Communicating Climate Change: Issues ahead and Action Needed in Himalayan Regions
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Published:
Aug 21, 2017
Keywords:
Organizational Communication Climate Information Global Warming Climate Change Governance Nepal
Main Article Content
Abstract
Action on climate change consists of two complementary elements. Mitigation is concerned with the causes of global warming and calls for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. While adaptation is concerned with the impacts of a changing climate on society, the economy and the environment, and promotes activities to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events and other longer term changes in our climate. This strategy looks to how to communicate both the mitigation and adaptation agendas. Effective communication on climate change policy is therefore necessary in order to gain public support and thus reduce GHG emissions. The research is based on questionnaire, a critical literature review, policy analysis, interview, questionnaire survey, observations and reflections. Even though climate change is a matter of great scientific relevance and of broad general interest, there are some problems related to its communication. The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the problems inherent to the communication of climate change, list some of the challenges ahead and describe some of the action needed in order to allow it to be better and more widely communicated.
Article Details
How to Cite
Adhhikari, A. P. (2017). Communicating Climate Change: Issues ahead and Action Needed in Himalayan Regions. Journal of Politics and Governance, 7(2), 80–96. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jopag/article/view/156622
Section
Research Articles
References
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Agrawala, S., and others. (2003). Development and climate change in Nepal: Focus on water resources and hydropower. Environment directorate, Development Co-operation Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Auffhammer, M.; Ramanathan,V.; Vincent, J. R. (2006). Integrated model shows that atmospheric brown clouds and greenhouse gases have reduced rice harvests in India. PNAS, 103(52): 19668-19672.
Bajracharya, S. R., Mool, P. K., Shrestha, B. R. (2007). Impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and glacial lakes: Case studies on GLOF and associated hazards in Nepal and Bhutan. Kathmandu, Nepal: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
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Chapagain B. K. R. Subedi, and N. S. Paudel. (2009). Exploring local knowledge of climate change: some reflections. Journal of Forest and Livelihood, 8(1),106-110.
Chaudhary P. and K. S. Bawa. (2011). Local perceptions of climate change validated by scientific evidence in the Himalayas. Biol. Lett., published online, 27 April 2011; doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0269.
Chaudhary P., and others. (2011). Consistency of local perceptions of climate change in the Kangchenjunga Himalaya landscape. Current Science, 101, 504-513.
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Eriksson, M., and others. (2009). The changing Himalayas – Impact of climate change on water resources and livelihoods in the Greater Himalayas. Kathmandu, Nepal: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
European Union, (2008).Climate Change Communication Strategy: A West Sussex Case Study 2008, European Union, Department for Communities and Local Government
Gurung G. B., and others. (2010). Impact of climate change – voices of people: Based on field observations, information and interactions with the communities in Nepal. Practical Action, Kathmandu, Nepal.
HMG. (2005). Water and Energy Commission Secretariat. National Water Plan Nepal. Nepal: His Majesty’s Government.
Houghton, J. (2004). Global Warming: The Complete Briefing. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Immerzeel W.W., van Beek, L. P. H. & Bierkens, M. F. P. (2010). Climate change will affect the Asian Towers. Science, 328, 1382–1385.
Kundzewicz, Z. W. and Others. (2007). Freshwater resources and their management. In Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Parry, M. L.; Canziani, O. F.; Palutikof, J. P.; van der Linden, P. J.; Hanson, C. E. eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 173-210.Leal Filho, W. (Ed.) (2006). Innovation, Education and Communication for
Sustainable Development. Peter Lang Scientific Publishers: Frankfurt.
Leal Filho, W. (2000). Dealing with misconceptions on the concept of sustainability, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 1 (1), 9-19.
Leal Filho, W. (2009). Communicating Climate Change: Challenges ahead and action needed, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 1(1), 6-18.
Leal Filho, W., Mannke, F. and Schmidt-Thome, P. (Eds). (2007). Information, Communication and Education on Climate Change – European Perspectives. Peter Lang Scientific Publishers: Frankfurt.
Liu, X.; Chen, B. (2000).Climatic warming in the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. International Journal of Climatology, 20, 1729–1742
McCarthy, J.J., et al. (Eds) (2001). Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
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National Wildlife Federation. (1998).Green Investment, Green Return: How
Practical Conservation Projects Save Millions on America’s Campuses, National Wildlife Federation’s Campus.Ecology Program: Washington DCNCVST (Nepal Climate Vulnerability Study Team). (2009). Vulnerability through the eyes of the vulnerable: Climate change induced uncertainties and Nepal’s development predicaments. Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET), Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal Climate Vulnerability Study Team (NCVST).
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and the University. MIT Press: Cambridge MA.
Sharma E., and others. (2009). Climate change impacts and vulnerability in the Eastern Himalayas, ICIMOD, Kathmandu.
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The White House (2005).Fact Sheet: Action on Climate Change, Energy and Sustainable Development. The White House: Washington DC.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). (2008). Freshwater under threat South Asia: Vulnerability assessment of freshwater resources to environmental change. Available at www.roap.unep.org/pub/ (accessed on July 5, 2015).
World Bank.(2009). Shared views on development and climate change. Available at
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22038355~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:223547,00.html (accessed on August 23, 2015).
Yao T. D., and others. (2006). Record and temperature change over the past 100 years in ice cores on the Tibetan plateau. Science in China: Series D Earth
Science, 49(1):1-9.
Zickfeld, K., and others. (2005). Is the Indian summer monsoon stable against global change?. Geophysical Research Letters, 32: L15707.