Adapting To A Changing World

Adapting to a Changing World was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to examine the present status of undergraduate physics education, including the state of physics education research, and, most importantly, to develop a series of recommendations for improving physics education that draws from the knowledge we have about learning and effective teaching. Our committee has endeavored to do so, with great interest and more than a little passion. The Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation was established in 2010 by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. This report summarizes the committee's response to its statement of task, which requires the committee to produce a report that identifies the goals and challenges facing undergraduate physics education and identifies how best practices for undergraduate physics education can be implemented on a widespread and sustained basis, assess the status of physics education research (PER) and discuss how PER can assist in accomplishing the goal of improving undergraduate physics education best practices and education policy.

Get an inside look at how companies with cutting-edge sustainability programs are innovating in the face of extreme conditions related to climate change. Adapting to Change profiles the current efforts of Citi, Sprint, ConAgra, Stonyfield Farm, The Hartford, and IBM to improve climate resilience, with a focus on five themes: responding to weather; learning from disaster; doing more with less; taking a risk—and managing it; and communicating change, collaborating on climate. In these pages, readers will discover strategies that encourage resilience and mitigate risk across vastly different sectors, both internally—with managers and employees—and externally—through supply chains, in communities, among investors—with valuable insight for business professionals in all categories. Adapting to Change stresses pragmatic answers to real problems that companies encounter every day. It focuses on the challenges climate presents to the firms profiled and how each company—with the help of employees and other stakeholders—faces them head on. One in a collection of books curated by world-renowned business ethics expert Mary Gentile, this book illustrates how today’s sustainability leaders are using business acumen to find solutions—while cutting costs and creating new business opportunities—in a rapidly changing environment.

This book presents the latest science and social science research on whether the world can adapt to climate change.

This title describes the concept of adaptive policymaking and presents seven tools for developing such policies. Based on hundreds of interviews with people impacted by policy and research of over a dozen policy case studies, this book serves as a pragmatic guide for policymakers by elaborating on these seven tools.

No matter which way we turn today, trends like pollution, climate change, and the 4th Industrial Revolution are impacting the ecosystems that you and I live in. These trends are influencing all of us and if you are not concerned about the impact they will have on the current and future wellbeing of you and your loved ones, you should be. This concern is called ecological anxiety, and it is up to you to decide how it should be managed and what actions you will take to adapt and prepare. As you can imagine, the topic of ecological anxiety is vast. This book is an introduction that outlines the major trends to be concerned about, as well as offering up practical ways for you to protect your financial, physical, and mental wellbeing. Ecological anxiety is not just limited to adults either. Our youth can also experience it, perhaps to an even greater extent than adults. This book contains discussions focused on this, why it can be different from adult ecological anxiety, and ways we can mentor them through this scary period of their lives. The seemingly perfect storm of globe-altering trends is already impacting us. Now is the time to take control (and it’s easier than you might think).

Climate change policy has typically emphasized mitigation, calling for reducing emissions and shifting away from fossil fuels. Yet while these efforts have floundered, floods, wildfires, droughts, and other disasters are becoming more frequent and potent. As the risks escalate, we must ask how to adapt to a changing climate. How might farmers modify their practices to maximize food security? Can coastal cities protect their infrastructure from rising seas? Are there strategic ways for developing countries to combine climate resilience with economic growth and poverty reduction? For people and societies around the world, these questions are not theoretical: adaptation is already underway. This book offers a concise overview of climate adaptation governance. In clear, accessible language, Lisa Dale describes key strategies that governments, communities, and the private sector are now deploying. She presents the theory and practice that underlie climate adaptation efforts at local and global scales, providing illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries. Dale analyzes the effectiveness of a range of policy interventions, drawing out principles of good governance and discussing how practitioners can navigate complex tradeoffs. She emphasizes equity and inclusion, considering how climate adaptation policy can account for the needs of historically disadvantaged groups. Written for a wide audience, this book is an invaluable introduction for all readers interested in how societies can meet the challenges of an altered climate.