Loading...
The Impacts of the Early Outset of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Climate Change Research: implications for policy-making
Leal Filho, Walter Wall, Tony Alves, Fatima Nagy, Gustavo J. Fernández Carril, Luis Li, Chunlan Azeiteiro, Ulisses M. Mucova, Serafino Platje, Johannes Rayman-Bacchus, Lez
Leal Filho, Walter
Wall, Tony
Alves, Fatima
Nagy, Gustavo J.
Fernández Carril, Luis
Li, Chunlan
Azeiteiro, Ulisses M.
Mucova, Serafino
Platje, Johannes
Rayman-Bacchus, Lez
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
EPub Date
Publication Date
2021-06-16
Submitted Date
Files
Loading...
Main article
Adobe PDF, 1.4 MB
Other Titles
Abstract
Since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the media and exercises pressure on governments worldwide. Apart from its effects on economies, education systems and societies, the pandemic has also influenced climate change research. This paper examines the extent to which COVID-19 has influenced climate change research worldwide during the first wave at the beginning of 2020 and how it is perceived to exploit it in the future. This study utilised an international survey involving those dedicated to climate change science and management research from Academia, Government, NGOs, and international agencies in 83 countries. The analysis of responses encompasses four independent variables: Institutions, Regions, Scientific Areas, and the level of economic development represented by the Human Development Index (HDI). Results show that: (1) COVID-19 modified the way the surveyed researchers work, (2) there are indicators that COVID-19 has already influenced the direction of climate change and adaptation policy implementation, and (3) respondents perceived (explicitly concerning the COVID-19 lockdowns of March-April 2020), that the pandemic has drawn attention away from climate policy. COVID-19 has influenced the agenda of climate change research for more than half of the respondents and is likely to continue in the future, suggesting that the impacts on their research will still be felt for many years. The paper concludes by outlining critical implications for policy-making.
Citation
Leal Filho, W., Wall, T., Nagy, G. J., Alves, F., Fernández Carrile, L. R., Li, C., ... Minhas, A. (2021) The impacts of the early outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change research: Implications for policy-making. Environmental Science & Policy, 124, 267-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.06.008
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Environmental Science & Policy
Research Unit
DOI
10.1016/j.envsci.2021.06.008
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
1462-9011