Key Study Documents and Links

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Climate Change + Sociology

Global Warming's Six Americas

This report focuses on how six groups (The Alarmed, the Concerned, the Cautious, the Disengaged, the Doubtful, and the Dismissive) perceive the benefits and costs of reducing fossil fuel use or global warming; their support for different national climate change and energy policies; and their beliefs about who has influence over the decisions that elected officials make.

  • Published by: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
  • Length: Medium Read (15-60 minutes)

The Climate Gap: Inequalities in How Climate Change Hurts Americans & How to Close the Gap

This report coined the term "climate gap" - that is, the disparity in climate impacts suffered by minorities and the poor. The authors also offer concrete recommendations for closing the climate gap, including climate solutions that don’t leave anyone out of the calculation.

  • Published by: University of Southern California, Program for Environmental & Regional Equity
  • Length: Medium Read (15-60 minutes)

Why We Disagree About Climate Change

Dr. Mike Hulme wrote Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity, published by Cambridge University Press. In this article, he provides a synopsis of the arguments he presents in the book. Instead of asking ourselves “How do we solve climate change?” Hulme suggests we ask “How does the idea of climate change alter the way we arrive at and achieve our personal aspirations and our collective social goals?”

  • Published by: Carbon Yearbook
  • Length: Short Read (≤ 15 minutes)

Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes

This assessment takes a global look at climate change at discusses why women are disproportionately more vulnerable to climate impacts. It contains recommendations for policy makers and points out the crucial role women have to play world-wide as agents of sustainable adaptation. A focus on the link between severe climate change and human trafficking may be of particular interest to young evangelicals.

  • Published by: United Nations Environment Programme
  • Length: Medium Read (15 - 60 minutes)

 

Climate Migration - "Climate Refugees" 

The first IPCC report said that "one of the gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration." As climate change turns the homes of many into hostile places to live, our greenhouse gas emissions begin to rear their ugly head in the forms of displacement, human trafficking, and further environmental degradation. The connection between climate change and migration is a "complex nexus," to borrow a term from the International Organization for Migration. These links serve as a starting point for someone interested in going deeper with this issue: