Interdisciplinary Research on Climate and Energy Decision Making
Interdisciplinary Research on Climate and Energy Decision Making

Author: M. Granger Morgan

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-12-16

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1000810933

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores the role and importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing key issues in climate and energy decision making. For over 30 years, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students anchored at Carnegie Mellon University, joined by investigators and students from a number of other collaborating institutions across North America, Europe, and Australia, have worked together to better understand the global changes that are being caused by both human activities and natural causes. This book tells the story of their successful interdisciplinary work. With each chapter written in the first person, the authors have three key objectives: (1) to document and provide an accessible account of how they have framed and addressed a range of the key problems that are posed by the human dimensions of global change; (2) to illustrate how investigators and graduate students have worked together productively across different disciplines and locations on common problems; and (3) to encourage funders and scholars across the world to undertake similar large- scale interdisciplinary research activities to meet the world’s largest challenges. Exploring topics such as energy efficiency, public health, and climate adaptation, and with a final chapter dedicated to lessons learned, this innovative volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, energy transitions and environmental studies more broadly.

Communicating Climate Change Information for Decision-Making
Communicating Climate Change Information for Decision-Making

Author: Silvia Serrao-Neumann

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-03-20

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 3319746693

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides important insight on a range of issues focused on three themes; what new climate change information is being developed, how that knowledge is communicated and how it can be usefully applied across international, regional and local scales. There is increasing international investment and interest to develop and communicate updated climate change information to promote effective action. As change accelerates and planetary boundaries are crossed this information becomes particularly relevant to guide decisions and support both proactive adaptation and mitigation strategies. Developing new information addresses innovations in producing interdisciplinary climate change knowledge and overcoming issues of data quality, access and availability. This book examines effective information systems to guide decision-making for immediate and future action. Cases studies in developed and developing countries illustrate how climate change information promotes immediate and future actions across a range of sectors.

The Future of Electric Power in the United States
The Future of Electric Power in the United States

Author: National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine

Publisher:

Published: 2021-11-25

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780309684446

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Electric power is essential for the lives and livelihoods of all Americans, and the need for electricity that is safe, clean, affordable, and reliable will only grow in the decades to come. At the request of Congress and the Department of Energy, the National Academies convened a committee of experts to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the U.S. grid and how it how it might evolve in response to advances in new energy technologies, changes in demand, and future innovation. The Future of Electric Power in the United States presents an extensive set of policy and funding recommendations aimed at modernizing the U.S. electric system. The report addresses technology development, operations, grid architectures, and business practices, as well as ways to make the electricity system safe, secure, sustainable, equitable, and resilient.

Energy Transition and Climate Change in Decision-making Processes
Energy Transition and Climate Change in Decision-making Processes

Author: Georgios Tsantopoulos

Publisher: Mdpi AG

Published: 2022-01-07

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9783036527079

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There is a growing concern about the climate; numerous voices stress that, in order to overcome the climate crisis, the transition to a low-carbon society is the most reasonable path to follow. In this type of society, individuals would be characterized by making mindful efforts to drastically decrease carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, and promote benign energy sources. In order to facilitate this transition, a social perspective in addition to technological, political and economic aspects must be integrated into the relevant decision-making processes. This is necessary because the public can strongly affect actions aimed at driving profound changes in traditional energy systems. To contribute to the effort of promoting energy transition, the Editors of this book invited scholars and practitioners conducting research in the areas of climate change and the energy transition to submit their work. This book includes studies that establish a valuable source of information which can be used to enhance decision-making processes which, in turn, can turn the energy transition into reality. Hopefully, efforts such as this collection of knowledge can help economies make a step towards a secure and sustainable energy future in which renewables will have replaced the centuries-long human dependence on fossil fuels.

Energy Justice in a Changing Climate
Energy Justice in a Changing Climate

Author: Karen Bickerstaff

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-10-10

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1780325800

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Energy justice is one of the most critical, and yet least developed, concepts associated with sustainability. Much has been written about the sustainability of low-carbon energy systems and policies - with an emphasis on environmental, economic and geopolitical issues. However, less attention has been directed at the social and equity implications of these dynamic relations between energy and low-carbon objectives - the complexity of injustice associated with whole energy systems (from extractive industries, through to consumption and waste) that transcend national boundaries and the social, political-economic and material processes driving the experience of energy injustice and vulnerability. Drawing on a substantial body of original research from an international collaboration of experts this unique collection addresses energy poverty, just innovation, aesthetic justice and the justice implications of low-carbon energy systems and technologies. The book offers new thinking on how interactions between climate change, energy policy, and equity and social justice can be understood and develops a critical agenda for energy justice research.

Advancing the Science of Climate Change
Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-01-10

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 0309145880

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.

Climate Smart & Energy Wise
Climate Smart & Energy Wise

Author: Mark S. McCaffrey

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2014-09-09

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1483353532

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Climate Smart & Energy Wise provides a roadmap to teachers to assist them in acquiring the background and resources to bring climate and energy education into their classrooms . . . It provides a wealth of information to help teachers find resources, including the very useful Climate Literacy and Energy Literacy frameworks, developed by scientists and master teachers. This book is packed with suggestions for where a teacher can find more information and classroom guidance for the teaching of global climate change." - From the Foreword by Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D., former Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc. and Jay B. Labov, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Education and Communication for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council Today’s answers to our most urgent climate issues The twenty-first century ushered in a set of unmistakably urgent global challenges that are too important to be an afterthought in today’s classrooms. Just in time, here’s a resource to improve your students’ understanding of the intersection of science and social policy by making climate and energy literacy the centerpiece of your curriculum. What recommends Climate Smart & Energy Change in particular? That there’s no more informed expert on the subject than Mark McCaffrey. His book offers a virtual blueprint to climate and energy education, packed with resources and strategies, including: A high-level overview of where climate and energy topics fit (or don′t fit) in to your current curriculum A discussion of the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and how you can meet them with well-planned pedagogical strategies Proven methods to teach climate change and related topics in a grade-appropriate way Sample learning activities and high-quality online resources from the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) Students, educators, and parents must pool their diverse skills and abilities to ensure our schools produce graduates that are able to respond to the global imperative facing us all. Climate Smart & Energy Wise is the key to making a better future our reality.

The Material Basis of Energy Transitions
The Material Basis of Energy Transitions

Author: Alena Bleicher

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-08-05

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0128235543

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Material Basis of Energy Transitions explores the intersection between critical raw material provision and the energy system. Chapters draw on examples and case studies involving energy technologies (e.g., electric power, transport) and raw material provision (e.g., mining, recycling), and consider these in their regional and global contexts. The book critically discusses issues such as the notion of criticality in the context of a circular economy, approaches for estimating the need for raw materials, certification schemes for raw materials, the role of consumers, and the impact of renewable energy development on resource conflicts. Each chapter deals with a specific issue that characterizes the interdependency between critical raw materials and renewable energies by examining case studies from a particular conceptual perspective. The book is a resource for students and researchers from the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering, as well as interdisciplinary scholars interested in the field of renewable energies, the circular economy, recycling, transport, and mining. The book is also of interest to policymakers in the fields of renewable energy, recycling, and mining, professionals from the energy and resource industries, as well as energy experts and consultants looking for an interdisciplinary assessment of critical materials. Provides a comprehensive overview of key issues related to the nexus between renewable energy and critical raw materials Explores interdisciplinary perspectives from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences Discusses critical strategies to address the nexus from a practitioner's perspective

Rethinking Climate and Energy Policies
Rethinking Climate and Energy Policies

Author: Tilman Santarius

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-08-18

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 331938807X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book calls for rethinking current climate, energy and sustainability policy-making by presenting new insights into the rebound phenomenon; i.e., the driving forces, mechanisms and extent of rebound effects and potential means of mitigating them. It pursues an innovative and novel approach to the political and scientific rebound discourse and hence, supplements the current state-of-knowledge discussed in the field of energy economics and recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Building on central rebound publications from the past four decades, this book is divided into three main sections: Part I highlights new aspects of rebound economics by presenting insights into issues that have so far not been satisfactorily researched, such as rebounds in countries of the Global South, rebounds on the producer-side, and rebounds from sufficiency behaviour (as opposed to rebounds from technical efficiency improvements). In turn, Part II goes beyond conventional economic rebound research, exploring multidisciplinary perspectives on the phenomenon, in particular from the fields of psychology and sociology. Advancing such multidisciplinary perspectives delivers a more comprehensive understanding of rebound’s driving forces, mechanisms, and policy options. Part III puts rebounds into practice and presents several policy cases and sector-specific approaches, including the contexts of labour markets, urban planning, tourism, information and communication technologies, and transport. Lastly, the book embeds the issue into the larger debate on decoupling, green growth and degrowth, and identifies key lessons learned for sustainable development strategies and policies at large. By employing such varied and in-depth analyses, the book makes an essential contribution to the discussion of the overall question: Can resource-, energy-use and greenhouse gas emissions be substantially reduced without hindering economic growth?