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- Editorial: climate change and societyPublication . Alves, Fátima; Schmidt, LuísaClimate change presents one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century. It will massively affect human societies in complex and multiple ways. And it seems to be almost uncontrollable in the near future. Our knowledge of the chemistry and physics of climate change, its causes and its consequences for planetary systems, is far greater than our understanding of the societal changes it poses. Climate change results from a complex process of societal transformations, which we all need to understand to better cope with the challenges it presents. Climatic conditions play a significant role and interfere with people’s lives in multiple ways. The causes are essentially known, based on unequivocal human action. All solutions also involve human decision and action. It is social and human action in both individual and social settings that are decisive for the future pathways of climate change and its disentanglement. There is also a factor of climate injustice that must be addressed. The nations that contributed most to the problem are often those that experience more limited and manageable consequences while those who contributed the least are often the most affected, vulnerable and unprepared. With climate change, the risk of conflicts, disasters and internal displacement increases so exacerbate existing inequalities and poverty. This presents a moral conundrum of the highest order. At the ecological level, the destruction or disintegration of nature/nurture is more visible, with strong impacts on the availability and reduction of natural resources. In terms of social systems, climate change breaks down social organization, housing, the food system, generates migration, increases economic losses, hunger and public health breakdowns. In a more invisible way, climate change destroys cultural belonging and individual and collective identities. In addition to these expected impacts in the most diverse social, cultural, economic and environmental sectors, human health has emerged as an important area of considerable alarm. Although not frequently mentioned or targeted as a key political concern, it is expected that the impact of climate change on human health will be severe, both in the proliferation and incidence of diseases. Moreover, climate change will have extensive implications to human wellbeing, which will reflect on social structures and ways of life.
- Climate change and societyPublication . Alves, Fátima; Schmidt, LuísaClimate change represents the greatest challenge of the 21st Century and will affect human societies in multiple ways. Our knowledge about the nature and physics of climate change, its causes and its consequences, is far greater than our understanding of the societal changes it poses. Climate change is a social production, a complex process of societal transformations, which we all need to understand to better cope with the challenge it presents. Climatic conditions play a significant role in people's lives and can interfere with lives in multiple ways. The causes are known, and they put human action at the center of the debate. The consequences of climate change to ways of life are complex, diversified, inevitable, and will likely become worse over time. The nations that contributed most to the problem are often those that least suffer the consequences while those who contributed the least are often the most affected, vulnerable and unprepared. In addition to the expected impacts in the most diverse economic and environmental sectors, human health has emerged as an important area associated with climate change. Although not frequently mentioned or targeted as a key political concern, it is expected that the impact of climate change on human health will be severe, both in the distribution and incidence of diseases. Moreover, climate change will have extensive implications to human well-being, which will reflect on social structures and ways of life. The aim of this E-Book is to highlight and share knowledge on the social, economic, political and cultural implications of climate change, as well as reflect upon the required transformations in policy, governance and social-cultural strategies to mitigation, adaptation and prevention. To understand the multiple dimensions of climate change and their interdependencies, we need to bring together various sciences, knowledges and powers. The social sciences, and sociology, play a central role in analyzing the effects of human activities on natural systems. Social Sciences can scrutinize those phenomena and relations that, within human societies, produce social structures that ultimately have negative impacts on the environment. This E-Book also aims to provide an overview of social sciences literature and research on climate change, identifying key areas for further research and development.