Latest news with #ClimaticChange
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Personality plays a role in whether you believe in climate change, Dalhousie study finds
Personality plays a role in whether people believe in climate change, a recent study has found — and that could have implications for efforts to combat climate skepticism. The research from Dalhousie University in Halifax found people who are more skeptical about climate change are more likely to rank higher on scales of narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy — traits that reflect a tendency to be self-centred, manipulative, callous and socially aversive. People who are less skeptical about climate change are more likely to have pro-social personality traits of openness, agreeableness, honesty, humility and emotionality. Scott Pruysers is an associate professor in the political science department at Dalhousie University and the lead author of the study, published in March in the journal Climatic Change. He says understanding the personality roots of climate skepticism can help develop more effective strategies to encourage environmentally conscious behaviour. "The precursor to developing good policy or understanding why people care about this issue is understanding who doesn't care about it, who remains skeptical," he said. "And so we're going to have to get kind of creative and smarter with the messaging." The researchers analyzed data from a survey of 1,725 Canadians conducted in 2020. The survey respondents were asked to rate how much they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: I am certain that climate change is happening. Claims that human activities are changing the climate are exaggerated. Floods and heat waves are not increasing; there is just more reporting of it in the media these days. Climate change is just a result of natural variation in the climate. Climate change is a scam. Government should do more to address climate change. Pruysers says while researchers have previously looked at the roots of climate skepticism, some of those studies had limitations that the Dalhousie study tried to overcome. While other studies have relied primarily on undergraduates as participants, his study ensured the participants reflected the income, gender and age distribution of the Canadian population. In addition, previous studies have used as few as 10 descriptors (for example, reserved/quiet, or disorganized/careless) to assess personality. Pruysers's study used more robust measures that included more than 160 descriptors. There is worldwide scientific consensus that the Earth's climate is changing, and that human activity has unequivocally caused climate change. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which produces assessments written by hundreds of leading scientists, has found that climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health, and that changes must be made to ensure a liveable and sustainable future. The Dalhousie study found that more than 20 per cent of participants believe claims that human activity is changing the climate are exaggerated, 17 per cent believe climate-related events such as floods or heat waves are not increasing, and more than 10 per cent disagree that governments should be doing more to address climate change. More recent data has also found similar levels of skepticism among Canadians and dwindling concern about climate change. Demographic and political factors do affect climate skepticism. For instance, the study found that men and people who are more right wing are more skeptical, while those with higher education levels, income and political knowledge are less skeptical. While the participants' self-placement on the left-right ideology scale was the factor that most accurately predicted climate skepticism, openness was the second most predictive factor, outperforming factors such as age, education, income and political interest and knowledge. The study made it clear to Pruysers that personality does play a role, so in order to convince skeptics to adopt planet-friendly practices, he says different tactics may be needed. For example, Pruysers said, other research has shown that people who score higher in narcissism are more likely to buy environmentally friendly products if they might be seen and admired by others while doing it. Pruysers emphasized that the study is not labelling climate skeptics as narcissists or psychopaths. "When people hear something like narcissism or psychopathy, right, it's jarring. We're not talking about clinical levels of these things," he says. Rather, he says, the traits are measured on a spectrum and most people will exhibit elements of those traits. Matthew Hornsey is a professor in the business school at the University of Queensland in Australia who researches the psychological motivations for rejecting scientific consensus, including climate change skepticism. He said the Dalhousie study is "one of the more authoritative statements" around the role of personality and climate skepticism and its methodology is more sophisticated than other studies on the topic. While the data makes it clear there is a relationship between climate skepticism and darker personality traits, and pro-social traits and acceptance of climate science, those relationships are not particularly strong. "Just because something is there, doesn't mean it's a big, big effect," Hornsey said. "You would have a hard time predicting people's climate change views just from their personality." He said putting the study's findings to use would be challenging. "What do you do with this information? You can't change people's personalities, and so it's not easy to have an intervention around that." Hornsey did note, however, that developments in artificial intelligence have improved the ability to detect personality from the media people consume and how they write on social media. That ability could be harnessed to develop "micro-targeted" messages based on personality. "But, you know, that's a whole can of worms," he said. MORE TOP STORIES
The Star
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Climate change to weaken Middle East wind energy: study
JERUSALEM, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Climate change is projected to reshape wind energy potential across the Middle East, with turbine-height winds weakening despite stronger ground-level breezes, according to a recent Israeli-German study. The study, published Friday in the journal Climatic Change, predicted that coastal surface winds may strengthen by up to 0.7 meters per second by 2070, potentially easing extreme heat. However, winds at 150 meters above ground -- critical for turbines to generate energy -- could slow by up to 1.0 meter per second due to changes in the regional weather system, reducing energy output by up to 7 gigajoules over six hours and impacting renewable energy plans and investments, the study showed. One gigajoule is equivalent to 277.8 kilowatt hours (kWh). Highlighting varying wind energy capacity in different regions in the Middle East, the study stressed the need to analyze wind patterns at multiple altitudes to avoid flawed energy forecasts. The study urged policymakers to include future wind changes in their energy strategies, particularly by prioritizing resilient projects in high-potential regions like the Red Sea coast.
Business Mayor
27-04-2025
- Health
- Business Mayor
Climate change is spoiling food faster, making hundreds of millions of people sick around the world
Global warming has made it easier for bacteria and other germs to contaminate the food supply, and this little-discussed danger of climate change is teaching painful and sometimes life-threatening lessons to hundreds of millions of people every year. One of them is Sumitra Sutar, 75, of Haroli village in India's Maharashtra state. Five years ago Sutar was eating leftover rice and lentil curry, her staple food for more than five decades. This time, her routine meal caused her to start vomiting 'at least 15 times a day,' she recalled recently. Eventually, she learned the culprit was a foodborne bacteria that produces toxins that can lead to vomiting, eye inflammation, and respiratory tract infections. Global warming has made the world more welcoming for the pathogen, Bacillus cereus, to grow in food stored after cooking. One study found that domestic rice cooking can be insufficient to inactivate its spores. Researchers and health workers are sounding the alarm: The food supply is vulnerable to greater spoilage due to more frequent extreme heat, floods and droughts, boosting the risk of contamination and outbreaks of foodborne diseases. Extreme heat can hasten food spoilage by allowing bacteria to multiply faster, experts say. Rising waters from severe floods can contaminate crops with sewage or other unwanted waste products, while higher humidity can promote growth of salmonella bacteria on lettuce and other produce eaten raw. The World Health Organization estimates that 600 million people fall sick every year from foodborne diseases, leading to 420,000 deaths. Children under five years old are at especially high risk, and every year 125,000 children lose their lives because of such largely preventable diseases. Many factors including farming practices and global food supply chains have made such problems much more prevalent, and a growing body of research has highlighted how climate change also plays a big role. A review study published in eBiomedicine this year found that for every 1.8 F (1 C) rise in temperature, the threat of non-typhoidal salmonella and campylobacter, bacteria that can make people sick, usually by causing food poisoning, increased by 5%. Related: How does E. coli get into food? A greenhouse for germs Sutar's village has reported a severe rise in the temperature in the past decade, with summer heat that can top 109.4 F (43 C). Many people across the region have reported a rise in foodborne illnesses, says community health care worker Padmashri Sutar, also Sumitra Sutar's daughter-in-law. Read More Starwatch: moon makes passing encounter with Jupiter Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. A review article published in Climatic Change noted that higher temperatures and changing precipitation patterns lead to the proliferation of foodborne pathogens, including the most common: salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Campylobacter jejuni. 'Increased temperatures promote the growth of bacteria like listeria, campylobacter and salmonella in perishable foods like meat, dairy and seafood,' said one of its authors, Ahmed Hamad, lecturer of food hygiene and control at Egypt's Benha University. A study from northwestern Mexico examined how environmental factors influenced the outbreak of salmonella species, the bacteria responsible for many foodborne diseases globally. It found the maximum prevalence in areas with higher temperatures between 35 and 37 °C (95-98.6 F) and annual precipitation greater than 1,000 mm (39.4 inches). Another paper published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology this year found climate change will increase the risk of foodborne diseases caused by Salmonella enterica, noting that high humidity boosts salmonella growth. This bacteria already affects 1.2 million people in the U.S. annually. In extreme heat, ready-to-eat products pose a higher risk of causing foodborne illnesses, warns Hudaa Neetoo, associate professor in microbiology and food safety at the University of Mauritius. 'During heat waves, the level of pathogenic microorganisms in these products can increase considerably and attain a level sufficient to cause illness because they do not require any final heat-killing step.' Along with heat waves, she said, flooding can cause manure runoff from adjacent animal pastures to croplands, contaminating agricultural produce including salads, vegetables and leafy greens meant to be consumed raw. 'Animal manure can harbor human pathogens such as enteropathogenic E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter, and research has found that domestic washing alone is not sufficient to decontaminate produce and bring the levels of organisms down to a safe level,' she said. She also warned of systemic contamination of produce by pathogens that enter crops through the roots and become internalized and harder to get rid of. Another direct impact of flooding, overflowing sewage systems, 'can contaminate crops and water sources with harmful pathogens like salmonella, E. coli and norovirus. Flooding can also introduce pathogens into irrigation systems, increasing the risk of crop contamination,' Hamad said. Indirect effects of climate change can also lead to outbreaks of foodborne diseases. A paper published in the Journal of Health Monitoring mentioned that as fresh water becomes scarcer, treated wastewater may be used to irrigate crops, potentially carrying pathogens from animal or human feces. This can heighten the risk of contamination. 'When communities rely entirely on wastewater reuse, the primary objective must be to treat this water to a level of safety that poses no risk to consumers,' said Martin Richter, head of a food safety unit at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and one of the paper's authors. 'Sometimes one copy of the pathogen is enough to cause disease,' so wastewater must be thoroughly treated. He suggested prioritizing fresh water to irrigate foods typically consumed raw while using treated wastewater on crops that are generally cooked. 'Cooking food at 70 degrees Celsius [158 F] for at least two minutes destroys most of the pathogens that may be present on its surface,' he said. More precautions needed Community health care worker Padmashri Sutar says that people in her village have stopped cooking with river water and rely entirely on groundwater. 'In the past, many people in the village fell sick after drinking river water, so they completely avoid it now.' She said many people need education on the connection between climate change and foodborne illnesses. 'To make people aware of this, I give simple examples, such as the rise in frequency of food spoilage.' She also urges people to clean their water containers after floods or heavy rainfall, and she discusses how pathogens and bacteria can now contaminate vegetables and milk much more easily. People who have participated in awareness sessions now eat fewer leftovers. 'They prefer cooking fresh food now and buying only the required number of vegetables,' she said. Health care workers need more long-term data on climate change and foodborne illnesses, Neetoo said. 'Universities should conduct long-term surveillance studies and trend analysis to allow better prediction of the impact of climate change on food systems.' She also advocates researching new ways to decontaminate warehouses, containers and food products affected by floodwater. Hamad called for improving surveillance and monitoring to detect potential outbreaks early. He added that infrastructure should be improved to ensure food processing and distribution systems can withstand extreme weather events and sanitation infrastructure is robust, especially in flood-prone areas. Common misconceptions Experts stressed the need to educate people about the role of climate change in foodborne illnesses. 'Many people see climate change as purely an environmental issue, without recognizing its profound effects on public health, including the increased risks of foodborne diseases,' Hamad said. A prominent misconception is that cold weather kills all pathogens. 'Certain bacteria, like listeria, can still grow at cold temperatures, posing risks even in cooler climates,' he explained. Sutar said people often interrupt her when she talks about the reasons behind the rise in foodborne illnesses. They repeat the common belief that poor food handling is the sole reason behind these diseases. She patiently explains how climate change exacerbates the growth of pathogens in the environment and water sources. 'People don't want to accept that even climate change can lead to foodborne illness,' Sutar said, adding that many in her region don't report such illnesses because they don't take them seriously and think they're an isolated case that does not warrant public attention. Meanwhile, many other people in the area also suffer from vomiting, fever, gastrointestinal problems and several other issues because of eating contaminated food. Sutar said she has become an evangelist spreading the word about climate and the food supply. 'I ask people not only to observe the changing climatic patterns but also carefully consider what's on their plate.' This article was originally published by Yale Climate Connections. This article by Yale Climate Connections is published here as part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
University of Cambridge study says severe drought caused invasion
Three summers of extreme drought might have contributed to British rebellion against Roman legions, according to academic drought took place between 364 and 366 AD and may have been a determining factor behind the rebellion, called the Barbarian Conspiracy, which was an attack on Roman rule in from the University of Cambridge analysed oak tree-ring records and surviving Roman accounts to argue that the droughts were a driving force in the pivotal findings have been published in the journal Climatic Change. Picts, Scotti and Saxons inflicted crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in the spring and summer of Roman commanders were captured or killed and it took two years for generals to restore order. Picts, people who inhabited northern Scotland in Roman times, attacked the province by land and sea. The Scotti from modern-day Ireland invaded broadly in the west, and Saxons from the continent landed in the final remnants of official Roman administration left Britain some 40 years Ulf Büntgen said: "Three consecutive droughts would have had a devastating impact on the productivity of Roman Britain's most important agricultural region. "As Roman writers tell us, this resulted in food shortages with all of the destabilizing societal effects this brings."The droughts led to crop failure as they no longer had the wet climate they were used to in order to thrive. They happened during a poor period for Roman Britain where food and military resources were being stripped and placed elsewhere. The researchers expanded their climate-conflict analysis to the entire Roman Empire for the period 350–476 CE. They reconstructed the climate conditions immediately before and after 106 battles and found that a statistically significant number of battles were fought following dry years. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
