included. Most of the selected studies adopted a cross-sectional quantitative design. The results revealed individual and relational factors involved in promoting youths' involvement in pro-environmental movements. To the aim of deepening young people's pro-environmental activism, findings highlighted the need to consider personal and social drivers together. Limitations of the study, future directions, and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Democratic innovations scholars note that deliberation has the potential to counteract populism. However, so far, we do not know what the theoretical foundation would be to expect such an effect, nor do we know to what extent the supposed effect actually materialises empirically. This study adds to the literature by offering a theoretical framework and by testing this framework empirically. Specifically, we examine to what extent citizens with a high degree of populist attitudes became less populist after participating in a deliberative event. We study an actual citizens' assembly on climate mitigation policy in the Netherlands via pre- and post-surveys and carry out an SEM analysis (N = 105). We find that citizens with a higher degree of populist attitudes do become less populist, but find no evidence that this is due to the (perceived quality of the) deliberation. At the same time, the climate skeptics who participated became more populist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown a link between extreme weather events and people's beliefs about climate change and their pro-environmental behaviour. This indicates that people may become more environmentally friendly amid increasing extreme weather events. Still, the influence of experiencing extreme weather events on actual behaviour has rarely been tested with large-scale individual-level data and longitudinal methods. This study links panel data from 35,678 individuals to floods across England and heatwaves across the UK and applies within-person estimators to account for pre-existing differences between affected and unaffected individuals. Results reveal that individuals are more likely to believe in climate change after being affected by a geographically proximate flood or a temporally proximate heatwave. This association is stronger among initially right-leaning partisans and those initially more sceptic about the existence of climate change, thereby indicating attitudinal updating due to experiential learning. However, those exposed to extreme weather events do not change their environmental behaviour such as energy saving, sustainable shopping or mode of transportation. Even among those who are more likely to believe in climate change, people's behaviour does not react to extreme weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although China's carbon emission trading schemes (CETS) garnered significant attention in the field of climate mitigation, limited data availability has hindered exploration into the impact of CETS on economic inequality at the county level in China. Given its potential to facilitate industrial upgrading and generate employment opportunities, the adoption of CETS holds promise for reducing economic inequality. To address data limitations, we employed a combination of gridded nighttime light data and land use data to estimate China's county-level Dagum Gini coefficient and its components. Subsequently, we applied a difference-in-difference-in-difference method to examine how CETS affected economic inequalities between and within urban and rural areas in China. Our findings reveal that: (1) CETS significantly reduced overall economic inequality in counties with a high proportion of secondary industry output; (2) this reduction primarily occurred within urban and rural areas rather than between them. Further heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that while CETS effectively mitigated economic inequality between urban and rural areas in central and western regions, it did not achieve similar outcomes in the eastern region; (3) service industry development and rural GDP per capita served as important channels through which CETS reduced economic inequality within rural areas. Infrastructure development driven by CETS primarily addressed economic inequality within urban areas rather than rural areas. Key policy insights: It is confirmed that China's CETS made a significant contribution to mitigating economic inequalities within urban and rural areas. This empirical evidence provides new decision-making support for the future promotion of CETS at the county level. It is recommended to propose higher quotas for service industries in rural areas and allocate a portion of revenue from carbon emission trading markets to promote entrepreneurship among rural residents and support upgrades in the rural industrial structure. Considering that the infrastructure development driven by CETS has predominantly addressed economic inequality within urban areas rather than rural areas, it is imperative to allocate a greater proportion of revenue from CETS towards supporting rural infrastructure construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) form a substantial part of cost-efficient climate change mitigation options. However, public financial flows towards NbS have been limited. Among the factors impeding investments in NbS are challenges in reliable remote project identification and comparison. In this article, we demonstrate a technological solution to these challenges. Using cloud-based satellite data processing and the proliferation of open geospatial data, we developed a methodology to map NbS suitability based on a set of biophysical, pedological, hydrological and climatological criteria. To provide a proof of concept, we identify potential project areas for eight types of NbS in Rwanda and Lesotho. Building on these spatially-explicit NbS suitability data layers (accessible at ), we develop marginal abatement cost curves for projects in Rwanda and Lesotho. We thus provide a proof of concept for remote identification and project comparison. These technological developments can help investors, such as multilateral donors or governments, alleviate additionality concerns that are implied by local project selection. Key Policy Insights: Investment in climate change mitigation through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is limited, in spite of the large, cost-efficient potential for achieving national and global goals. Remote project identification and comparison can help alleviate some of the impediments to international investment in NbS. Such remote identification and comparison of NbS projects is now possible because of breakthroughs in cloud-based satellite data processing technologies and increased availability of geospatial data. We present a proof of concept, establishing marginal abatement cost curves for climate change mitigation through NbS in Rwanda and Lesotho. Coupled with the institutional improvements necessary to create a reliable intergovernmental carbon credit market, these technological developments have the potential to boost international investment in NbS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples is closely related to their marginalization from decision-making processes. Although the engagement of Indigenous Peoples in climate policy is increasingly promoted at the international level, there are still multiple barriers to their meaningful participation at the national level. Through an ethnography of the State, this article analyses how both the State's political orientation, and its interpretations of different stakeholders, influence the participation of Mapuche-Pehuenche communities in two mitigation projects implemented in Lonquimay, Chile, in the southern Andes. This study is based on a review of State policies for Indigenous Peoples, participant observations of the mitigation projects' implementation, and qualitative data collected through 26 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The study uses an ethnographic approach to allow an understanding of how the State is constructed in the face of climate change and of Indigenous Peoples' vulnerability. The State project, which shapes the relationship of the Mapuche with their territory, with the State, and among themselves, is reflected in policy implementation patterns and the existing economic development model. All these relationships influence how officials and the Mapuche interpret and implement climate policy. This article demonstrates that by neglecting these relationships, climate policy risks being less effective in part as it reinforces the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples. While Indigenous Peoples' participation poses significant intercultural challenges, it also yields valuable lessons that can promote processes of institutional transformation that contribute to climate mitigation, such as strengthening local capacities and questioning beliefs that have led to climate change. Key policy insights: Indigenous Peoples' recognition and early participation in climate policy have a transformative potential. Counterproductive patterns of policy implementation in Indigenous Peoples' territories constrain climate policy coherence. To promote the meaningful engagement of Indigenous Peoples in climate policy, states must address long-standing conflicts and underlying factors that produce contextual vulnerability to climate change, while strengthening the intercultural competencies that allow a respectful approach to Indigenous knowledge systems and protocols. Officials must be open to transforming their own knowledge, practices, and values to put climate policy at the service of Indigenous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public participation in local governance is crucial for effective climate action and for ensuring that policies are designed in a way that respects the rights of communities. Policy developments and choices are shaped by the groups that participate, by the ideas that they hold, and by the institutions that enable and constrain their participation. This paper seeks to understand local climate change governance in Ireland by identifying the environmental interests and the ideas of the groups that participate, and by examining how they engage with institutionalised local policymaking processes and with the organisations that represent the officially recognised views of the country's national environmental movement. An analysis of survey data collected from the groups that are members of one of Ireland's Public Participation Networks shows that a majority of groups are small, rural, voluntary, interested in a wide variety of environmental issues and have a pro-ecological worldview. Most groups follow a pro-institutional advocacy strategy at the local level, while only a minority interact with the national environmental movement, mostly limiting their engagement to the acquisition of information. This paper contributes to the literature that examines how interests, ideas, and institutions shape public participation in local climate politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale at which New Zealand is currently storing and sequestering blue carbon, and could create additional blue carbon via restoration, has been unclear. Here, we calculate a preliminary estimate for the current extent of three key blue carbon ecosystems (saltmarshes, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows), their carbon stocks and their carbon sequestration rates using the best available data to provide a preliminary estimate of blue carbon in New Zealand. We also use local examples to explore opportunities to create additional blue carbon. Based on the available literature, we estimate the current extent of New Zealand's blue carbon ecosystems to be 76,152 ha, which is 1.0% of the area of terrestrial native forests. Our preliminary estimate of New Zealand's blue carbon stock is 2.66–3.76 Mt of carbon, with a current carbon sequestration rate of 0.12 (0.05–0.26) Mt/CO2/yr, which is equivalent to 0.16% of New Zealand's 2021 gross emissions. Restoration of saltmarshes could enhance their carbon sink capacity, mangrove forests are naturally expanding and seagrass meadow restoration techniques at scale are still in development. Developing a national framework for blue carbon protection, monitoring and restoration is important as part of New Zealand's climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP28) brought together nearly 2000 health professionals to address the climate crisis as a public health threat. While the conference yielded significant outcomes such as advocating for a transition away from fossil fuels and establishing funds for vulnerable communities, urgent action to phase out fossil fuels and address the impact of militarization was lacking. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) highlighted the carbon footprint of the military-industrial complex and called for demilitarization, peace, and climate justice. The COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace emphasized solutions and mobilization in regions affected by war and conflict. Urgent actions are needed to address military emissions, reduce military spending, phase out nuclear power, and join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The themes of health and relief, recovery, and peace provide a platform for medical professionals to advocate for demilitarization, climate justice, and health. [Extracted from the article]

This paper highlights how technology can contribute to reaching the 2015 Paris Agreement goals of net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and global warming below 2°C in 2100. It uses the Advanced Climate Change Long-term model (ACCL), particularly adapted to quantify the consequences of energy price and technology shocks on CO2 emissions, temperature, climate damage and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The simulations show that without climate policies the warming may be +5°C in 2100, with considerable climate damage. An acceleration in 'usual' technical progress not targeted at reducing CO2- even worsens global warming and climate damage. According to our estimates, the world does not achieve climate goals in 2100 without 'green' technologies. Intervening only via energy prices, e.g. a carbon tax, requires challenging hypotheses of international coordination and price increase for polluting energies. We assess a multi-lever climate strategy combining energy efficiency gains, carbon sequestration, and a decrease of 3% per year in the relative price of 'clean' electricity with a 1 to 1.5% annual rise in the relative price of polluting energy sources. None of these components alone is sufficient to reach climate objectives. Our last and most important finding is that our composite scenario achieves the climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa faces huge challenges of poverty and unemployment, yet at the same time, needs to make a contribution to climate action. Historically, our pattern of development gave rise to the ‘minerals-energy complex’, locking us into low employment and high emissions development. It has proved difficult to change this structure, with political economy interests opposing shifts and high adjustment costs. We analyse policy instruments that can reshape the development path: reducing incentives to capital-intensive and high emissions heavy industry, ending direct and indirect support for cheap electricity, and removing fossil fuel subsidies. Industrial policy should pay attention to creating comparative advantage in more labour-demanding sectors. Agriculture can create employment, while enhancing carbon sinks. Based on our exploration of such policy instruments, we suggest that future development can align employment and mitigation objectives, seeking synergies across industrial, energy, and climate policy, while at the same time managing trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) positioning and response to reforms in the European development financing landscape. These reforms aimed to enhance the role of Development Finance Institutions in promoting external investment, threatening the EIB’s privileged access to EU budgetary resources. The EIB responded by creating “EIB Global” and rebranding as the European climate bank. Through framing analysis, this article studies the EIB’s discourse supporting these reforms. It concludes that in striving for institutional survival, the EIB has unintentionally created a situation in which its development and green finance mandates now compete for attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate surveys hold the potential to advance equity in organizations, serving to generate quantitative data on the depth and breadth of climate-related issues, with its forte being those related to belonging, inclusion, and relationships. When administered in a university, it holds the potential to signal the need for improvements, as climate has been associated with engagement, motivation, wellbeing, and retention. The Faculty of Social Work, where an MSW and PhD program are located (Kitchener, Canada), conducted a climate survey in 2020. This article reports on the survey’s content, key findings, action outcomes, and provides recommendations for others considering such an initiative. The survey was a wake-up call for the department, with five concrete outcomes including establishing student caucus groups, a faculty capacity-development initiative to improve teaching, trainings to address microaggressions, improved integration of EDI into hirings, and campaigns to collect identity-based data for faculty and students. We also share two pending initiatives and two derailed initiatives. Recommendations emphasize the importance of disaggregating results to ensure that disparities are identified in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTourism requires more ambitious climate actions to align the sector with a net zero emissions world and policy will play an increasingly important role in this. This study examined 1112 current policy actions addressing tourism and climate change to assist the sector in further improving policy integration, coverage and implementation of an effective and increasingly ambitious climate response. Drawing on new institutionalism, the study found that while policy actions address a wide range of outcomes, many actions align strongly with institutionalised tourism policy goals, supporting norms and values that have provided tourism with political legitimisation and contribute to sustaining tourism. Overall, softer policy instruments are more commonly implied. The analysis presented here is the most comprehensive and detailed assessment of tourism-climate change policy to date. The overall conclusion is that tourism’s policy response remains insufficient given the urgency demanded by the climate crisis, risking tourism policy (and the sector) falling behind. Recommendations are provided for shifting tourism policy objectives beyond the institutionalised tourism policy goals to strengthen the sector’s climate change response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPolicymakers and educators have increasingly focused on improving public understanding of climate change to prepare people to tackle its causes and impacts. Researchers have joined these efforts by assessing environmental literacy (EL) and climate change literacy (CCL) to inform policies and educational initiatives. This article systematically reviews CCL assessment trends and methods by analyzing papers from Scopus and ScienceDirect. The findings reveal a variety of approaches to defining and measuring CCL. Variations were also observed in the styles of presenting CCL levels. Based on the review, we propose standardizing CCL assessment by defining core and optional domains, aiming to cater to the diverse needs of groups seeking to measure CCL for different purposes. We also suggest that policymakers and educators can glean more nuanced insights from results when CCL levels are measured using three or more proficiency levels. Lastly, we recommend that future studies investigate the CCL-climate action relationship to ensure that CCE programs are designed based on evidence of CCL-climate action connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAquaculture has proven to be a vital and very efficient source of animal protein to meet the food demands of the ongoing increase in the global human population. In response to the rising accumulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG), principally of anthropomorphic origin from use of fossil fuel energy sources, global oceanic and atmospheric temperatures have risen to cataclysmic levels that have produced dramatic changes in climate. Aquaculture, like all animal production systems is a contributor to global GHG, and strategies must be introduced to mitigate current and future threats of climatic disruptions. Important pathways to reduce carbon footprint contributions include increases in efficiency of production and appropriate choice of ingredients for manufacture of sustainable aquafeed. For fed production systems, use of feed grade rather than food grade sources of ingredients must typically predominate. Additionally, use of waste consistent with circular bioeconomy concepts and the guidance provided through results of life cycle assessment (LCA) must be applied to aquafeed production. An integral connection of these efforts with a timely transformation from use of fossil fuel to renewable sources of energy is essential. Achieving sufficient reductions in both aquaculture’s carbon footprint and fossil fuel use within the next 25 years should determine whether the projected contribution of aquaculture to global food security is realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social protection has gained increasing attention in global climate policy due to its potential to contribute to low-carbon, just and climate-resilient development. Unlocking climate finance for social protection is critical to realize this potential. Multilateral climate funds established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) can play a particularly important role by financing social sectors where private investments are not attractive. Yet, there is a distinct policy and research gap in understanding the potential and limitations of the UNFCCC financial mechanisms to support social protection in low- and middle-income countries. Taking as a case study the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which is the largest multilateral fund under the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC, we seek to address this gap. First, the study introduces a framework for analysis of the ways climate finance engages with social protection by looking into a comprehensive set of formal social services and transfers provided by the state to individuals, households, and on a collective basis. Second, the study identifies a continuum of entry points for integrating social protection into the GCF's project portfolio and offers a holistic perspective by capturing climate change mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. We find that social protection can be instrumental in the design and implementation of GCF projects. In addition, our analysis reveals that the GCF has the potential to support projects that create enabling conditions for integrating climate change considerations into national social protection systems, and that aim at piloting or establishing long-term social protection mechanisms with climate change objectives. Social protection policy frameworks, infrastructure, instruments, and knowledge have supported the design and implementation of mitigation and adaptation projects funded by the GCF. The strongest linkages between social protection and climate finance in the GCF's project portfolio relate to climate services with a growing focus on shock-responsive social protection. Rural livelihood projects were the most common in the project portfolio though several projects demonstrated the potential for the GCF to support housing-related social protection in urban contexts. The study did not identify any mitigation-only projects that invest in adapting social protection systems, yet several projects demonstrate entry points towards that end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The targets of energy conservation, decarbonization, and industry reinvigoration have significantly influenced the design of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industrial policies and nationwide electrification. As a monumental policy framework for energy transition in transportation sector, the NEV industry development plan plays an influential role in promoting cleantech diffusion and enhancing NEV competitiveness. This study employs an event study method to investigate the stock market reaction to the NEV plan shocks. The NEV plan announced in 2020 receives a markedly positive stock price effect of 3.72% in the 6-day event window. Heterogeneity tests on subsamples indicate that state-backed entities exhibit a similar effect to the total sample, while the automotive manufacturing class and original equipment manufacturers see a significantly higher market value gain of 6.56% and 13.34%, respectively. However, battery manufacturers, as one of the key participants in the NEV value chain, experience an insignificant stock price effect. This study documents the financial consequences of clean energy policies specific to the emission-intensive automotive manufacturing sector, highlights the effectiveness of government-to-investor signalling in a cleantech diffusion context, and reveals the implications to other economies seeking to deploy clean transport and enhance environmental sustainability. The national NEV industry development plan aiming at the energy transition of the transportation sector can incur outperformance of NEV stocks in the financial market. Different stock market performances between NEV plans manifest investor preference for market-oriented industry policies. The long-term policy framework for green industry transition can send positive signals to investors, guide capital reallocation, and direct investment flows into key financial assets. The implications from the Chinese market offer valuable insights for other countries in formulating concrete industry planning, transition agendas, and binding targets for climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the benefits of green budget tagging (Green budget tagging refers to itemization and linking of every budget item with climate action, mitigation, adaptation, or both) in developing countries could help boost the uptake of this practice and in turn help these same developing countries to mobilize climate-related development finance. We apply double differences in means econometric analytical approach to evaluate the association between green budget tagging (GBT) and target outcome variables of climate-related finance and CO2 emissions. The results show that all 32 developing countries that have undertaken green budget tagging are also associated with larger inflows of climate-related finance. Among the adopters, climate-related finance inflows have been significantly larger for countries with externally-initiated green budget tagging than for those with internally-initiated tagging. The results also show that a minimum level of climate-related finance is required to achieve CO2 emissions reduction. However, the current mean yearly inflow of climate-related development finance falls short of the level that drives emissions reduction. These findings point to the importance of green budget tagging and to the need to upscale climate-related finance inflows to propel improvement in environmental quality. Although green budget tagging is a useful tool for mobilizing external development finance, current external finance inflows are insufficient to achieve ambitious emission reductions. Immense effort is therefore required to mobilize the adequate scale of climate-related finance from both external and other sources. Green budget tagging can be a crucial tool for mobilizing climate-related finance and improving environmental quality in developing countries. To entice climate-related development finance, developing countries need to clearly define climate-related projects in their national budgets. Climate finance mobilization policies designed for reducing emissions are not complete unless they emphasize and promote the scale of inflows. Hence, policymakers should put greater effort into mobilizing adequate finance (from both external and domestic sources) to drive emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to alleviate negative impacts of elephant crop-raiding faced by smallholder farmers around the Okavango delta. Although many studies have identified the relationship between crop-raiding and climatic factors, little attention was paid to aligning cropping duration to high rainfall. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how crop maturity duration influences farmers' vulnerability to elephant crop raiding and food loss. An experimental plot consisting of early and late maturing varieties of maize, sorghum and cowpea was set up and monitored in farms adjacent to corridors. Early maturing varieties yielded more (mean = 0.35 tha−1) than later maturing varieties (mean = 0.25 tha−1). The prolonged stay of crops in fields exposed them more to elephants (p < 0.001). Unlike late varieties, early varieties served as an evasion strategy by allowing earlier harvesting when there was adequate rainfall and elephants rarely frequented farms. Late maturing varieties were harvested at 16–19 weeks when elephants frequented the fields. This harvest timing significantly influences the vulnerability of crops to debilitating elephant raiding. This outcome suggests that policy reviews should incorporate more climate action into smallholder farming systems to strengthen SDG 1: no poverty and SDG 2: zero hunger, ease hostility toward elephants and improve elephant conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The face of climate action is increasingly young, well informed, and active. But despite the growing rumble of this youth-quake, the New Zealand political system has to date been slow to respond to climate change mitigation. This article will therefore critically explore the apparent paradox between the image of New Zealand as a leading progressive democratic society, and its current response to the climate emergency. In particular, the paper will interrogate this theme from the perspectives of the international critique of New Zealand's current legal and policy response, the dynamic lens of climate change litigation and its potential to influence public policy, and the increasing impact of tikanga Māori as a primary source of New Zealand law and its relational approach to the wellbeing of the environment and the underlying ethic of stewardship. The overall thesis of the paper will be that cumulatively these trends will have the energy to generate an effective response to climate change and mobilise the urgent joined-up action required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build adaptive capacity within the closing opportunity of the next two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Commonwealth member states face the brunt of the climate crisis. In the Pacific Island states and the wider Pacific region, the frequency of severe weather events has increased. For instance, in 2023 the island of Vanuatu was impacted by cyclones Judy and Kevin in March and afterwards by cyclone Lola. According to Vanuatu officials, more than 10,000 homes were destroyed and the storms caused massive destruction to Vanuatu's infrastructure and economy. Facing the likelihood that the global temperatures will reach or surpass the 1.5 degrees Celsius target between 2021 and 2040, a grassroots student movement was launched at the University of the South Pacific (USP) based on Emalus Campus, Vanuatu, which ended with a United Nations General Assembly resolution on climate justice and Pacific Island states. Even so, the situation remains alarming for many Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific and there are important questions as to how these states will adapt to and mitigate climate change and also address the climate justice issues they face. This article provides a case study on climate justice and Commonwealth member states and looks at measures currently being considered or implemented by political leaders and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate justice has emerged as a key theme of the global climate crisis. It is widely agreed that significant funding is required to address climate challenges, but despite developed countries committing at the Paris COP meetings to providing US$100 billion annually, pledges and actual commitments have fallen well short of this goal. Moreover, the $100 billion annual commitment itself falls short of the US$6 trillion now estimated to be necessary for responding to the global climate challenge. Recently the discourse about climate justice has increasingly argued that this is a climate finance issue. This raises important questions about who will pay for mitigation and adaptation efforts undertaken by the countries that need it most – those at the forefront of the adverse impacts of climate change. Climate philanthropy offers an innovative way around this bottleneck, and is a promising vehicle of climate finance as it offers a range of financial and non-financial benefits. This article examines a case study of the Loss and Damage Youth Grant-making Council (LDYGC), a climate philanthropy initiative focused on engaging youth in responding to the climate crisis by providing grants through a competitive process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban designers have considerable potential to take important climate change actions in the built environment. Based on interviews with urban designers across Australia, it was found that the main actions taken were: development and use of policies and strategies; education and research; appropriate project designs; reduction of carbon footprints; advocacy and lobbying; the use of sustainability measures and ratings; and taking on projects oriented to climate change action. Key facilitators of these actions that overcame barriers were strong leadership, establishment of targets and measures, effective regulation, financial and other incentives, and access to trustworthy, practical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open green innovation is essential to accelerate decarbonization in Africa. The dearth of empirical evidence on the current trajectory of green innovation in Africa often hinders appropriate green innovation policy design. This study investigates the incidence of collaboration in inventive activities within Africa using the 'designation of the inventor' in the online European Patent database. We identify and assess open and closed climate adaptation and mitigation inventions using explorative and network analysis techniques. Our research shows that even though climate change adaptation technologies are more valuable, climate change mitigation technologies are more responsive to open innovation. We also discovered that the number of green inventions is slightly increasing, but there are very few collaborative open green inventions in Africa as many of the inventions are closed. These results accentuate the fragmented national innovation systems in many African countries. The lack of collaboration and the disconnect between universities and firms shows that most African knowledge institutions have not evolved into vibrant sources of firm learning for national economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the perceptions of 250 Australian residents regarding the roles and contributions of different generations towards climate change impact and climate action. Data were collected via an online survey and analysed using a content analysis approach. Findings suggest that younger generations were perceived as leaders and advocates of climate action, and middle and older generations as potential collaborators and mentors. Additionally, climate action was viewed as a mainly intergenerational and intersectoral effort. The findings indicate the prevalence of intergenerational conflict and highlight the need for intergenerational solidarity and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores how social capital impacts community resilience via the community development framework, with dimensions spanning trust, cooperativism, volunteerism, reciprocity, and interpersonal relationships in mitigating climate change impacts. With flooding impacts as a case, a mixed method approach was used, purposely recruiting 24 research cooperators in one of the suburban villages in the central Philippines. Results show that key components in disaster mitigation plans include help-seeking behavior, community responses, social relations, and resource allocation within communities. Findings demonstrate that social capital has proven invaluable in mobilizing resources, building resilience, disseminating information, mediating conflict resolution, providing psychological support, and improving livelihoods within communities. By exploring the role of social capital in community development, this study sheds light on its importance for climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction initiatives. Policymakers, development practitioners, and community leaders can frame these findings to effectively harness social capital and foster community participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe recent IPCC report (IPCC, 2023) highlighted the need to increase the perception of risk and prompt climate action through education. The question is what contribution science and environmental education can make—if any—to this challenge. Psychological research has suggested that knowledge (topical and epistemological) and beliefs about self-efficacy are relevant starting points, but the evidence is scarce and inconsistent. We conducted a transversal correlational study to test the direct and indirect effects of system knowledge of climate change, personal engagement with science, and trust in climate science on the willingness to mitigate the effects of climate change. The participants were 386 students attending high schools in Chile. The results reveal that there is no direct effect of climate change system knowledge on the willingness to act. We did find indirect effects of system knowledge on the willingness to act, mediated by personal engagement with science and trust in climate science knowledge. The results also demonstrate a direct effect of personal engagement with science, and an indirect effect mediated by trust in science. The implications for science education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study uses bibliometric techniques to explore the international knowledge base on climate change education (CCE), which considers education as crucial for addressing the climate emergency through fostering climate-literate citizens. Analyzing two decades of scientific literature on CCE, we identify evolving considerations, foci, trends, and recommendations, examining a total of 1,264 articles published between 2000 and 2022 in educational-related fields in Web of Science. Using bibliometric techniques, we assessed research trends, author co-citations and journal citations to reveal an evolving publication landscape, including shifts in locations of productive researchers, influential articles, and leading journals publishing CCE studies. Bibliometric techniques help to identify the intellectual knowledge structure and inter-journal referencing, encompassing Theoretical Basis of CCE, Psychology of CCE and Communication, Climate Change within Socioscientific Issues, Conceptions of Climate Change, and Epistemology in CCE. Based on the trends, association networks, limitations and gaps revealed by this analysis, we conclude with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractClimate change has been called both a ‘slow emergency’ and an ‘urgent crisis’, it creates tensions between human and non-human temporalities, it asks some communities to ‘speed up’ and demands others slow down, and requires choices between present needs, historical responsibilities and future consequences. If students are to understand and confront climate (in)justice, then a ‘temporal imagination’ (Adam, 1998) is required that is alert to the ways that time is central to the politics of a warming world. This paper therefore explores how ‘teaching time’ can support the awareness of and attention to (in)justice. The paper discusses the limits of current approaches to teaching time in education and explores a range of practices for developing ‘temporal attunement’ (Jensen, 2023) that can be found in public arts, Indigenous education, educational philosophy, futures studies and decolonial praxis. It maps out five temporal educational practices of: relational time; rhythm; anticipation and reparation; temporal suspension; and critical time keeping. It argues that these practices can be put into dialogue as a basis for a ‘temporal pedagogy’ that comprises three moves: interruption (of habitual and dominant temporal frames and their production of injustice), attention (to the latent, situated, plural timings and rhythms of the situation), and encounter (through invitations to judgement about the temporal practices that should govern more just collective action in response to climate change). It concludes by working through an example of how such a pedagogy might be deployed to negotiate the conflicting temporalities of socio-ecological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the role emotions play as a heuristic tool in determining the hierarchy of norms in EU's Arctic policy. In the Arctic, appropriate behaviour prescribed by the norms regarding climate change mitigation (the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement), environmental protection according to EU environmental law and UN-recognised Indigenous Peoples' rights contradict each other. When multiple norms are to be applied in a situation and they conflict with each other, a prioritisation needs to be made among these norms. This paper investigates how emotions contribute in a heuristic way to determining this priority. It finds out that fear of climate change enables climate change mitigation and regulations of the European Green Deal to gain primacy over environmental protection norms and Indigenous Peoples' rights. Self-confidence of the EU and its trust in Nordic member states in these two areas constrain the EU from taking further protective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates North Korea's climate diplomacy by analyzing a comprehensive dataset of 39 policy documents and 93,439 news articles through content and sentiment analysis. The research aims to provide insights into the country's climate diplomacy approach, framing, and priorities. The findings reveal that North Korea's climate diplomacy is primarily driven by materialistic interests, focusing on loss and damage reduction, access to climate finance, and technology transfers. The study highlights key themes in North Korea's climate change discourse, such as economic factors, human security, and a surprisingly non-ideological stance. The sentiment analysis also indicates a collaborative approach toward the international community and strong support for UNFCCC mechanisms. The results offer valuable and nuanced implications for future diplomatic efforts, suggesting potential avenues for collaboration and engagement with North Korea on climate change issues. Nonetheless, the study also identifies several barriers to diplomatic engagement, such as North Korea's reluctance to accept certain conditionalities associated with climate finance as well as its contentious focus on nuclear energy as a climate mitigation instrument. Overall, this research contributes to the growing literature on climate diplomacy and sheds new light on an underexplored aspect of North Korea's foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizens' assemblies on climate change are increasingly popular to support democratic decision-making. Such Climate Assemblies (CAs) convene representative groups of citizens formulating policy proposals after hearing experts and deliberating intensely. CAs may help addressing climate policy issues more effectively partly because their members need not worry about re-election. CAs' effectiveness depends on their design such as the issues chosen (or not chosen) for deliberation. Agenda-setters exert substantial power by selecting certain issues and by choosing framings that benefit some solutions over others. In this paper I ask: What characterizes agendas that are suitable and legitimate for deliberation in CAs? The aim is to support practitioners in making informed agenda choices for CAs by providing a list of ten widely accepted guiding principles based on expert interviews, policy documents, and information gathered from the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA). The paper systematically discusses trade-offs of various agenda choices in the light of different CA rationales. Results show that those with system-supporting rationales tend to favour narrower agendas tailored to political demands aiming to increase immediate policy impact; those with system-disrupting rationales prefer more open agendas allowing citizens to challenge existing political practices and worldviews. Results support earlier arguments that distinctions of entire deliberative processes in either top-down or bottom-up are too simplistic and that a tool-box approach is more useful. Insights appear relevant for debates of deliberative minipublics more generally. Future research should investigate whom to involve in setting CA agendas and with how much power. Effective agenda design hinges on rationales on how to achieve assembly objectives which depend on authorities' ambition for climate action. Given high ambition, system-supportive rationales aiming for policy impact favour narrower agendas tailored to demands of the policy process but risk low transformativeness. Given low ambition, system-disruptive rationales aiming to challenge established practices and worldviews favour more open agendas but risk low impact if assemblies are not politically embedded or able to mobilize opposition groups. Assembly designs are seldom purely supportive or disruptive but often hybrid. Agenda-setting has many dimensions allowing for productive combinations of disruptive and supportive elements tailored to contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]