Gender and international climate policy: An analysis of progress in gender equality at COP21

While women play an important role in agriculture, environmental and natural resource management, they have greater financial or resource constraints, and lower levels of access to information and extension services than men (Tall et al. 2014). Because of these gender inequalities, women appear to be less able to adapt to climate change (Huyer et al. 2015). Rural women’s workload, e.g. biomass and water collection, is affected by natural disasters and the changing climate with consequences on family nutrition, childcare and education. Cultural norms related to gender roles may limit the ability of women to respond to or make quick decisions in the face of climate events. For example, in some households where men are working off-farm in cities, women may lack the power to make timely farming decisions or to convince their husbands to agree to new practices (Asfaw et al. 2015; Goering 2015)

A comparison of upwelling events in two locations: Oregon and Northwest Africa

Intensive observations of the low frequency (less than one cycle per day) response of upwelling regimes to fluctuations in the wind have been made in two locations: the Oregon coast near 45°15\u27N, and the Northwest African coast at 21°40\u27N. Both regimes show an equatorward coastal jet at the surface, quasi-barotropic fluctuations in the alongshore flow, and a poleward undercurrent...

Do relationship transitions affect body weight? Evidence from German longitudinal data

Despite a considerable amount of empirical studies it is still unclear if changes in union status affect body weight. Using data from the first seven waves of the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) project, the current study aims to discover if changes in relationship status lead to changes in body weight considering multiple union transitions with fixed-effects panel regression estimations. Results show that women lose weight within the first year of a relationship, and then gain weight after entering into a non-married cohabiting relationship. Men tend to gain weight from the beginning of the partnership. The results clearly show that the transition from non-married cohabitation to marriage has no significant effect on body weight.Trotz zahlreicher Studien gibt es derzeit immer noch keine gesicherten Erkenntnisse darüber, inwieweit partnerschaftliche Veränderungen Einfluss auf das Körpergewicht haben. Basierend auf den Daten der ersten sieben Wellen des deutschen Panels Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) hat diese Studie das Ziel herauszufinden, ob Veränderungen des Beziehungsstatus zu einer Veränderung des Körpergewichts führen. Dabei werden verschiedene partnerschaftliche Übergänge mit Fixed-Effect Panel Regressionen betrachtet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Frauen in dem ersten Jahr ihrer Beziehung Gewicht verlieren, dann aber an Gewicht zunehmen, wenn sie mit ihrem Partner zusammen ziehen. Männer hingegen tendieren von Beginn an ihrer Beziehung zu einer Gewichtszunahme. Die Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass der Übergang von einer nicht-ehelichen Lebensgemeinschaft zur Ehe keinen Effekt auf das Körpergewicht hat

The European migration crisis as a factor in foreign market entry decisions of German multinationals: Part 1 – Impact of the crisis in Germany

YesThe largest influx of refugees since German unification has generated new challenges and opportunities in Germany’s society, culture, politics and economy. Theory advocates the advantages for international business of institutional change, migrations and integration. However, a negative public perception can conceal and inhibit resources and opportunities for German multinational enterprises. How did the attitude of Germany towards refugees change in 2015 and 2016? How did formal and informal German institutions react on the EU refugee crisis? How has this affected decision makers in German MNEs in terms of foreign market entry choices? How do German MNEs evaluate the long-term consequences of this crisis? This paper investigates in which ways the influx of refugees and migrants who arrived in Germany has affected the international business strategy of German MNEs. It is divided into two parts. Part One analyses the impact of this crisis on German culture, society, government, politics and economics and examines how it has been perceived and displayed. Part Two will further investigate how German MNEs are influenced by the migration context in Germany and Europe and how this affects their foreign market entry strategies in emerging economies

Closing the gender gap in agriculture under climate change

Women face barriers that significantly constrain their production and entangle them in a low productivity trap. These barriers encompass societal norms, the gender division of labour (GDOL), resource constraints (access to and use of land), no or low use of inputs (egdrought-adapted seeds), and limited access to climate services and agro-advisories. Under a changing climate, these barriers will further constrain women’s ability to adapt, and the gender gap in agriculture will continue to widen. Genderresponsive climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and technologies provide an opportunity to close the gender gap as well as bring women into the forefront in the fight against climate change. Priority activities include identification of the preferences and priorities of women, men and youth to develop practices that are appropriate to each group; labour-saving and productivity-enhancing technologies; access to climate information services; participation of women in agricultural value chains and non-farm activities; and engaging women and men in challenging social and cultural norms

A Gender-responsive Approach to Climate-Smart Agriculture: Evidence and guidance for practitioners

Taking a gender-responsive approach to Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) means that the particular needs, priorities, and realities of men and women are recognized and adequately addressed in the design and application of CSA so that both men and women can equally benefit. The gender gap in agriculture affects how men and women access and benefit from CSA. A gender-responsive approach to CSA addresses this gap by recognizing the specific needs and capabilities of women and men. Site-specific CSA practices that are also gender-responsive can lead to improvements in the lives of smallholder farmers, fishers and foresters, as well as more sustainable results

The European migration crisis as a factor in foreign market entry decisions of German multinationals: Part 2 – German MNEs and the migration challenge

YesThe largest influx of refugees since German unification has generated new challenges and opportunities in Germany’s society, culture, politics and economy. Theory advocates the advantages for international business of institutional change, migrations and integration. However, a negative public perception can conceal and inhibit resources and opportunities for German multinational enterprises. How did the attitude of Germany towards refugees change in 2015 and 2016? How did formal and informal German institutions react on the EU refugee crisis? How has this affected decision makers in German MNEs in terms of foreign market entry choices? How do German MNEs evaluate the long-term consequences of this crisis? This paper investigates in which ways the influx of refugees and migrants who arrived in Germany has affected the international business strategy of German MNEs. It is divided into two parts. Part One analyses the impact of this crisis on German culture, society, government, politics and economics and examines how it has been perceived and displayed. Part Two will further investigate how German MNEs are influenced by the migration context in Germany and Europe and how this affects their foreign market entry strategies in emerging economies

A Freshwater Budget of the Gulf of Boothia, Northwest Territories

A freshwater budget for the Gulf of Boothia (here considered to include Prince Regent Inlet) was estimated from oceanographic data available for the Canadian Arctic using a formula derived by Tully: integral of S(z) dz between limits L and 0 divided by S*L where C is the fraction of freshwater to the depth L, L is the depth at which the salinity attained S* or the depth to the bottom if the salinity there was less than S*, S(z) is the salinity at depth z and S* is the base salinity, in this budget taken to be 33.8 per mil. For each station occupied in 1961 and 1962 the amount of freshwater in metres, CL, was obtained. The result for 1962 is shown in Fig. 1. Sources of freshwater include direct precipitation, runoff, advection of less saline water and of ice, and condensation at the surface. It may be removed by evaporation and advection. We assumed that condensation is so small it may be neglected and that the rates of precipitation and evaporation are the same over the land as over the water. The mean precipitation in the region of the Gulf of Boothia is usually less than 20 cm/year and in nearby Barrow Strait it was estimated that the evaporation was about 8 cm/year in 1962. If the latter value is representative of the Gulf of Boothia and its drainage basin, the excess of precipitation over evaporation is about 12 cm/year. The estimate is supported by 1965 streamflow measurements of the Back River; for this basin the excess of precipitation over evaporation is about 17 cm/year. It seems that the water surplus for the Gulf of Boothia drainage basin is somewhat less so the estimate of 12 cm/year appears reasonable. As the area of the drainage basin is one and one quarter that of the gulf, runoff would add 15 cm/year to the freshwater of the gulf. Combining the gains and losses we estimate the net annual input at the surface to be 27 cm/year. If the 8 metres of freshwater estimated to occur in the gulf (Fig. 1) were due to the annual gain, it would represent an accumulation of close to 30 years. As free exchange with Lancaster Sound and beyond is possible, such a long period of accumulation seems unrealistic. There is no reason to believe that the accumulation is related to an excess of imported over exported ice, indeed export may exceed import, but data which would permit a quantitative assessment are not available. Examination of ice reconnaissance data in each year, for example that for 1967, indicates that, while movement of ice occurs from northern parts of the gulf to the south, the ice conditions observed within the system could be due entirely to ice formed there. It seems likely therefore that the accumulation is due to advection of low salinity water and that a direct relation exists between the depth of freshwater in the gulf and that calculated to occur in the archipelago to the west and in the Arctic Ocean (Fig. 1). It is generally considered that a net surface movement from west to east occurs through the archipelago; the freshwater budget provides support for this view

Climate change, agriculture and international migration: An African youth perspective

Existing evidence indicates that Africa is already being affected by climate change resulting in substantial challenges for both human and natural systems. Eastern Africa is among the regions in Africa with disproportionately higher risk of adverse consequences of global warming and climate change. Climate change and variability are having significant direct and indirect impacts on agricultural production, agricultural value chains, food and nutrition security as well as the overall sustainable growth of the sector in the region. Over time, it is expected that climate change will exacerbate the prevalence of spatio-temporal climate variability in Eastern Africa, and these variabilities will manifest in the increased frequency and severity of extreme climate events and the increasing irregularity and unpredictability of weather patterns. To the region’s farmers, these emerging changes represent an additional source of risks and uncertainty

Climate finance strategies to reach the most vulnerable

Building resilience with climate finance includes ensuring that income and investment opportunities reach vulnerable groups with targeted information, education, and finance. This includes financial literacy training and access to credit in small and affordable increments. Mobile money is one model: in Kenya 194,000 moved out of poverty, the majority female-headed households. Other models for accessible climate finance at the local level include farmers associations, women’s organizations and VSLAs (village savings and loans)