Mineralogical and Geochemical Indicators of Subaerial Weathering in the Pozzolane Rosse Ignimbrite (Alban Hills Volcanic District, Italy)

The Pozzolane Rosse ignimbrite [PR] (457±4 ka) in the Alban Hills Volcanic District, Rome, Italy was exposed ~ 40 ka prior to a subsequent volcanic event which coverd it entirely. XRF, XRD, and clay separation results from PR samples from INGV and CA1 boreholes and Castel di Leva quarry show evidence of paleopedogenesis. All locations display loss of base cations, loss of K is consistent with XRD datat showing dissolution or alteration of leucite to analcime. Accumulation of Al and high L.O.I. support XRD evidence of 1:1 clay species at upper depth. Data suggest alteration extent can be determined by geochemistry. Hydrothermal alteration is assessed from geochemistry showing significant leaching of major and trace elements, primary mineralogy loss and iron sulfide and sulfate mineral development. Deep samples of PR may show groundwater influenced alteration with the presence of expandable 2:1 clays, zeolites, and possible mixing with the underlying Vallerano Lava

Eco-geomorphological processes within grasslands, shrublands and badlands in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa

Vegetation type and cover play an important role in the operation of geomorphological processes by controlling runoff and sediment dynamics. In drylands, land degradation is particularly sensitive to these eco-geomorphic interactions. Although many geomorphological studies of land degradation focus on the change in hydrological response as a function of vegetation cover, few have investigated how the autogenic response of plants may influence the susceptibility of soil to erosion through a change of soil resources. This study investigates the hypothesis that shrub communities possess greater soil parameter heterogeneity compared with grasslands and assesses how these different scales of heterogeneity can influence the susceptibility of soil to erosion.  Soil samples were taken from seven 60 m × 60 m plots within grasslands, shrublands and badlands situated in the Sneeuberg uplands of the central Karoo. One hundred and eight samples per plot were analysed for bulk density, organic matter, pH, conductivity and available sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Geostatistical analyses determined that the grassland landscape was largely homogenous in its distribution of soil parameters, whereas shrublands demonstrated an increase in heterogeneity. Periodicity in the semi-variograms indicated that regular patterns across the landscape were evident for all parameters and thus likely to represent the differences between shrub and intershrub regions, areas of high and low erodibility. More pronounced patterns were identified in the badlands. This indicates that, if the conditions are right, changes in plant-soil interactions caused by soil parameter redistribution in shrubland landscapes can exacerbate erosion, leading to further degradation in the form of badlands

Evaluating the relationship between public perception, engagement and attitudes towards underground energy technologies

This report summarises key findings from a series of participatory workshops used to evaluate the relationship between public perception, engagement and attitudes towards underground energy technologies. The main aim of this project is to get a better understanding of attitudes towards publicly-funded energy decarbonisation science from a cross section of society by evaluating public awareness and understanding of underground energy decarbonisation techniques, investigating the role of energy literacy and evaluating levels of engagement and public attitudes towards the £31m investment in UK Geoenergy Observatories and the UK earth science decarbonisation research agenda. Participatory workshops were developed to actively engage members of the public in discourse; these included pre and post workshop questionnaires, creative drawing exercises and participant-led discussions. In order to reach the target audience, the non-engaged public, and to encourage peer-to-peer discussions, an experimental approach was used in the recruitment process – that of inviting a variety of existing community groups to take part. Community groups included church groups, U3A, mother and baby and student groups. In total, 7 workshops were held in 3 different locations: Glasgow, Stirling and Lincolnshire; with 41 participants taking part. The workshops focussed on 4 main topics

Britain's public toilet shame: time for equal access to decent facilities for all

First paragraph: As lockdown began to be relaxed in England from mid-May and people started venturing out for the first time since March, crowds flocked to parks, beaches and other beauty spots to take exercise, enjoy the outdoors and reunite with friends and family. While the taste of freedom may have been sweet, the smell often wasn’t.https://theconversation.com/britains-public-toilet-shame-time-for-equal-access-to-decent-facilities-for-all-14321

Effect of “finite pool of worry” and COVID-19 on UK climate change perceptions

This is the final version. Available on open access from the National Academy of Sciences via the DOI in this record. Research reveals that a "finite pool of worry" constrains concern about and action on climate change. Nevertheless, a longitudinal panel survey of 1,858 UK residents, surveyed in April 2019 and June 2020, reveals little evidence for diminishing climate change concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the sample identifies climate change as a bigger threat than COVID-19. The findings suggest climate change has become an intransigent concern within UK public consciousness.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

“Do you Know What's Underneath your Feet?”: Underground Landscapes & Place‐Based Risk Perceptions of Proposed Shale Gas Sites in Rural British Communities

Resource extraction relies on human interaction with the underground, often near rural communities. Yet, little research has explored localized, place-based relationships to the underground and subsequent concerns tied to proposed energy activities. This paper highlights the importance of place in localized risk perceptions of proposed shale exploration in two rural communities in the United Kingdom. Through qualitative case studies we examine how senses of place and place-based knowledges are shaped by underground landscapes. Further, we explore how these inform local risk perceptions of shale gas exploration. Our findings demonstrate how senses of place and place-based knowledges in each community are embedded in local rural culture that stretches back multiple generations, and are at least in part rooted in human connections to, and understanding of, the subsurface. Connections between surface and underground aspects of places create concerns about distinctiveness, which heighten residents' perceptions of more generalized shale gas risks. The research findings broaden our understanding of how places encompass both surface and underground landscapes, with significant implications for risk perceptions in energy contexts. These findings raise important questions for incorporating place-based and plural sets of knowledge in risk management and decision-making for future underground energy projects that contribute to net-zero strategies

Moving from "doing to" to "'doing with" : community participation in geoenergy solutions for net zero – the case of minewater geothermal

Low carbon geoenergy technologies are anticipated to occupy a range of roles in the transition to a net zero carbon future, and there is growing acknowledgment and awareness of the importance of societal considerations and community participation in the development and implementation of such technologies. Here, we use the example of minewater geothermal to explore the potential to enhance societal benefits of energy transition developments. Minewater geothermal uses the water in abandoned and flooded coal mines to provide low carbon heating and cooling of homes and businesses and thermal energy storage. Many towns and cities worldwide have potential minewater geothermal resource, offering significant potential for technology scale up, and there are a number of projects in development and operation. We outline how such projects could occupy a role beyond technological implementation given factors including the local dimension of the resource, together with its links with a community’s mining and cultural history, and social, political and environmental impacts of coal mine abandonment. We argue that working with communities to deliver these projects is paramount, and outline five key principles and recommendations for community participation to ensure a fair and sustainable net zero transition. While tailored to minewater geothermal projects, the nuances of these recommendations are relevant to other geoenergy developments

Challenging perceptions of socio-cultural rejection of a taboo technology: Narratives of imagined transitions to domestic toilet-linked biogas in India

Domestic toilet-linked anaerobic digesters (TLADs) recycle organic waste materials, including human excreta (HE), into a clean gaseous fuel and fertiliser product. Socio-cultural resistance is often used to explain local resistance towards TLADs due to the use of HE as a feedstock. However, through qualitative investigation utilising in-depth semi-structured interviews with potential TLAD users in Assam, India, the use of socio-cultural rejection to describe resistance towards TLADs was found to have homogenised local voices and framed them as resistant to technological change whilst ignoring diversity within groups. The narratives revealed resistance to be diverse and related to an individual's place, personal and social identity. Resistance to TLADs results from both socio-cultural as well as socio-technical concerns and is also potentially negotiable. Adoption of TLADs could be facilitated through opportunities such as technology demonstration, social group adoption and a greater perceived necessity. Inefficiencies in Assam's biogas implementation programme have been potentially overlooked due to too much attention being placed on household decision making and generalising socio-cultural resistance across the state. If TLADs are to be disseminated within Assam, authorities must work with communities and employees of the biogas programme to more widely renegotiate social norms around HE as a resource and not a waste product. More generally Assam's biogas programme is ineffectively identifying households with a need and motivation for domestic biogas and we recommend revaluating the use of local contacts to identify households eligible for the national subsidy as well as the bias towards households with large numbers of cattle

Understanding resilience capitals, agency and habitus in household experiences of water scarcity, floods and fire in marginalized settlements in the Cape Flats, South Africa

A significant percentage of the urban population in most low- and middle-income countries live in informal settlements. Due to poor quality housing, dense settlement patterns and lack of risk reducing infrastructure, informal settlements are least prepared and at higher risk for climate change issues. Marginalized communities in settlements in the Cape Flats region of South Africa face a range of environmental hazards and risks including recurrent large-scale fires, localised flooding and inconsistent access to water. This paper presents findings from a household survey with 600 participants from three economically marginalised settlements in this region. The paper explores how different forms of capital come into play in the shaping of these experiences and responses and uses these to consider power structures and the creation of particular types of habitus amongst settlement residents. Results show that cultural (knowledge) capital is one of the most important capitals enabling resilience and adaptive capacities across all three sites. Findings show the complex interplay of forms of capital and the importance of recognizing ownership, control and power structures. Our findings also illustrate how repeated exposure to risk can shape a habitus of risk acceptance and a focus on coping rather than change. Insights from this study further enhance knowledge of community resilience that could potentially inform policy development and institutional disaster risk reduction strategies for climate change resilience of cities in low- and middle-income countries