climate change phd thesis

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PhD Thesis: Individual Responsibility for Climate Change: A Social Structural Account

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PhD Dissertation - University of Washington Department of Philosophy

Alex Lenferna

This dissertation makes the moral case for equitably transitioning away from fossil fuels in line with the Paris Climate Agreement’s more stringent target of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It argues that we should do so while relying as little as possible on risky and uncertain negative emissions and geoengineering technologies, so as to avoid unnecessarily prolonging the fossil fuel era and posing grave potential costs both to the present and future generations. The dissertation addresses a central objection to the moral imperative to transition away from fossil fuels, namely that it will detrimentally impact the poor and vulnerable. It argues in response that protecting the interests of the poor and vulnerable can be best achieved through a rapid yet just transition away from fossil fuels. Additionally, based on the moral case to transition away from fossil fuels in line with 1.5°C, the dissertation also explores what personal moral responsibility agents have to reduce fossil fuel usage and act on climate change more broadly. It situates our moral responsibility in the context of what the author argues is an emergency situation where we need to rapidly and comprehensively move away from fossil fuels to avert catastrophic climate change and the substantial, widespread and unnecessary harms associated with continued fossil fuel dependence. Based on the development of an Anti-Pollution Principle, the author concludes that in the face of this emergency we do have morally demanding moral responsibilities to act on climate change and reducing fossil fuel dependence. The author argues that while we do have some responsibilities to reduce our personal emissions and consumption, the more important task which can often outweigh the need to reduce personal emissions, is the need to push collectively for deep, rapid, and comprehensive structural change.

Peter Critchley

Synopsis and Table of Contents for a forthcoming book. Combining notions of ecological virtue and citizen science, Being at One develops an eco-praxis that sees human beings as active members/partners in a creative, participatory universe in which human and planetary flourishing are co-existent and based upon recognition of the facts of social and natural existence. The value-centred eco-philosophy acknowledges that human beings exist in a dialectical interplay of dependence, independence and interdependence. Further details can be found at: Peter Critchley Being and Place http://pcritchley2.wix.com/beingandplace

1 INTRODUCTION Under the shadow of Nihilism; Weber’s Cage, Nietzsche’s Dance and Marx’s Emancipation 2 ONTO-ECOLOGY Nihilism as the Deepest Problem; Heidegger and Being in the World; Active Be-ing in the participatory universe; 3 RATIONAL FREEDOM Recovering the Good Life – Rational Freedom; What is the Good Life?; Plato; Aristotle; Rousseau; Kant; Nietzsche 4 RATIONAL FREEDOM AND COMMON CONSTRAINT Climate Change Is a Crisis We Can Only Solve Together ; How Individualist Economics Are Causing Planetary Eco-Collapse; Recovering the Common Ground and the Common Good; Who acts for the Common Good?; Rational Action and Good Government 5 THE SOUL OF THE OBJECTIVELY VALUABLE WORLD Fact and Value, the world of science and the everyday lifeworld; Bridging the Gap between Theoretical Reason and Practical Reason; ‘Culture and the Death of God’; ‘The Soul of the World’; 6 THE ECOLOGY OF VALUES The Ecology of Good and Bad; Defining Moral Values; Values, Virtues and Visions; 7 UNIVERSAL MORAL VALUES A Short List of Universal Moral Values; The Case for and against Universal Values; Implications for Ethical Education 8 WHY TRUTH MATTERS Deconstruction and Destruction; Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault 9 VIRTUE Why I work in the virtue tradition; Character and character construction; The Community of Morality; Pope Francis’s Radical Realism: Performance v. Ideology; Morality and the Inner Motives 10 ECO-PSYCHOLOGY Per Espen Stoknes and eco-psychology; Psychology of Identity; Social Psychology; Evolutionary psychology; Fostering the Springs of Action 11 EUDAIMONICS Creative Evolution; Eudaimonics 12 KEEKOK LEE AND ARTEFACTUAL NATURE 13 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRAXIS AND ECO-PRAXIS Definition of praxis, Aristotle, Leibniz, Kant, and Marx; Nature via nurture 14 THE UTOPIAN ANTHROPOLOGY OF BEING AND PLACE Ecological utopias; 15 THE GREEN POLITY 16 ECOLOGY AND THE CRITIQUE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY Alienation and Social Control; Virtue and Economic Life 17 FUTURES – THE COMEDY OF LIFE THE COMEDY OF LIFE Praxis! Praxis!! Praxis!!!

Michael D Doan

In this paper I engage interdisciplinary conversation on inaction as the dominant response to climate change, and develop an analysis of the specific phenomenon of complacency through a critical-feminist lens. I suggest that Chris Cuomo's discussion of the “insufficiency” problem and Susan Sherwin's call for a “public ethics” jointly point toward particularly promising harm-reduction strategies. I draw upon and extend their work by arguing that extant philosophical accounts of complacency are inadequate to the task of sorting out what it means to be complacent on climate change. I offer a sketch for an alternative account, which I take to be a start in the direction of mapping out a diverse array of “motivational vices” that need to be named, grappled with, and (hopefully) remedied.

The Economics of Flourishing

Essays on the theme of economics, ethics, happiness and the virtues. This book has now been published and is available as "The Economics of Flourishing-Well."

Philosophy Compass

Avery Kolers

Social movements are ubiquitous in political life. But what are they? What makes someone a member of a social movement, or some action an instance of movement activity? Are social movements compatible with democracy? Are they required for it? And how should individuals respond to movements' calls to action? Philosophers have had much to say on issues impinging on social movements but much less to say on social movements as such. The current article provides a philosophical overview of social movements. To do so it canvasses contemporary work on the nature of shared agency and collective action, social epistemology, democratic theory, and the theory of individual responsibility for structural injustice. The article finds that contemporary analytic philosophy has considerable work to do if it is to account for the nature, epistemology, ethics, and politics of social movements. There may be more things in the streets than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

This book identifies the contemporary environmental crisis as a call to create a new biocentric civilisation. Proceeding from the identification of the constants of civlised life, the argument seeks to build constructive ecological models by relating Green politics to philosophy and ethics. This approach seeks to develop a practical, institution building orientation out of fundamental Green principles. In the process, the gap between the 'is' of the real world and the 'ought to be' of philosophy is closed via notions of cognitive praxis and ecological praxis. Ensuring the unity of subject and object is a way of recovering the original meaning of politics as creative human self-realisation. Eudaimonia in Aristotle and conatus in Spinoza are identified as crucial to human flourishing, identified as definitive of the good life. Reason is shown to be central to this conception of happiness and the constitution of the common good. The book criticises market society and its atomistic relations as a reversion to the lowest form of reasoning in the Prisoner's Dilemma. In relating ecological praxis to civilisation, the book calls for the extension of communicative and cooperative structures in order to foster and embed the rational restraint crucial to long term freedom for all in social relations and institutions.. The contributions of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Kant, Hegel, Marx and Habermas to this view are all emphasised.

How can we avert ecological catastrophe and avoid social collapse? What is the practical relevance of ethics and philosophy? How can we build community? In the forthcoming book, Being and Place, I address the question of why, despite a wealth of knowledge and know-how, we are failing to respond to social and ecological crisis and bring about the ecological society. The book presents alternative ways of life that can help us create an ecological society. The solutions to our crises, I argue, are within our grasp and can be achieved through practising a notion of eco-praxis. The key question is this: Is humanity capable of creating institutions and sustaining practices that are geared to the long-range collective good, or are we irrevocably short-term thinkers? I do emphasise agency, meaning, will and values in a participatory and creative universe. My main purpose in this book is to provide a diagnosis of the social, moral and ecological failures of modernity, going on to emphasise solutions, transitions, practices and transformations bringing out the social-ecological society - the Ecopolis. I work in the tradition of virtue ethics and am developing the notion of ecological virtue. You can call the virtues qualities for successful/sustainable living, and such qualities are to be defined in terms of the ecological conditions for human and planetary flourishing. If that sounds arcane or abstruse think of it in these terms, our current form of socialisation is concerned with shaping people to be producers geared to the endless accumulation of material quantities and consumers forever running on the hedonistic treadmill. The truth is that the vices of endless production – production for the sake of production, accumulation of means for the sake of means is without end and is a nihilism - and overconsumption are undermining the social and ecological bases of civilised life. All of which begs the question of how to create the ‘happy habitus’ (eudaimonia = flourishing) which enables us to acquire and exercise the virtues, construct the right character, develop the right habits and create capabilities. Within prevailing social relations, there is no necessary connection between the individual/private good and the social/ecological/public good. That means that the common good is something abstract and that all appeals to such a good are lacking in social relevance; they presume a social identity that does not exist. The kind of identity presupposed by the modern market society within which we live is that of the self-interested individual whose own good may well be achieved in ways detrimental to the overall social and ecological good. Any overall good that may result from such self-interested behaviour is indirect. To demand that such an individual serve the common good and live the virtuous life is to expect an altruism which, within prevailing social relations, is irrational, a sacrifice of a tangible and immediate individual self-interest for a vague and intangible general interest. The result, though, is that individual freedom and reason generates a collective unfreedom and unreason (call it the crisis in the climate system and looming eco-catastrophe). As social beings, our lives are governed by collective forces. The problem is that we lack appropriate mechanisms of collective control capable of governing those forces. We require a social identity that establishes a direct connection between individual and social good so that responding to appeals to the common good would indeed be rational and require no irrational sacrifice of self-interest. An identity of this kind is not available within the instrumental market relations upon which society is patterned. Here, individual identity is constituted by abstraction, and the good is defined in terms of private acquisition and enjoyment. Such identity is the polar opposite of the identity given by participation in the politics and culture of the public life we need in order to be ourselves. In my current work, I argue not only for a recovery of virtue ethics, but for its extension as a conception of ecological virtue. This alone is insufficient, creating just another socially impotent and irrelevant ethic to join the club of warring gods in the modern world. We are not short of competing moralities, value judgements with no claim on society other than personal preference. The attempt to rework an ethic of virtue can only succeed if the context has been created to enable the social identity required by that ethic, a social identity which connects individual self-interest and the social interest. Only such a social identity serves to check the problem of the free rider. Without that identity, there is no connection between individual action and overall good, something which inhibits the individual from engaging in action for the greater good.

Kirsten Ainley

The book is a study of the concepts of agency and responsibility, responding to the lack of explicit consideration of these notions in contemporary international political theory (IPT). In it, I develop an original theoretical viewpoint by critically analysing assumptions about agency and responsibility within mainstream IPT, and supplementing my analysis with insights from select literature within the fields of philosophy, sociology and social psychology. The objective of the book is to provide a more nuanced account of agency and responsibility in the international sphere, and to think through the implications of such an account for ongoing theorising and practice. The core argument I advance is that the individualist conceptions of agency and responsibility inherent in liberal and cosmopolitan liberal thought are highly problematic, serve political purposes which are often unacknowledged, and have led to the establishment of an international institutional regime which is limited in the kind of justice it can bring to international affairs. I outline alternative views of agency and responsibility – agency as sociality and a social practice model of responsibility – which both better describe the way we talk about and experience our social lives, and offer significant possibilities to broaden the scope of international justice and, through this, enable human flourishing.

Christian Gudehus

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Climate Change, Sustainability and Society PhD

Most students complete this programme in 4 years full-time.

Explore environmental change and the diverse responses needed to foster behaviours, practices and policies which promote sustainability.

In this interdisciplinary pathway, you will investigate sustainability topics using insights and perspectives from multiple disciplines, with a primary focus on social sciences (e.g., psychology, policy studies, political science, development studies, education, economics, social geography, sociology).

Find out what our research graduates go on to do

Department of Psychology

• Programme structure

Most students complete this programme in 4 years. You cannot take less than 2 years to finish your research and the maximum time you are allowed is normally 4 years.

This programme is only available through the Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership. Applications open from October each year and close around January. More information is available to Study as a South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) student at Bath

You may start this programme at any time. Most students start in September.

Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

Your academic progress and general welfare will be monitored by your supervisor.

Academic milestones

• Registration
• Candidature
• Confirmation
• Give notice of intention to submit a thesis / portfolio
• Submission for examination
• Examination (Viva Voce)
• Examiners report
• Final submission of thesis / portfolio
• Programme content
• Doctoral skills online
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• Supervisory team

Research content

Sustainability topics can be wide-ranging, with the content of your research determined with your PhD supervisory team. However, in line with the goals of this PhD programme, your thesis will have a primarily social science focus.

While you will have a lead (primary) supervisor, you should also have at least one additional supervisor working in a different discipline to help you develop your interdisciplinary insights.

Professional Development

Professional development is a crucial element of doctoral study, not only in supporting your research but also as part of your longer term career development. Our DoctoralSkills workshops and courses will help you build your skills and help you succeed in your doctorate.

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Assessment description.

Most research students who ‘do a PhD’ register in the first instance as probationer for the programme of PhD. Confirmation of PhD registration is subject to your passing an assessment process, which normally involves submission of written work and an oral examination.

Candidates are expected to carry out supervised research at the leading edge of their chosen subject, which must then be written up as a substantial thesis.

The final stage of the PhD programme is the oral or viva voce examination, in which students are required to defend the thesis to a Board of Examiners.

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Academic requirements

• A good first degree in a social science subject, or
• an equivalent degree in another subject, together with substantial relevant work experience

Underlying these conditions is a belief that students must bring a minimum combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience to the programme. Marginal cases are often dealt with at interview, and it is not uncommon for relatively inexperienced students to be asked to defer entry.

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You will normally need one of the following:

• IELTS: 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in all components
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 69 with no less than 62 in any element
• TOEFL IBT: 100 overall with a minimum 24 in all 4 components

You will need to get your English language qualification within 24 months prior to starting your course.

If you need to improve your English language skills before starting your studies, you may be able to take a pre-sessional course to reach the required level.

Two references are required for this programme (at least one of these should be an academic reference from ypur most recent place of study).

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This is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised programme, suitable for ESRC-funded 1+3 awards or subsequent +3 applications (MRes and PhD)

ESRC-funded students are able to claim (during their studies) for three additional allowances:

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• Application information
• Programme title Climate Change, Sustainability and Society PhD
• Final award PhD
• Mode of study Full-time
• Course code RHPS-AFM02
• Department Department of Psychology as part of the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) in economic and social science
• Location University of Bath Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY

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Your proposal should address a problem or question with strong links to the themes of this interdisciplinary pathway.

Prior to applying, please contact and gain agreement to supervise you from an academic staff member (who will become your lead supervisor), as well as your additional supervisor(s), as their agreement to supervise is critical for acceptance into the PhD program. Your lead supervisor may be able to advise on the most suitable additional supervisor(s). Gaining feedback on your proposal from your potential supervisors prior to submission is strongly encouraged.

The proposal itself should include;

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• an outline of the possible methods that could be used to address this question.
• how your research will draw on interdisciplinary perspectives

If you wish to study for both the MRes and the PhD (the 1 + 3) you should apply for the PhD but indicate on the Application Form, that you also wish to study for the MRes.

Progression from the MRes to the PhD stage is dependent on achieving an acceptable level of achievement (typically an overall average of 60% on at least the taught component of the MRes).

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• Graduate Program

Interdepartmental PhD Emphasis in Climate Sciences and Climate Change

Rationale for this phd emphasis.

Climate Sciences is the study of the physical processes that control climate on Earth including variations and interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, land and hydrosphere. Climate variations and changes are known to occur on broad ranges of spatial and temporal scales, ranging from decades, centuries, millennia and millions of years. Climate science can also inform the study of climate change, which is broadly defined as changes to the baseline of mean conditions and variability over long periods. Climate change since the beginning of the industrial revolution is one of the major issues affecting the environment and the future of humanity.

Anthropogenic influences on climate are already detectable and expected to continue into the future; examples of the impacts of climate change include extreme precipitation, droughts, heat waves, sea level rise, loss of habitats, food and water insecurity, economic and political stability to name just a few. Mitigation and Adaptation might involve economic regulations such as cap-and-trade or carbon tax, which put a price on carbon emissions.

Research in Climate Sciences and Climate Change requires specialized training in specific disciplines such as Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography, Geology, Geography, Ecology, Economics, as well as interdisciplinary education across different areas. UCSB has a long tradition for carrying out research in Climate Sciences and Climate Change impacts. This research includes the study of the fundamental physical processes controlling climate on Earth and its response to human activities as well as the impacts of climate on humans and the environment. Research and teaching at UCSB is highly specialized as well as interdisciplinary.

This Interdepartmental PhD Emphasis in Climate Sciences and Climate Change provides doctoral students a broader understanding of the physical principles governing climate on Earth, climate changes associated with natural variability and anthropogenic forcings, and the impacts of climate change on the environment and society. The PhD emphasis provides graduate students with both core-training opportunities to gain access to methodological expertise across UCSB as well as to interact with Faculty, Researchers and graduate students in disciplines other than their own. Furthermore, the PhD Emphasis provides graduate students opportunities to learn how to effectively teach Climate Sciences and Climate Change. The Emphasis is administered in the Department of Geography. The PhD Emphasis formally acknowledges and builds upon existing collaborations among the departments and the Bren School listed herein.

Program of Study

Participation in this emphasis is optional and independent of the doctoral curriculum and degree requirements established by the student’s home department.

Admission to the Emphasis

Applications to the PhD Emphasis are accepted at any time during a graduate student’s academic tenure at UCSB. It is expected that most students will apply for admission between their first and third year of graduate study. Application materials consist of:

• Application form
• Student’s letter including research interests in climate sciences and climate change, expectations related to the emphasis and career goals
• Letter of support from PhD Advisor

The Director of the PhD Emphasis (see Faculty roster) reviews applications on a routine basis and informs applicants the outcome of their applications. Criteria for admission will include:

• Admission into a PhD program at UCSB
• Good academic standing
• Recommendation and strong support from the student’s PhD Advisor

Kathryn Ficke

Charles Jones

Departments & programs.

• Bren School of Environmental Science and Management

Earth Science

• Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science

  Related Faculty

• Elizabeth Ackert, Geography
• Diana Arya, Associate Professor, Education
• Kathy Baylis, Geography
• Leila Carvalho, Geography
• Kelly Caylor, Geography / Bren School
• Olivier Deschenes, Economics
• Timothy DeVries, Geography / IGPMS
• Qinghua Ding, Geography / IGPMS
• Steve Gaines, Bren School
• Vamsi Ganti, Geography
• Kostas Goulias, Geography
• Danielle Harlow, Professor and Associate Dean, Education
• Charles Jones, Geography - Director of the Emphasis
• David Lea, Earth Science / IGPMS
• Lorraine Lisiecki, Earth Science / IGPMS
• Hugo Loaciga, Geography
• Karin Lohwasser, Assistant Teaching Professor, Education
• David Lopez-Carr, Geography
• Joe McFadden, Geography
• Sally MacIntyre, IGPMS / Bren School
• Kyle Meng, Bren School / Economics
• Andrew Plantinga, Bren School
• Samantha Stevenson, Bren School
• Stuart Sweeney, Geography, Chair
• Naomi Tague, Bren School
• Anna Trugman, Geography
• Syee Weldeab, Earth Science / IGPMS
• Dave Siegel, Geography / IGPMS
• Ian Walker, Geography

Required Coursework

All students enrolled in this PhD Emphasis need to fulfill the following requirements:

Students are required to enroll and successfully pass a one-quarter, 4 Unit seminar course: GEOG 287 Seminar in Climate Sciences and Climate Change. The instructor for this course will be one of the Faculty participating in the Emphasis. This course covers key concepts and research methods related to climate, climate variability and change and impacts. Lectures consist of guest seminars primarily from Faculty participating in the Emphasis; the course serves as a venue to foster interaction among graduate students participating in the Emphasis, Researchers and Faculty.

Students are required to take two courses from the following list:

• GEOG 266 Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• GEOG 263 Introduction to Physical Oceanography Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• GEOG 276 Geographical Time Series Analysis Units: 3 – Prerequisite: GEOG 172
• GEOG 213 Polar Environments Units:4 – Prerequisite: GEOG 3 or Geog4, ES 1 or 2, or EARTH1
• GEOG 243 Vegetation-Atmosphere Interactions Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• GEOG 246 Advanced Hydrologic Modeling Units: 4 – Prerequisite: GEOG 112 and 116
• GEOG 267 Chemical Oceanography Units: 4 (cross-listed with EARTH 276) – Prerequisite: CHEM 1C and graduate standing
• GEOG 281: Introduction to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project
• GEOG 273: Trait-based Ecological Modeling
• EARTH 205 Earth’s Climate: Past and Present Units: 3 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• EARTH 206 Introduction to Climate Modeling Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• EARTH 266 Chemical Oceanography Units:4 (cross-listed with GEOG 267) – Prerequisite: CHEM 1C and graduate standing
• EARTH 276 Geological Oceanography Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing

Bren School

• ESM 203 Earth System Science Units: 4 – Prerequisite: GEOG 3 or equivalent IGPMS
• EARTH 266/GEOG 267 Chemical Oceanography Units: 4 – Prerequisite: CHEM 1C and graduate standing
• GEOG 263 Introduction to Physical Oceanography Units: 4– Prerequisite: graduate standing

The total number of units will vary depending on which courses are selected from this list:

• Geog 244 Society and Hazards Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• Geog 254 Demography Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• Geog 288EA Urban Geography
• ESM 229 Economics and Policy of Climate Change Units: 4 – Prerequisite: ESM 204
• ESM 237 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Units: 4 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• ECON 260F Demand for Environmental Goods Units: 2 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• ECON 260G Environmental Externalities and Regulation Units: 2 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• ECON 260H Climate Change, Adaptation, and Policy Units: 2 – Prerequisite: graduate standing
• ED 256 Technology and Education Contexts
• ED 287 Informal STEM Education
• ED 221H Design-based Research and Research-based design

Students are required to enroll and present their research in the GEOG 280 Geography Climate Research Meetings, which are a forum for researchers and students to discuss research topics in Climate Sciences and Climate Change. The meeting is held in the Earth Research Institute (ERI). Students are required to enroll in the Climate Research Meetings for a minimum of three quarters as a way to foment their participation in climate research topics.

The PhD dissertation of students participating in this Emphasis needs to have a strong focus in Climate Sciences and/or Climate Change. Furthermore, a member of the student’s PhD committee needs to be a member of the core Faculty participating in the Emphasis in Climate Sciences and Climate Change. No other limitations are set for the other members of the PhD committee.

Alumnus Testimonial

Emily Williams, PhD: “Participating in the Interdepartmental PhD Emphasis in Climate Sciences and Climate Change helped me build a robust interdisciplinary lens and toolbox through which to engage with climate science and policy. Through the emphasis, I was able to take courses across departments on climate sciences, policy, and impacts, providing me with foundational knowledge of the socio-political and physical dimensions of climate change. The emphasis also offered opportunities for professional development, such as presenting my graduate research to students and faculty in the climate seminar, thereby receiving invaluable feedback from distinguished scholars in the field. The rich training I gained has set me up to do both postgraduate research and advocacy, as I engage with academia and non-profits on issues of climate change and historical justice”.

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Thesis Topics

The dissertation projects of the DK  (in the first phase from 2014 to 2018) contribute to finding answers to three questions:

• How do we understand and deal with climate change uncertainties in the natural and social sciences as well as from the perspective of normative theories?
• What are critical thresholds of environmental, social and economic systems considering their vulnerability and how are these thresholds related to the normative threshold of sufficiency, that is, the threshold of well-being below which persons’ basic rights are infringed or violated?
• What are scientifically sound, technologically and institutionally feasible, economically efficient, and ethically defensible and sustainable strategies to cope with climate change, particularly taking into account the problems of implementation in an environment characterized by uncertainties and thresholds?

Phd projects dealing with research question 1

Phd projects dealing with research question 2, phd projects dealing with research question 3.

• Coordinators
• Doctoral students
• Doctoral students (current)
• Project abstracts
• Poster: DK Topics
• Research Stays
• Guest Lectures
• Summer School "Coping with Climate Change"
• Winter School "Climate Change Thresholds"
• World Symposium "Climate Change Communication"
• Exhibition CliMatters
• Travel emissions statement

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MIT Global Change

Search form, impacts of climate policy on urban air pollution: implications for policy design for integrating air-quality co-benefits, [ download ], abstract/summary:.

Recent scientific assessments reveal interactions between global climate change and urban air pollution and imply that opportunities exist to simultaneously deal with these two issues from a policy perspective. This thesis addresses one side of the topic: the air-quality co-benefits of a climate policy, focusing on the regional, temporal, and specie-specific responses. From a policy perspective, it is crucial to understand these responses in order to set a sound framework for climate policy with co-benefits.

This thesis research establishes the links between a newly developed detailed model of urban-scale chemical and physical processing (Metamodel) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Integrated Global Systems Model (IGSM). These linkages will ultimately enable the sub-components of the IGSM, including the new Metamodel, to communicate interactively. As a first step, the study conducts a preliminary analysis by running the Metamodel in offline mode by providing the actual dataset from the IGSM to the Metamodel exogenously. The study uses two scenarios: the "CO2 stabilization policy" (450ppm policy) and the "no policy" cases and compares the impacts of the 450ppm policy for the period from 2001 through 2100 on the key air pollutants: O3, CO, NO2, SO2, HCHO, sulfate aerosols, black carbon, organic carbon, and nitrate aerosols.

The findings of the study are 1) the 450ppm policy will likely reduce key air pollutants except O3; 2) the variability of the impacts by species is significant — the magnitude of the reductions would be largest for SO2, more than -10%, followed by organic carbon, nitrate aerosols, HCHO, sulfate aerosols, and black carbon, between -10% to -5%, though CO and NO2 would be much less affected, less than -5%; 3) for the affected species except SO2 and sulfate aerosols, the impacts become larger as time advances; 4) the magnitude of the impacts vary widely by region due to not only the reduction of emissions but also meteorological conditions; and 5) the variability of the results for sulfate aerosols, BC, OC, and nitrate aerosols may be highly uncertain compared to other species, taking into account the large statistical uncertainties of the monthly mean concentrations.

The thesis also explains other methodological challenges for assessing the air-quality co-benefits. Furthermore, the thesis examines barriers to implementation of the air-quality co-benefits in practice and, finally, provides implications for future policy design based on the above findings.

• Student Dissertation or Thesis

Sato, Asuka

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Essays on the Economics of Climate Change

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The finance of climate change

Financial markets play a vital role in the allocation of the world’s resources. Yet financial markets are also prone to booms and busts as financial intermediaries imperfectly respond to the world around them. This thesis examines the role of financial markets in the context of climate change. It examines how financial markets are slowly, though imperfectly, moving towards addressing one of the greatest economic and scientific challenges of our century. I examine in-depth a number of areas wh...

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• Eric Knight DPhil Thesis University of Oxford 10.pdf (pdf, 875.0KB)

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On the impacts of climate change on water resources, lessons from the River Nith Catchment and Shire River Basin

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• Kawala, Jackson.
• Strathclyde Thesis Copyright
• University of Strathclyde
• Doctoral (Postgraduate)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• One of the most complex and challenging problems faced by the world today is that of water scarcity which has been recognized as a global risk. According to experts, freshwater scarcity affects close to two-thirds of the world's population at least one month of the year while half a billion people are estimated to be living under water scarcity throughout the year. Climate change, population growth, increased reliance on irrigated agriculture and changes in land-use threaten to exacerbate water scarcity risk. In recent decades, solutions to these challenges and threats have been proposed through various interventions such as the Millennium Development and Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs and SDGs respectively).;Responsible management of water systems and resources entails having a thorough understanding of the quantity and quality of these resources. Researchers have used simplistic 1-dimensional models to complex semi-distributed models to understand how water systems such as lakes, rivers and entire basins are replenished. However, most studies have focussed on only one aspect of the hydrologic cycle when quantifying freshwater resources. In the past decade or so, the issue of integrated hydrologic modelling (IHM) where surface and groundwater is modelled as an integrated unit has gained traction in the research community.;More recently, it has become fashionable to couple integrated hydrologic models coupled with atmospheric models to account for climate change. Notwithstanding this development, there is still no unified and systematic methodology and/or framework that has been adopted by the water research community for integrated hydrologic modelling. This, coupled with the challenge of filtering through the many spatial climate data products offered by the climate research centres, makes the task all the more challenging. This has led to a slow adoption of these models by the water resources community.;This thesis applies integrated hydrologic models (SWAT-MODFLOW) coupled with atmospheric models to two watersheds (River Nith Catchment and Shire RiverBasin) from different climatic settings to determine the quantity and availability of future water resources. The River Nith Catchment (RNC) is located in South-West Scotland, UK while the Shire River Basin (SRB) is located in Southern Malawi. Downscaling of Global Circulation Models (GCMs) that were used to force the integrated hydrologic models was done using the quantile mapping method. Six GCMs and a total of thirty-six climate scenarios and hydrological models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 were developed for the SRB while five GCMs and a total of thirty climate and hydrological models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 were developed for the RNC. In total, sixty-six models were developed for the two study are as encompassing climate change and variability analyses, surface-water modelling and groundwater recharge modelling. The methodology was found to be applicable in both temperate and semi-arid climates.;This thesis documents methods that can be used to model climate change impacts on groundwater resources using a multi-GCM and integrated hydrologic modelling approach using freely available data and tools within an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework. It is the hope of the authorthat these tools and methodologies will be adopted by the wider IWRM community in an effort to meet Sustainable Development Goal number 6 (SDG 6) by 2030. The contribution to research of this thesis can be viewed from four perspectives. Firstly, a novel method for GCM subset selection incorporating Symmetrical Uncertainty (SU), Probability Density Function (PDF) ranking and the Random Forest Algorithm was developed.;Secondly, this is the first time such a model has been applied for future water resources quantification in both the RNC and SRB. Thirdly, this work has demonstrated that it is possible to do high quality predictive hydrological modelling that can be incorporated into climate adaptability planning using freely available remotely-sensed climate data. Fourthly, the methodology developed in this thesis provides a basis for a unified framework (i.e. software tools adopted in this work including related software) and methodology for integrated hydrologic modelling that can be applied in different climatic settings using freely available hydro-climatic data products.
• Kalin, Robert M.
• Sentenac, Phillippe
• Doctoral thesis
• 10.48730/zr4b-eb13
• 9912928790602996

ESSAYS ON CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND URBAN FORM

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• March 21, 2019
• Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of City and Regional Planning
• This dissertation includes three self-contained and interrelated papers on climate change mitigation, building energy efficiency, and urban form. Paper 1: Urban form and household electricity consumption: a multilevel study While urban form affects building energy consumption, the pathways, direction and magnitude of the effect are disputed in the literature. This paper uses a unique dataset to examine the effect of urban form on residential electricity consumption in Ningbo, China. Using survey and utility bill data of 534 households in 46 neighborhoods in the city, I model the electricity use of households using a multi-level regression model. I find that neighborhood street configuration and tree shade are important in controlling residential electricity consumption and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions. The results suggest that seasonality and dwelling type condition the effect of neighborhood densities on electricity consumption. Neighborhood density is associated with household electricity consumption in summer months, while there is no such association in the winter months. As neighborhood density increases, households in slab and tower apartments in dense urban neighborhoods consume more electricity in summer months, which can be partly explained by exacerbated heat island effect. Interestingly, the neighborhood density is negatively associated with electricity consumption for single-family houses, suggesting that the effect of neighborhood density is different for different types of dwelling units. Paper 2: Explaining spatial variations in residential energy usage intensity in Chicago: the role of urban form and geomorphometry Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban energy planning and management. In this study, I explore the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and the geomorphometry attributes of urban ventilation, solar insolation, and vegetation. I use building energy use data in Chicago at a Census tract level and merge information from various datasets including parcel attributes, three-dimensional data geometry, aerial imagery, and Census. Using spatial regression models, I find that while vegetation has more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. Additionally, these relationships are seasonally varied: while vegetation, ventilation, and insolation affect electricity usage in summer, they have no impact on the winter gas consumption. The results highlight the importance of spatially explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for reducing urban energy consumption and mitigating climate change. Paper 3: Government response to climate change in China: a study of first-generation provincial and municipal plans In this paper, I provide an overview of the first-generation local and regional climate change plans in China by scrutinizing planning documents of 16 cities, four autonomous regions, and 22 provinces. I develop and apply an evaluation protocol to understand goals, process, and strategies in these plans. The results indicate that provincial and local plans include numerous policies and strategies, yet some important types of local policies, such as land use and urban form, are not well identified in the plans. The results also indicate that current climate change planning in China is characterized by the “top-down” approach, in which the central governmental incentives play a vital role in shaping provincial and municipal plans. In addition, most plans have the following issues: vague definition of what characterizes a low carbon city/region, deficiency in the quality of GHG inventory and reduction targets, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and weak horizontal coordination. Finally, I offer recommendations to improve climate change planning in China.
• Urban planning
• Urban sustainability
• Low carbon city
• Energy use intensity
• Plan evaluation
• Geomorphometry
• https://doi.org/10.17615/7kkx-f797
• Dissertation
• Doctor of Philosophy
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
• June 13, 2018

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• UNC-Chapel Hill Climate Change Resources

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PhD Dissertation Defense - Mallory Harris, "Social Division, Misinformation, and Climate Change"

The Department of Biology cordially invites you to the dissertation defense of 

Mallory Harris

Mordecai Lab

"Social Division, Misinformation, and Climate Change"

https://stanford.zoom.us/j/99516243573?pwd=ZHlCM1pWNER1MnRaeUpCNGRBRHo5…

Password: 289615

PHD THESIS “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR COMPUTATIONAL URBAN PLANNING”

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Offer description.

As  Austria's largest research and technology organisation  for applied research, we are dedicated to make substantial contributions to solving the major challenges of our time, climate change and digitisation. To achieve our goals, we rely on our specific research, development and technology competencies, which are the basis of our commitment to excellence in all areas. With our open culture of innovation and our motivated, international teams, we are working to position AIT as Austria's leading research institution at the highest international level and to make a positive contribution to the economy and society. 

Our  Center for Energy   located in  Vienna  invites applications for a PhD Thesis - Join our  AIT PhD programme  with around 150 international students, carried out in cooperation with renowned universities –  Let’s make ideas work – With you?  

This PhD project is scheduled for three years and together with a team of experts you are pioneering new ways to develop novel computational planning approaches in an international project environment - AIT’s  Integrated Digital Urban Planning  team focuses on researching and applying innovative tools and methods for the computational design of resilient and sustainable cities in an interdisciplinary manner. 

CENTER FOR ENERGY

• During this PHD project, you will advance computational models (e.g., parametric approaches) for the rapid generation of design variants and develop new methods for multi-variate impact assessments in complex urban planning projects.
• You will apply and advance AI/ML techniques utilized for digital urban planning tools in the topic of multimodal mobility and urban design with potential links to urban microclimate and energy modelling.
• Your work will be driven by AIT’s computational urban planning workflow design within the framework of the  City Intelligence Lab .
• Within this PhD framework programme, you will have the opportunity to get a training in scientific work and to develop both personally and professionally.
• You will engage in independent scientific planning, execution and evaluation of studies, scientific preparation of results and publish your research results at conferences and in international journals.
• You benefit from a highly innovative environment in the field of digital resilient cities, flat hierarchies, and a great room for creative maneuver.

Your qualifications as an Ingenious Partner:

• Completed master’s studies (MSc.) in computer science, transport engineering, mathematics, urbanism, or related fields.
• Proven knowledge in artificial intelligence and machine learning applications (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• Familiarity with design computation tools like Grasshopper for Rhino3D and experience in GIS would be an advantage.
• Excellent programming skills for instance, Python, R, Java, C#, etc.
• Very good English language and presentation skills are essential, German language skills are an asset

What to expect:  

EUR 37.577,40 gross per year, for 30 hours / week based on the collective agreement. In addition to numerous events, seminars and networking opportunities, there will be additional company benefits. As a research institution, we are familiar with the supervision and execution of PhD theses, and we are looking forward to supporting you accordingly! 

At AIT diversity and inclusion are of great importance. This is why we strive to inspire women to join our teams in the field of technology. We welcome applications from women, who will be given preference in case of equal qualifications after taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances of all applications. 

Please submit your application documents including  CV, cover letter  and  certificates  online. 

For further information please contact:  

Dr. Stefan Seer, stefan.seer(at)ait.ac.at

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