Abstract
Arctic amplification (AA)—referring to the enhancement of near-surface air temperature change over the Arctic relative to lower latitudes—is a prominent feature of climate change with ...important impacts on human and natural systems. In this review, we synthesize current understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms that can give rise to AA. These mechanisms include both local feedbacks and changes in poleward energy transport. Temperature and sea ice-related feedbacks are especially important for AA, since they are significantly more positive over the Arctic than at lower latitudes. Changes in energy transport by the atmosphere and ocean can also contribute to AA. These energy transport changes are tightly coupled with local feedbacks, and thus their respective contributions to AA should not be considered in isolation. It is here emphasized that the feedbacks and energy transport changes that give rise to AA are sensitively dependent on the state of the climate system itself. This implies that changes in the climate state will lead to changes in the strength of AA, with implications for past and future climate change.
Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. ...However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the specific mechanisms through which early life stress influences development and individual differences in children's outcomes are still not well understood.
The current paper reviews the existing literature on the neurobiological effects of early life stress and their ties to children's psychological and behavioral development.
Early life stress has persistent and pervasive effects on prefrontal-hypothalamic-amygdala and dopaminergic circuits that are at least partially mediated by alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. However, to date, this research has primarily utilized methods of assessment that focus solely on children's event exposures. Incorporating assessment of factors that influence children's interpretation of stressors, along with stressful events, has the potential to provide further insight into the mechanisms contributing to individual differences in neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress. This can aid in further elucidating specific mechanisms through which these neurobiological changes influence development and contribute to risk for psychopathology and health disorders.
Discovering the processes through which early adverse experiences affect children’s nervous-system development, health, and behavior is critically important for developing effective interventions. ...However, advances in our understanding of these processes have been constrained by conceptualizations that rely on categories of adversity that are overlapping, have vague boundaries, and lack consistent biological evidence. Here, we discuss central problems in understanding the link between early-life adversity and children’s brain development. We conclude by suggesting alternative formulations that hold promise for advancing knowledge about the neurobiological mechanisms through which adversity affects human development.
This study examines the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude circulation response to Arctic amplification (AA) in a simple atmospheric general circulation model. It is found that, in response to AA, the ...tropospheric jet shifts equatorward and the stratospheric polar vortex weakens, robustly for various AA forcing strengths. Despite this, no statistically significant change in the frequency of sudden stratospheric warming events is identified. In addition, in order to quantitatively assess the role of stratosphere–troposphere coupling, the tropospheric pathway is isolated by nudging the stratospheric zonal mean state toward the reference state. When the nudging is applied, rendering the stratosphere inactive, the tropospheric jet still shifts equatorward but by approximately half the magnitude compared to that of an active stratosphere. The difference represents the stratospheric pathway and the downward influence of the stratosphere on the troposphere. This suggests that stratosphere–troposphere coupling plays a nonnegligible role in establishing the midlatitude circulation response to AA.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This article sounds the alarm that a significant build-out of efficient lighting and renewable energy technologies may be endangered by shortages of rare earths and rare earth permanent magnets. At ...the moment, China is the predominant supplier of both and its recent rare earth industrial policies combined with its own growing demand for rare earths have caused widespread concern. To diversify supplies, new mining—outside of China—is needed. But what many observers of the “rare earth problem” overlook is that China also dominates in (1) the processing of rare earths, particularly the less abundant heavy rare earths, and (2) the supply chains for permanent magnets. Heavy rare earths and permanent magnets are critical for many renewable energy technologies, and it will require decades to develop new non-Chinese deposits, processing capacity, and supply chains. This article clarifies several misconceptions, evaluates frequently proposed solutions, and urges policy makers outside of China to undertake measures to avert a crisis, such as greater support for research and development and for the cultivation of intellectual capital.
•Rare earths are needed for many efficient lighting and renewable energy technologies.•The industries for rare earths and permanent magnets are dominated by China.•China's reliability is compromised, necessitating non-Chinese mining and processing.•Recycling, substitution and reducing rare earth content are long-term solutions only.•Policy makers should support development of supply chains and intellectual capital.
Emotions and EU foreign policy Smith, Karen E
International affairs (London),
03/2021, Letnik:
97, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
This article assesses the role that emotions play in European Union foreign policy-making. EU decision-making has often been depicted as technocratic and ‘de-dramatized’, yet there are still ...situations in which emotions can affect the process and outcomes of foreign policy decision-making. Using examples of the EU's responses to crises in Ukraine and Myanmar, the article illustrates that emotions can motivate the taking of particular decisions at particular times. Further, the EU expresses emotions in its foreign policy communications, although its use of emotional diplomacy may not be accompanied by substantive action appropriate to the emotions expressed, thus revealing the existence of an emotions–action gap. The ‘emotional turn’ in foreign policy analysis can open up new directions for research in EU foreign policy, and the conclusion considers other promising avenues for researching emotions and EU foreign policy.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As the likelihood increases that Russia will dominate the European Union's (EU) energy supply, questions have emerged as to whether Russia would use the
energy weapon to influence EU member policies ...and extract political concessions. Countervailing voices argue that Russia would be restricted by interdependence and market forces. As of yet, no one has analyzed the assumptions underlying the energy weapon thesis. Moreover, many scholars examining EU–Russian energy relations rely on non-Russian data. This article seeks to fill several informational and theoretical gaps by including Russian sources and first-hand data and by systematically analyzing the conditions that must obtain before an energy supplier can successfully convert its energy resources into political power. The resulting model can be utilized to analyze the capacity of a supplier to use the energy weapon—whether it be Russia, Iran, Venezuela or any other energy heavyweight—and to assess whether the deployment was successful. Five purported cases of Russian manipulation are analyzed in this article and the findings indicate that, more often than not, Russia failed to achieve political concessions. Looking to the future, the plausibility of Russia using the energy weapon to exploit Europe's dependence, particularly on gas, is also examined.
► Energy producers may manipulate supply and prices to coerce political concessions. ► Energy weapon model: four conditions must obtain for
successful deployment. ► Western policy-makers worry about EU dependence on and vulnerability to Russia. ► Analysis of five Russian cases reveals tenuous link between weapon use and success. ► In medium term, EU can likely avoid yielding political autonomy for supply security.
The recent observed positive trends in total Antarctic sea ice extent are at odds with the expectation of melting sea ice in a warming world. More problematic yet, climate models indicate that sea ...ice should decrease around Antarctica in response to both increasing greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone depletion. The resolution of this puzzle, we suggest, may lie in the large natural variability of the coupled atmosphere‒ocean‒sea‒ice system. Contrasting forced and control integrations from four state‒of‒the‒art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models, we show that the observed Antarctic sea ice trend falls well within the distribution of trends arising naturally in the system, and that the forced response in the models is small compared to the natural variability. From this, we conclude that it may prove difficult to attribute the observed trends in total Antarctic sea ice to anthropogenic forcings, although some regional features might be easier to explain.
Key Points
Climate models exhibit large natural variability in Antarctic sea ice
The observed trend in Antarctic sea ice falls within the natural variability
The natural variability overwhelms the anthropogenic forcings
To better understand the dynamical mechanism that accounts for the observed lead-lag correlation between the early winter Barents–Kara Sea (BKS) sea ice variability and the later winter midlatitude ...circulation response, a series of experiments are conducted using a simplified atmospheric general circulation model with a prescribed idealized near-surface heating over the BKS. A prolonged effect is found in the idealized experiments following the near-surface heating and can be explicitly attributed to the stratospheric pathway and the long time scale in the stratosphere. The analysis of the Eliassen-Palm flux shows that, as a result of the imposed heating and linear constructive interference, anomalous upward propagating planetary-scale waves are excited and weaken the stratospheric polar vortex. This stratospheric response persists for approximately 1–2 months accompanied by downward migration to the troposphere and the surface. This downward migration largely amplifies and extends the low-level jet deceleration in the midlatitudes and cold air advection over central Asia. The idealized model experiments also suggest that the BKS region is the most effective in affecting the midlatitude circulation than other regions over the Arctic.
Genocide is one of the most heinous crimes perpetrated against humans. Violation of the norm against genocide should thus spark a robust response. Yet naming genocide is a highly contentious act, and ...the European Union and most of its member states have been cautious about using the term to describe atrocities. This article explores how the emotional resonance of the term 'genocide' inhibits its use by the EU, which in turn has implications for the EU's response to purported genocidal violence. By not using the term, the EU avoids creating an emotions-action gap, as its actions are better aligned with the emotions it expresses through its rhetoric. But in so doing, the EU may also underestimate the potential for genocide and fail to take action to prevent it. In this way, emotions play a constraining role in the EU's response to purported violations of the norm against genocide.
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