Public perceptions of climate change are known to differ between nations and to have fluctuated over time. Numerous plausible characterizations of these variations, and explanations for them, are to ...be found in the literature. However, a clear picture has not yet emerged as to the principal trends and patterns that have occurred over the past quarter‐century or the factors behind these changes. This systematic review considers previous empirical research that has addressed the temporal aspects to public perceptions. We address findings that have been obtained since the 1980s and using a range of methodologies. In this review, we consider early, seminal work examining public perceptions; survey studies carried out over long timescales and at an international scale; detailed statistical analyses of the drivers of changing perceptions; and qualitative research featuring a longitudinal component. Studies point to growing skepticism in the latter 2000s in some developed countries, underpinned by economic and sociopolitical factors. Even so, in many parts of the world, there has been growing concern about climate change in recent years. We conclude that the imbalance in the literature toward polling data, and toward studies of public perceptions in Western nations (particularly the United States), leaves much unknown about the progression of public understanding of climate change worldwide. More research is required that uses inferential statistical procedures to understand the reasons behind trends in public perceptions. The application of qualitative longitudinal methodologies also offers the potential for better appreciation of the cultural contexts in which climate change perceptions are evolving. WIREs Clim Change 2015, 6:35–61. doi: 10.1002/wcc.321
This article is categorized under:
Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication
Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Knowledge and Practice
BackgroundWe test the reversal hypothesis, which suggests that the relationship between obesity and education depends on the economic development in the country; in poor countries, obesity is more ...prevalent in the higher educated groups, while in rich countries the association is reversed—higher prevalence in the lower educated.MethodsWe assembled a data set on obesity and education including 412 921 individuals from 70 countries in the period 2002–2013. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was used as a measure of economic development. We assessed the association between obesity and GDP by education using a two-stage mixed effects model. Country-specific educational inequalities in obesity were investigated using regression-based inequality indices.ResultsThe reversal hypothesis was supported by our results in men and women. Obesity was positively associated with country GDP only among individuals with lower levels of education, while this association was absent or reduced in those with higher levels of education. This pattern was more pronounced in women than in men. Furthermore, educational inequalities in obesity were reversed with GDP; in low-income countries, obesity was more prevalent in individuals with higher education, in medium-income and high-income countries, obesity shifts to be more prevalent among those with lower levels of education.ConclusionsObesity and economic development were positively associated. Our findings suggest that education might mitigate this effect. Global and national action aimed at the obesity epidemic should take this into account.
There have been a number of scholarly works investigating the energy-pollutant-human development nexus, however, they have failed to fully investigate the simultaneous effects of energy consumption, ...human development and carbon dioxin emissions. These effects need to be understood with proper consideration for the level of economic development. To fill this gap, this paper collectively estimates three simultaneous equations of human development, energy consumption and carbon dioxin emissions, employing a system-generalized method of moment approach (SGMM) covering ninety countries over the period 1990–2014. Results indicate that increased human development leads to reduced carbon emissions for the global sample and development countries. However, no significant relationship between carbon emissions and human development is found in developed countries. The results show no significant causal relationship between energy consumption and human development, neither for the global sample nor the subpanels. Given the incorporation of the non-linear term of human development in environmental equations, a U-Shape hypothesis is not valid in this study. Hence, despite some positive findings, the study shows that environmental policies related to controlling carbon emissions and energy usage are likely to have no impact on human development at any stage of economic development.
•The control of energy consumption is likely to have no impact on human development.•A rise in human development decreases carbon emissions.•Industrialization promotes higher human development but deteriorates environment.•The results vary according to the different stages of economic development.•The U-Shape hypothesis is not valid in this study.
Understanding dietary patterns is vital to reducing the number of people experiencing hunger (about 795 million), micronutrient deficiencies (2 billion), and overweight or obesity (2.1 billion). We ...characterize global trends in dietary quality by estimating micronutrient density of the food supply, prevalence of inadequate intake of 14 micronutrients, and average prevalence of inadequate intake of these micronutrients for all countries between 1961 and 2011. Over this 50-year period, the estimated prevalence of inadequate intakes of micronutrients has declined in all regions due to increased total production of food and/or micronutrient density. This decline has been particularly strong in East and Southeast Asia and weaker in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where dietary micronutrient density has declined over this 50-year period. At the global level, micronutrients with the lowest levels of adequate estimated intake are calcium, iron, vitamin A, and zinc, but there are strong differences between countries and regions. Fortification has reduced the estimated prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in all low-income regions, except South Asia. The food supply in many countries is still far below energy requirements, which suggests a need to increase the availability and accessibility of nutritious foods. Countries where the food energy supply is adequate show a very large variation in dietary quality, and in many of these countries people would benefit from more diverse diets with a greater proportion of micronutrient-dense foods. Dietary quality can be improved through fortification, biofortification, and agricultural diversification, as well as efforts to improve access to and use of micronutrient-dense foods and nutritional knowledge. Reducing poverty and increasing education, especially of women, are integral to sustainably addressing malnutrition.
Abstract Objectives We set up to evaluate the relative risk of harms in trials performed in less developed vs. more developed countries. Study Design and Setting Meta-epidemiologic evaluation using ...the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. We considered meta-analyses with at least one randomized clinical trial (RCT) in a less developed country and one RCT in a more developed country. We targeted severe adverse events (AEs), discontinuations due to AEs, any AE, organ system–specific AEs, individual AEs, and all discontinuations due to any reason. We estimated the relative odds ratio (ROR) of harms between more and less developed countries for each topic and the summary ROR (sROR) across topics under each category of harms. Results We identified 42 systematic reviews (128 meta-analyses, 521 independent RCTs). Summary sRORs did not differ significantly from 1.00 for any harm category. Nominally significant RORs were found in only 6/128 meta-analyses. However, in 27% (35/128) of meta-analyses the ROR point estimates indicated relative differences between country settings >2-fold. Considering also ROR 95% confidence intervals, in 92% (118/128) of meta-analyses one could not exclude a 2-fold difference in both directions. Conclusions We identified limited comparative evidence on harms in trials from these two country settings. Substantial differences in the risk point estimates were common; the potential for modest differences could rarely be excluded with confidence.
The purpose of this article is to analyze the interactions between water, energy, and food security, referenced in this study as the nexus between water, energy, and food, and the impacts of global ...risks using the World Economic Forum's, 2017 Global Risks Report as a guideline. In this analysis, the authors reveal that water, energy, and food are interdependent and essential resources demanding sustainable, integrated and intelligent management. These vital resources are susceptible to many global risks which are maximized by extreme weather events, mass involuntary human migrations, and other hazards that predominantly endanger the vulnerable communities of less developed countries. In conclusion, policies carried out by the international community, decision-makers, civil society, and the private sector, must align to target and mitigate global risks, specifically, water, energy and food security.
Summary Background The magnitude of risk of death related to surgery and anaesthesia is not well understood. We aimed to assess whether the risk of perioperative and anaesthetic-related mortality has ...decreased over the past five decades and whether rates of decline have been comparable in developed and developing countries. Methods We did a systematic review to identify all studies published up to February, 2011, in any language, with a sample size of over 3000 that reported perioperative mortality across a mixed surgical population who had undergone general anaesthesia. Using standard forms, two authors independently identified studies for inclusion and extracted information on rates of anaesthetic-related mortality, perioperative mortality, cardiac arrest, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, geographic location, human development index (HDI), and year. The primary outcome was anaesthetic sole mortality. Secondary outcomes were anaesthetic contributory mortality, total perioperative mortality, and cardiac arrest. Meta-regression was done to ascertain weighted event rates for the outcomes. Findings 87 studies met the inclusion criteria, within which there were more than 21·4 million anaesthetic administrations given to patients undergoing general anaesthesia for surgery. Mortality solely attributable to anaesthesia declined over time, from 357 per million (95% CI 324–394) before the 1970s to 52 per million (42–64) in the 1970s–80s, and 34 per million (29–39) in the 1990s–2000s (p<0·00001). Total perioperative mortality decreased over time, from 10 603 per million (95% CI 10 423–10 784) before the 1970s, to 4533 per million (4405–4664) in the 1970s–80s, and 1176 per million (1148–1205) in the 1990s–2000s (p<0·0001). Meta-regression showed a significant relation between risk of perioperative and anaesthetic-related mortality and HDI (all p<0·00001). Baseline risk status of patients who presented for surgery as shown by the ASA score increased over the decades (p<0·0001). Interpretation Despite increasing patient baseline risk, perioperative mortality has declined significantly over the past 50 years, with the greatest decline in developed countries. Global priority should be given to reducing total perioperative and anaesthetic-related mortality by evidence-based best practice in developing countries. Funding University of Western Ontario.
This book examines the current guidance on model conventions regarding the provision of services and proposes a new approach in relations between developed and developing states.
•Discourse Network Analysis is used to analyse all 162 Paris climate pledges.•Extensive data regarding every mitigation and adaptation component is provided.•Six types of mitigation targets are ...identified, mapped out and analysed.•Certain negotiating groups are more internally similar in their pledges than others.•The method provides an effective means of analysing complex negotiations.
Prior to the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties (COP), every state was requested to submit a pledge of their own design. To date, there has been a lack of large-n studies that provide a broad picture of these pledges. We employ Discourse Network Analysis to examine critically the climate pledges of all 162 actors at the Paris COP. Our research offers four main contributions. First, we provide data regarding the mitigation and adaptation components of every national pledge. Second, we identify six types of mitigation targets, and visually cluster every state according to these formats. Third, we argue that the pledges of the Umbrella Group of non-EU developed states, and of the group of oil exporting countries, showed greater internal similarity than the group comprising Brazil, China, India and South Africa. Finally, we critique the method as a means of analysing the new global climate governance context and argue that the method offers an innovative and unique means of understanding this complex policy landscape, when applied in a specific and focused manner.
PDF
