Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Understanding and accepting climate change is crucial for individuals to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors and support political actions aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. In this cross-national comparative study, we explore factors associated with both climate change denial and awareness. We analyze data from the European Social Survey (Wave 8) and additional country-level data to identify factors associated with each of these outcomes. We measure awareness as a composite index that aggregates multiple indicators, including beliefs about the existence of climate change, concern, causes, impact, and responsibility. Our findings indicate that climate change denial and awareness do not exist on a single scale. Climate change awareness is strongly influenced by individuals' socio-demographic characteristics, values, and political orientation. Higher levels of awareness are found among those who are more receptive to educational efforts that promote scientific knowledge. In contrast, climate change denial is weakly related to socio-demographic and political factors and is more influenced by individuals' worldviews and detachment from mainstream society. European post-socialist countries demonstrate distinct attitudes towards environmental issues, with lower average climate change awareness and a higher proportion of individuals denying climate change. PubDate: 2024-08-24
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was an extremely destructive event in Aceh, Indonesia, killing over 160,000 people and destroying infrastructure, homes, and livelihoods over miles of coastline. In its immediate aftermath, affected populations faced a daunting array of challenges. At the population level, questions of how the disaster affected children’s and parents’ aspirations for education and whether it permanently disrupted schooling progression are critical in understanding how shocks affect human capital in the short and long term. We use longitudinal data from the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) to examine how disaster exposure affects educational aspirations and eventual attainment. We find that damage to one’s community depresses aspirations in the short term but that this weakens with time. With respect to educational attainment 15 years after the event, children’s aspirations, parents’ education, and family socioeconomic status are more important determinants of whether children complete high school and go on to tertiary schooling than is disaster exposure. While these results likely reflect, at least in part, the successful post-tsunami reconstruction program, they also establish enormous resilience among survivors who bore the brunt of the tsunami. PubDate: 2024-07-29
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract This paper explores the extent to which rainfall variability influences women’s exposure to intimate partner violence in 37 developing countries between 2000 and 2018. Exploiting the variation across residential areas in annual rainfall, we detect a negative association between rainfall deviations from typical levels and women’s experience of various aspects of intimate partner violence. Specifically, women tend to suffer less physical violence (in both less severe and more severe forms) and are less likely to experience domestic abuse in psychological as well as sexual manners when there is more rainfall in their residential area relative to the long-run local average rainfall. In contrast, we present evidence that the lack of rainfall (defined as rainfall below the historical norm) raises the likelihood of all four types of intimate partner violence. The mechanism analysis provides suggestive evidence that the linkage between rainfall and intimate partner violence could be mediated through household income. Our study highlights the sensitivity of women’s well-being to weather shocks and therefore underlines the importance of policy interventions that seek to secure household incomes and protect the welfare of women during adverse weather events. PubDate: 2024-07-08
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Child stunting, closely linked with economic loss in adulthood, is largely irreversible and mainly occurs in poor countries. We estimate the impact of in utero exposure to high temperatures on child height and stunting in China. Experiencing high temperatures during the in utero period, especially during the first and second trimesters, significantly decreases height-for-age z-scores and increases the risk of stunting and severe stunting. Male children and northern children show greater responses to hot days during pregnancy. Suggestive evidence indicates that birth outcomes, household income, and parental investments may be potential channels underlying the high temperature–child height relationship. Without mitigation and adaptation measures by governments and individuals, future climate change will continue to undermine children’s development. Policymakers should pay increasing attention to pregnant women and take interventions during pregnancy to prevent the persistently harmful effects of high temperatures on child growth. PubDate: 2024-06-25
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract As the impacts of climate change intensify globally, scholars and policymakers are increasingly interested in determining the factors that lead to the success or failure of climate adaptation strategies. This paper investigates the well-being outcomes of ex-pastoralists in northern Kenya who have migrated to towns in response to severe droughts. Focusing on Marsabit Town, the study employs a comparative design with primary survey data to analyze the well-being outcomes resulting from migration as an adaptation strategy. We contrast two heterogeneous groups of former pastoralists: a “settled group” that was already residing in Marsabit Town before ending their pastoral activities and a “migrant group” that relocated to Marsabit Town at the time of abandoning pastoralism. Our analysis reveals significant differences in well-being outcomes between these groups, with the migrant group often experiencing deterioration in their well-being levels. Key predictors of poorer well-being outcomes include the loss of all livestock, informal housing, and failure to transition into agricultural work, which often results in dependence on casual labor. Additionally, many migrants continue to experience poor subjective well-being—referring to their personal satisfaction with the quality of life—years after their livelihood transition. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the well-being outcomes of migration-as-adaptation among heterogeneous groups of ex-pastoralists and underscore the need for customized livelihood support strategies for the most at-risk populations. PubDate: 2024-06-19 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00456-5
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The literature on migration has traditionally emphasized economic factors as the primary drivers of migration. However, recent research has started to explore the social dimensions of migration and mobility. While a growing body of evidence supports the role of sustained social relationships in shaping migration behavior, less attention has been given to the loss of social relationships. To isolate the relationship between the loss of social ties and mobility, this study examines the impact of an unexpected mortality shock, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, on subsequent migration behaviors. Using data from the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR), this paper employs logistic regression to investigate how the loss of a close family member influences post-disaster mobility. Our research findings indicate that the death of a family member increases the probability of post-disaster residential instability, encompassing both short-term displacement and longer-term relocations. These outcomes emphasize that mobility is not solely propelled by sustained social connections. In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the loss of social ties played a significant role in shaping displacement and migration. PubDate: 2024-06-12 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00459-2
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Climate-related disasters have adversely affected the livelihoods and well-being of people in both developed and developing countries, including China. Identifying and addressing social vulnerability is an integral element of disaster risk reduction efforts. Various quantitative approaches have been proposed to measure social vulnerability in China, guiding the scale of research and the selection of indicators. Utilizing indicators adapted from the US CDC SVI framework, this study constructs a modified social vulnerability index to evaluate the spatial heterogeneity and regional distribution of social vulnerability in China for the years of 2000 and 2010. The index was developed by the application of Principal Component Aanalysis (PCA) on fourteen socio-economic variables, identifying urbanization, population structure and economic status as major components. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of social vulnerability exhibited a more distinct difference between eastern and western regions than between the northern and southern regions, with social vulnerability increasing from eastern to western China. Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) uncovers significant effect of spatial dependence, with high social vulnerability remained consistently clustered among Chinese counties. Furthermore, to evaluate the robustness and reliability of the constructed index, sensitivity analysis was conducted by constructing the social vulnerability index at various scales and employing different algorithmic approaches with varying weights. This analysis is essential for enhancing the adaptability of a multi-faceted social vulnerability index to various contexts and uses. PubDate: 2024-06-10 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00455-6
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Exposure to ambient air pollution has serious adverse impacts on human health. Yet air pollution does not affect all individuals in the same way. Existing evidence of environmental inequality in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is limited and contradictory, despite 91% of premature death due to air pollution in LMIC. This study aims to estimate the association between community socioeconomic status (CSES) and ambient air pollution in eastern China. The study comprised 19,622 individuals. CSES was measured by income, occupation and education. Air pollution was measured by 4-year-average ambient levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and CO. Spatial autoregressive models and U-test was applied. Subsample analyses were conducted based on participants’ rural/urban location and hukou status. Air pollutant exposure had an inverted U-shaped correlation with CSES. Before (after) the inflection point, increasing CSES by 1% increased(decreased) community exposure to PM2.5 by 0.527% (0.379%), PM10 by 0.460%(0.215%), NO2 by 0.584%(0.288%), and CO by 0.582% (0.382%). All results remained robust in sensitivity analysis. Subsample analysis showed that compared to rural (urban) residents, the increment of air pollution exposure concentration for migrants was 4.042 (4.556) μg/m3 for PM2.5, 5.839 (10.624) μg/m3 for PM10, 3.212 (5.719) μg/m3 for NO2 and 0.205(0.208) mg/m3 for CO. Our study finds moderate SES communities facing the highest level of exposure. Our results aid policymakers to understand the locality-specific patterns of environmental pollution and to design intervention strategies to improve the environment, especially for economically vulnerable groups, such as migrants. PubDate: 2024-05-08 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00454-7
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Japan is a leading exemplar of rapidly aging countries, holding very low fertility rate. Under such circumstances, the present paper examines two important aspects of residential energy consumption patterns of Japan up to the year 2040: (i) presenting two future scenarios of residential energy consumption and (ii) reexamining the effectiveness of traditional strategy to reduce energy consumption mainly through energy efficiency improvement. Before presenting the two main topics of the paper, three important factors are discussed: (i) the population aging effect; (ii) the generation gap in energy use patterns; and (iii) the decline in family size. These factors influence the relationship between the aging population and residential energy consumption. Then, a brief explanation is given for survey data sources, six household types in 11 regions of Japan, and four types of energy carriers. The first scenario assumes that residential energy consumption pattern of each household type remains unchanged from the current situation and that the population projection holds true. The total residential energy consumption will decrease by only 6% between 2020 and 2040. Yet, per capita residential energy consumption will increase despite the fact that the population size will decrease by 10.6%. The second scenario assumes that slightly higher energy efficiency improvements than in the past 15 years will continue to reduce energy consumption from 2020 to 2040. The simulation result of this optimistic scenario also suggests that conventional energy conservation strategies alone are far from sufficient to reduce residential energy consumption per capita. Thus, an alternative strategy to overcome the spell of Jevons’ paradox is urgently required. Frugality combined with lifestyle and behavior change should be seriously attempted to achieve sustainable future for societies including aging countries like Japan. PubDate: 2024-05-04 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00453-8
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Tropical storms are among the most devastating natural disasters in the USA. Climate change is projected to make them even more destructive, and the number of people and properties at risk has steadily increased over the past several decades. Migration is often seen by scholars as an adaptation strategy to reduce exposure to future natural disasters. However, studies of migration after tropical storms have led to inconsistent results and have not analyzed post-storm migration from the viewpoint of exposure to future events. This paper adopts an innovative approach to estimate “excess migration” associated with tropical storms using Bayesian hierarchical models, and decomposes migration by risk of exposure to natural disasters of the origin and destination to understand whether migrants move to safer areas or rather riskier ones. Findings indicate that excess migration after tropical storms is rare and generally fails to reduce the number of people at risk of experiencing future natural disasters. Only the most destructive tropical storms are associated with significant excess migration. Finally, findings further suggest that neither the amount of post-disaster assistance nor the socio-demographic characteristics of the affected counties are strongly associated with excess migration. PubDate: 2024-04-19 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00452-9
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Using data from 32 European countries for nearly 244 million live births between 1969 and 2021, this paper examines the effects of temperatures on birth rates. The results show that exposure to hot days slightly reduces birth rates five to eight months later, while much stronger negative effects are observed nine to ten months after exposure to hot temperatures. Thereafter, a partial recovery is observed, with slightly increased birth rates. This study also shows that the effect of high-humidity hot days is much stronger than that of hot days with low humidity. Besides, the effect of heatwave days has been found to be more severe than that of hot days that are not preceded by other hot days. This study finds that some adaptation to heat might be expected only in the long run. PubDate: 2024-03-06 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00450-x
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Researchers have long hypothesized linkages between climate change, food security, and migration in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). One such hypothesis is the “agricultural pathway,” which postulates that negative climate change impacts on food production harm livelihoods, which triggers rural out-migration, internally or abroad. Migration is thus an adaptation to cope with the impacts of climate change and bolster livelihoods. Recent evidence suggests that the agriculture pathway is a plausible mechanism to explain climate-related migration. But direct causal connections from climate impacts on food production to livelihood loss to rural out-migration have yet to be fully established. To guide future research on the climate-food-migration nexus, we present a conceptual framework that outlines the components and linkages underpinning the agricultural pathway in LMICs. We build on established environmental-migration conceptual frameworks that have informed empirical research and deepened our understanding of complex human-environmental systems. First, we provide an overview of the conceptual framework and its connection to the agricultural pathway hypothesis in the climate mobility literature. We then outline the primary components and linkages of the conceptual framework as they pertain to LMIC contexts, highlighting current research gaps and challenges relating to the agricultural pathway. Last, we discuss possible future research directions for the climate-food-migration nexus. By highlighting the complex, multiscale, interconnected linkages that underpin the agricultural pathway, our framework unpacks the multiple causal connections that currently lie hidden in the agricultural pathway hypothesis. PubDate: 2024-03-05 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00446-7
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Extreme temperature affects children’s health, cognitive abilities, and behavior with implications for human capital accumulation. For example, several studies documented both heat and cold to decrease cognitive abilities and being consequential for test scores. An alternative, less explored pathway, by which temperature is consequential for educational achievement, is absenteeism. In this study, we explore how heat affects school attendance leveraging administrative data on more than 22,000 schools in England from the school years 2011/2012 to 2018/2019. Using a fixed-effects approach largely used in the literature, we exploit the variations in temperature by school year to estimate the effect of heat and cold days on absences. The results expose hot days to increase absences. Inquiring specific types of absences, we observe hot days to increase illness-related absences and authorized holidays. Conversely, we do not find any substantive impact of cold exposure, except for illness-related absences in energy-poor neighborhoods. In conclusion, we provide additional evidence on the impact of temperature on children and propose an alternative pathway through which societal challenges associated with climate change and energy poverty could affect human capital accumulation. PubDate: 2024-02-27 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00448-5
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Disruptive events and calamities can have major consequences for households in the predominantly agrarian communities of Eastern Africa. Here, we analyze the impacts of environmental and non-environmental shocks on migration in Tanzania using panel models and longitudinal data from the Tanzania National Panel Survey between 2008 and 2013. Shocks are defined as events that lead to losses in income, assets, or both. We find shocks resulting from changes in environmental conditions to be positively related to migration over time with more recent shocks exerting the strongest impact. According to our estimates, the probability of having a household member absent increases by 0.81% with each additional environmental shock encountered in the past 12 months. Different types of shocks have differential effects on migration with the strongest effects being observed for shocks with an immediate impact on household livelihoods, including through livestock losses and crop damage. Households in the sample are differently affected with rural, agriculturally dependent, and poor households without alternative income sources showing the strongest changes in their migration behavior in response to shocks. Our study adds important insights into the relationship between disruptive events and migration in Eastern Africa considering a broad time window and the compounding influence of different shock types. Our findings have a range of policy implications highlighting the need for a comprehensive perspective on household responses in times of distress that considers the interplay of different shock types as well as the role of context in shaping mobility patterns. PubDate: 2024-02-27 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00449-4
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Extreme climate events are infrequently considered for older individuals’ health and wellbeing in low and middle income countries. The world’s first and fourth largest urban populations exposed to extreme coastal flooding are in India (Mumbai and Kolkata). These and the next largest of India’s coastal cities, Chennai and Surat, each experienced an extreme flood event in the years 2005-2007 that was either unprecedented in recorded meteorological history (Mumbai and Chennai) or whose magnitude exceeded any in the last 30 and 40 years (Kolkata and Surat). Panel data collected before these events (2004-2005), and collected again approximately seven years later (2011-2012), are used for individuals aged 50 and over. Acquisition of any disability condition between 2004-2005 and 2011-2012 in these four large coastal cities is compared to all India’s urban areas, and to India’s five inland cities (Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune) whose population sizes were between those of the four exposed coastal cities of the study. Residing in a coastal city that experienced an extreme flood event was associated with a 66% higher odds of acquiring disability (OR 1.66; 95% CI:1.21, 2.27) relative to residing in equivalent-sized inland city. Being older, female, unmarried, in a single-generation household, and having a chronic morbidity condition had positive associations with disability acquisition, but only older age had a magnitude of association exceeding that for living in a coastal city that experienced an extreme flood event. PubDate: 2024-02-17 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00447-6
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The Household Life Cycle framework relates family demographic processes to land use-cover change, but also revealed limitations. We propose several modifications, featuring a focus on extended families instead of single households, to broaden the applicability to land use systems. In the process, we pay particular attention to temporal dynamics and the spatial distribution of families concerning demographic processes, going beyond fertility to focus on population distribution. To evaluate the extended family model’s explanatory value, we apply it to the Transamazon Highway region in Brazil. The analysis includes 330 families, which are often multi-generational and multi-sited, based on data from 402 lots (1997/8–2005). We present models for forest, secondary succession, annual crops, perennials and pasture. Explanatory variables feature nine demographic factors with five others controlling for exogenous forces. The findings show strong effects for family dynamics and spatial distribution variables in many equations. Time on lot (cohort effect), the complexity of family structure (age effect) and social integration into urban fabric (spatial effect) are demographic processes that deserve further attention in land use studies. PubDate: 2024-02-15 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-024-00445-8
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Migration is commonly seen as a last resort for households impacted by climate shocks, given the costs and risks that migration typically entails. However, pre-existing labor migration channels may facilitate immediate migration decisions in response to climate shocks. This study explores the relationship between migration and droughts in a rural Sub-Saharan setting from which men commonly migrate in search of non-agricultural employment. We use data from the Men’s Migrations and Women’s Lives project, which includes a longitudinal household panel conducted in rural Mozambique between 2006 and 2017, and combine it with the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, a high-resolution climate measure. The fixed-effect models assess the lagged impact of droughts on the labor migration status of male household heads. We find an immediate increase in migration following a drought, peaking in the first year, then diminishing in the second year, with a slight resurgence in the third year. However, by the sixth-year post-drought, the likelihood of being a migrant turns negative. These findings demonstrate the complex associations of climate shocks with labor migration in low-income rural settings. PubDate: 2024-01-05 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-023-00444-1
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The relationship between climate, environment, and human mobility is complex as (im)mobility outcomes are influenced by multiple socioeconomic, political, and environmental factors. The current debate is focused on migration as an adaptation strategy in the face of climate change but largely ignores the immobility aspect, particularly in the Eastern Hindu Kush where mountain livelihoods are strongly dependent on local environmental conditions. In this study, we examine the interrelations between climate change and the environment as drivers of human mobility and immobility in the mountain communities of Lotkuh valley, Chitral, in north Pakistan. We employed a mixed methods approach grounded in migration theory to describe the relationship between climate change, environment, and (im)mobility outcomes. The study reveals that climate (im)mobilities are the outcome of a complex interplay between climate change, extreme events, and local livelihoods. The primary drivers of (im)mobility are socioeconomic factors. Forced displacement is driven by a multitude of extreme events in the area. Three critical aspects of livelihoods—land resources, crop productivity, and livestock farming—are identified as significant factors influencing mobility and immobility outcomes. Recurring extreme events such as floods and landslides exacerbate soil erosion and the loss of fertile farmlands, leading to food insecurity and compelling households to resort to labor migration as an adaptation strategy. Conversely, for households facing severe income stress and depleted economic assets, immobility becomes the only viable option due to insufficient resources for migration. Moreover, the study reveals that some households adopt a mixed strategy by sending select members to other areas while others remain in their places of origin to sustain their livelihoods. The study has implications for policymakers, government, and development organizations in the region suggesting sustainable livelihoods and adaptation measures to address the specific challenges faced by mountain communities in the Lotkuh valley and the wider region. PubDate: 2023-12-20 DOI: 10.1007/s11111-023-00443-2