“We can keep the fire burning”: building action competence through environmental justice education in Uganda and Germany

The global dimensions of climate change necessitate a response that takes national differences – social, economic, geographic, and cultural – into account. Action-oriented education has a key role to play in advancing citizen engagement in a culture of sustainability. This paper describes research conducted with one such education programme, Youth Leading Environmental Change (YLEC), which operates in six countries and engages university-aged youth in discussion and practice related to global sustainability, systems thinking, and environmental justice. YLEC aims to advance four key competencies; this paper focuses on the goal of action competence, which involves acquiring knowledge, reflecting on experience in the context of one’s values, envisioning alternative futures, and acting individually and collectively to advance those alternatives. The present article examines the impacts of YLEC on environmental action competence in two of the countries involved in this research: Uganda and Germany. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants in both countries to examine the development of action competence during and after the programme. Findings suggest that outcomes differed in each country, reflective of participants’ different lived experiences. YLEC effectively built on the conditions faced in each country to accompany youth to a higher level of awareness and action. These findings have implications for environmental education programmes striving to work with multiple nations and diverse participants.     

Engagement with climate change and the environment: a review of the role of relationships to place

A growing body of literature examines how human bonds with place influence engagement with climate change and other environmental issues. Yet, studies in this vein derive from a number of disconnected literatures with a variety of place concepts employed. We set out to assess the current state of knowledge in this field and provide a framework for analysing dimensions of relations to place and their links with environmental engagement. We systematically analysed the characteristics of 66 studies identified for: focus of research, location, methods, and findings, particularly whether relationships to place aided in environmental engagement. We also categorised the studies according to our dimensions of place relations framework, cultural and environmental contexts, and intensity of climate impacts experienced. The answer to our guiding research question – whether place attachment was an effective way to communicate with people about climate change and get them actively engaged with it – was yes (74.2%), but with considerable variation according to these characteristics and dimensions. Based on this analysis, we identify gaps in current research and suggest critical paths for future research, especially in terms of geography and demography because of their implications for justice and equity in the processes of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Needed future research includes studies of place relations in regards to climate change specifically, studies in the Global South, of minority populations, beyond rural areas, and qualitative or mixed-method studies able to draw out the complexities of relations to place.     

植物微体遗存分析在第四纪环境研究中的应用:综述与展望

以孢粉、植硅体等为代表的植物微体遗存由于其分布广泛,容易保存,可反映母体植物类型的优点,在第四纪环境研究中得到了广泛应用。本文介绍了植物微体遗存的概念、常见类型,以及它们的提取方法和原理,综述了利用植物微体遗存重建古环境的传统方法和近年来发展的几种古植被与古气候定量重建方法,最后简述了植物微体遗存在年代测定、稳定同位素分析研究上的应用进展与实例。文末指出了现有研究方法的问题与不足,并对今后的多代用指标的综合研究提出了展望。     

Exploring public perception of environmental technology over time

This paper analyses how new information shapes public perception of a controversially discussed technology over time. The test case analysed in this paper is solar radiation management (SRM), a potentially risky, environmental engineering technology, which aims to fight climate change by the injection of sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere. Using panel survey data, we show that most respondents initially show strong negative emotions towards SRM and reject the technology. However, public perception is not stable over time as emotions cool off and acceptance increases. The increase in acceptance is greater, the longer the cooling-off period between two surveys. Furthermore, we show that the cooling-off effect is more pronounced for more impulsive respondents.     

近五十年来赤峰气候变化及其对生态环境的影响

利用赤峰地区近五十年来气温、降水等资料,分析了赤峰地区近五十年来气候的变化趋势,探讨气候变化带来的生态影响。结果表明:赤峰地区20世纪80年代以来进入变暖期,强对流天气频率加大,多暴雨暴雪,出现气候的不稳定性。年平均气温有所上升,主要表现为冬季平均气温上升。从不同层面分析气温、降水、日最高温度、最低气温、平均温度的变化,以及它们对水资源、土壤、植被、农业生产等生态环境的影响。为实施宏观决策、保护环境、利用气候资源等提供科学依据。     

西藏“一江两河”中部流域农业生态环境及其保护途径

西藏“一江两河”中部流域地区是藏民族文化的发祥地,腹心地区。区内独特的生态环境、奇异的自然风光、丰富的自然资源,２１世纪将进入一个新的发展时期。但也存在诸多的生态环境等问题。本文从环境保护的角度出发,提出建设相对稳定人工生态系统,实现可持续发展的途径。      

再生纤维素膜的微生物降解

采用田间掩埋、平皿培养和ＣＯ２释放试验分别测试了再生纤维素膜的生物降解性。试验结果表明：膜的失重随掩埋时间而增加;不同试验菌株对膜有不贩降解活性,其顺序为木霉Ｔ－３１１〉黑曲霉Ａ－３０５〉青霉Ｐ－３０７;掩埋或用菌株Ｔ－３１１接种４２ｄ后,膜的生物降解率可超过７０％;在膜的微生物降解过程中,失重、菌株在膜表面的可见生长和ＣＯ２释放分别是膜不同降解程度的表征,彼此既相关又有区别。     

Atmospheric Change and Biodiversity

Strategies to conserve biodiversity need to include the monitoring, modelling, adaptation and regulation of the composition of the atmosphere. Atmospheric issues include climate variability and extremes; climate change; stratospheric ozone depletion; acid deposition; photochemical pollution; suspended particulate matter; and hazardous air pollutants. Coarse filter and fine filter approaches have been used to understand the complexity of the interactions between the atmosphere and biodiversity. In the first approach, climate-based models, using GIS technology, helped create future biodiversity scenarios under a 2 × CO₂ atmosphere. In the second approach, the SI/MAB forest biodiversity monitoring protocols helped calibrate the climate-forest biodiversity baseline and, as global diagnostics, helped identify where the biodiversity was in equilibrium with the present climate. Forest climate monitoring, an enhancing protocol, was used in a co-location approach to define the thermal buffering capacity of forest ecosystems and their ability to reduce and ameliorate global climate variability, extremes and change.     

从威宁草海的演化分析0.73Ma来贵州威宁地区喀斯特环境的演变

根据草海0.73 Ma.B.P的沉积记录和林树基等的草海研究成果,结合威宁地区喀斯特环境特征,以及贵州喀斯特溶洞及层状地貌、新构造运动等,确定了草海泥炭沼泽发育与喀斯特夷平面、层状溶洞、河流阶地之间的关系,大尺度上恢复喀斯特环境的侵蚀速率。建立了威宁地区岩溶发育期次,即经历了较强—缓慢—强烈—缓慢—强烈的五个发育阶段。认为喀斯特岩溶发育严格受构造控制,并且新构造运动是威宁地区喀斯特侵蚀速率主要控制因素。这一大尺度研究方法,为贵州喀斯特环境变迁的研究提供了新的研究思路。     

基于无人机建模的尾矿库溃坝事故推演*

为诠释尾矿库溃坝后水砂演进过程,提升尾矿库事故灾害应急处置能力,采用无人机倾斜摄影技术获取尾矿库全息影像,建立尾矿库三维数字高程模型,导入三维流体计算软件对尾矿库进行溃坝事故推演。结果表明:尾矿库实景三维模型能高精度还原尾矿库实际情况,尾矿库溃坝将淹没库区临时厂房建筑及下游村落;其中,上游沟谷临时厂房建筑水位高程最大达8 m,尾砂淤积厚度最高达10.5 m,下游沟谷村落水位高程最大达10 m,尾砂淤积厚度最高达2.5 m;通过对库区下游布设监测点,得出各监测点处水位高程和尾砂淤积厚度变化规律,分析溃坝主要影响区域。研究结果可为尾矿库风险防控、应急响应工作提供借鉴。