Emotional reactions to climate change: a comparison across France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom

We present a study of emotional reactions to climate change utilizing representative samples from France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom (UK). Drawing on appraisal theories of emotion, we examine relations between appraisals, emotions, and behavioral intentions in the context of climate change. We compare the four countries concerning emotional differences and commonalities and relate our findings to pertinent models of cultural values. Five distinct emotions were measured: worry, hope, fear, outrage, and guilt. In addition, the survey asked respondents to appraise a set of climate-related statements, such as the causality of climate change, or the efficacy of mitigation efforts. Also, a set of climate-relevant actions, such as willingness to reduce energy consumption or support for climate policies, was assessed. Findings show that appraisals of human causation and moral concern were associated with worry and outrage, and appraisals of efficacy and technological solutions were associated with hope. Worry and outrage are associated with intentions to reduce one’s energy consumption, whereas hope and guilt are related to support for policies such as tax and price increases. A country comparison shows that French respondents score high on outrage and worry and tend to engage in individual behaviors to mitigate climate change, whereas Norwegian respondents score high on hope and show a tendency to support policies of cost increase. Generally, worry is the most and guilt the least intense emotion. Moral concerns and perceived collective efficacy of one’s country in addressing climate change are relatively strong in France, while beliefs in human causation and in negative impacts of climate change prevail in Germany, and confidence in technological solutions are prevalent in Norway. In sum, findings reveal typical patterns of emotional responses in the four countries and confirm systematic associations between emotions and appraisals as well as between emotions and behaviors. Relating these findings to models of cultural values reveals that Norway, endorsing secular and egalitarian values, is characterized by hope and confidence in technological solutions, whereas France and Germany, emphasizing relatively more hierarchical and traditional values, are rather characterized by fear, outrage, and support for behavioral restrictions imposed by climate change policies

Informing UK governance of resilience to climate risks: improving the local evidence-base

International assessments of evidence on climate change (e.g. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) or national climate change risk assessments (e.g. UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, CCRA) do not offer a sufficiently granular perspective on climate impacts to adequately inform governance of resilience to climate risks at the local level. Using an analysis of UK decision-makers managing and responding to heatwaves and flood risks, this paper argues how more robust local evidence is needed to inform decision-making regarding adaptation options for enhancing local resilience. We identify evidence gaps and issues relating to local climate change impacts, including sources and quality of evidence used, adequacy and accessibility of evidence available, ill-communicated evidence and conflicting or misused evidence. A lack of appreciation regarding how scientific evidence and personal judgement can mutually enhance the quality of decision-making underpins all of these gaps. Additionally, we find that the majority of evidence currently used is reductively based upon socio-economic and physical characteristics of climate risks. We argue that a step change is needed in local climate resilience that moves beyond current physical and socio-economic risk characterisation to a more inclusive co-constitution of social and politically defined climate risks at the local scale that are better aligned with the local impacts felt and needs of stakeholders

Zootechnische en veterinaire factoren op vermeerderingsniveau: effecten op uitval bij vleeskuikens.

Zootechnical and veterinary factors at the broiler breeder farm that affect broiler mortality are describe

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Interview Wout van Bommel, informatie over DYNO onderzoek van Alferdinck en Hogema bij TNO Technische Menskunde De natuur heeft 'recht op duisternis', zegt de milieubeweging, en daarom moet de verlichting op wegen worden teruggedrongen. De overheid wil dat ook, want de kosten moeten omlaag. Verlichtingsdeskundige ir. Wout van Bommel maant echter tot voorzichtigheid. Goed licht voorkomt ongelukken en vermindert de kans op filevorming. 'Mijn bezwaar is dat niet het verkeer of de automobilist het uitgangspunt is maar energie- en kostenbesparing.' Terwijl de automobilist gemiddeld steeds ouder wordt. 'Bij de toenemende vergrijzing is het aannemelijk dat er meer licht nodig is voor een goede doorstroming van het verkeer.

Sjakie en de nieuwe sociale zekerheid : levensloop van de beroepsbevolking in een rollenspel

In dit artikel wordt het voorgestelde nieuwe stelsel van sociale zekerheid (levensloopregeling) onderworpen aan een fictieve praktijktoets. Centraal stond hierbij de vraag: wat zijn de kansen en gevolgen van dit nieuwe stelsel voor Sjakie, een vmbo-leerling autotechniek die uitgroeit tot een succesvolle ondernemer. Zowel de 'testers' als de 'meedenkers' concluderen dat het nieuwe stelsel op zich waardevol is. Maar er zal er in het onderwijs begonnen moeten worden burgers inzicht te geven in hun keuzes in het stelsel tijdens hun levensloop

Molecular epidemiology of unilateral amyloid arthropathy in broiler breeders associated with Enterococcus faecalis

Although symmetrical polyarticular amyloidosis has been described extensively in brown layers, spontaneous unilateral amyloid arthropathy has not been described previously in chickens. Birds from nine flocks of broiler parent stock (PS) had unilateral lameness associated with severe swelling of the left hock joint and the caudal aspect of the metatarsus. Gross pathology was restricted to the left hock joint and the left digital flexor tendons in almost all cases, suggesting an association with administration of Marek's disease vaccine. Amyloid deposits were found in 83% (25/30) of affected joints by histological examination of Congo red stained sections. Systemic amyloidosis, involving mainly the liver and spleen, was found in 59% (10/17) of birds. Enterococcus faecalis was isolated from joints in 77% (23/30) of cases and Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the joint in one case (1/30). Thirty-five E. faecalis isolates from joints, tendons and blood samples from birds in five affected PS flocks were compared using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to separate genomic fragments after digestion with Sma I. All but one isolate had identical or closely related restriction endonuclease digestion (RED) patterns that were very similar to a known arthropathic and amyloidogenic E. faecalis isolate. A further 30 E. faecalis isolates from seven grandparent stock (GPS) flocks and two isolates from two unaffected PS flocks of the same genetic background were analysed by PFGE. Among these isolates, 11 originating from four GPS flocks had RED patterns identical to or closely related to the reference amyloid-inducing strain. Moreover, one E. faecalis isolate from amyloidotic joints of brown layers housed in California, USA was included in the analysis and appeared to be identical to the reference strain. This study showed that the E. faecalis isolates involved in these outbreaks of unilateral amyloid arthropathy in broiler breeders belonged to the same clone as that responsible for outbreaks in brown layers

Electron Transfer Processes in Ferrocene-Modified Poly(ethylene glycol) Monolayers on Electrodes

Electrochemistry is a powerful tool to study self-assembled monolayers. Here, we modified cystamine-functionalized electrodes with different lengths of linear poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers end-functionalized with a redox-active ferrocene (Fc) group. The electron transport properties of the Fc probes were studied using cyclic voltammetry. The Fc moiety attached to the shortest PEG (<i>M</i>_n = 250 Da) behaved as a surface-confined species, and the homogeneous electron transfer rate constants were determined. The electron transfer of the ferrocene group on the longer PEGs (<i>M</i>_n = 3.4, 5, and 10 kDa) was shown to be driven by diffusion. For low surface densities, where the polymer exists in the mushroom conformation, the diffusion coefficients (<i>D</i>) and rate constants were increasing with polymer length. In the loose brush conformation, where the polymers are close enough to interact with each other, the thickness of the layers (<i>e</i>) was unknown and a parameter <i>D</i>^1/2/<i>e</i> was determined. This parameter showed no dependence on surface density and an increase with polymer length