UNC-Chapel Hill Climate Change Resources
User Collection Public
This collection contains scholarly resources on the topic of climate change which were authored by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Works (783)
611. Resilient Timber Construction in the Era of Climate Change: Lessons from the Mountain Pine Beetle
- Title Tesim:
- Resilient Timber Construction in the Era of Climate Change: Lessons from the Mountain Pine Beetle
- Creator:
- Burrows, John H.
- Date Created:
- April 24, 2014
- Date of publication:
- spring 2014
- Abstract Tesim:
- The demands placed on the environment to supply raw-materials for future construction require changing the current paradigm away from carbon intensive materials. Replacing steel and concrete with wood as a construction material has been one suggestion to help make this transition because of the avoided carbon emissions from wood construction. However, this emphasis on wood construction comes at a time when the forests across North America are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Consequently, the timber industry’s ability to use wood killed in climate-related disturbances has become increasingly important both economically and environmentally. Beginning with the example of the mountain pine beetle, this paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of using salvaged wood as a construction material. It demonstrates how the use of salvaged wood in construction can result in up to 24.8% more avoided carbon emissions than the use of normal wood. Using three examples of newly constructed wood buildings in Europe, the value of these avoided emissions is estimated as a percentage of the building cost and per cubic meter of wood used in construction. Results indicate that depending on the price of carbon, the values used to estimate avoided emissions from wood substitution, and the assumptions regarding the alternative uses for salvaged wood, that the value of avoided emissions from using salvaged wood could be as high as 2.3% of the building cost. If this value was made accessible to developers, it could be used as a financial incentive to increase the demand for wood products and encourage greater utilization of salvageable wood as a green building material.
- Resource type:
- Honors Thesis
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Environmental Studies
- Award:
- Honors
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Degree Granting Institution:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Deposit Record:
- ef32853f-eda6-4064-8b57-e24639777821
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/8dn0-he51
- Extent:
- 53
- Keyword:
- Avoided Carbon, Mass Timber Structures, Beetle Killed Pine, Global Warming, Cross Laminated Timber, Mountain Pine Beetle, and Green Buildings
- Note:
- Funding: None
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Person:
- Yates, Andrew and Burrows, John H.
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
612. Exploring Climate Change as an Opportunity for the Reintegration of Environmental Health and Environmental Protection as a Field of Practice
- Title Tesim:
- Exploring Climate Change as an Opportunity for the Reintegration of Environmental Health and Environmental Protection as a Field of Practice
- Creator:
- Stamper, Kelli
- Date Created:
- March 17, 2015
- Date of publication:
- May 2013
- Abstract Tesim:
- This paper explores climate change as an opportunity for the field of environmental health protection (EHP) to address the divide it has suffered since the early 1970’s, when diversification of EHP functions at the federal, state, and local levels led to the organizational and functional separation of environmental protection functions from environmental public health. Although this resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and a broadening of the EHP system, it has also created fragmentation and gaps that negatively impact the ability of the system to effectively identify, respond to, and address emerging and increasingly complex issues. Climate change is emerging as perhaps the most important public health issue of the 21st century. By many accounts, the US is already experiencing the impacts in the forms of extreme weather events and precipitation variances. Projected impacts will likely threaten the fundamental systems that support life and health; water, air food, ecosystems, affecting human health both directly and indirectly. Recognizing the need to address fragmentation and current silo-approaches to EHP issues, academia, public health leaders, practitioners, and professional organizations have worked to identify and implement strategies to strengthen the capacity of the EHP system. Climate change creates considerable greater urgency for systems change to ensure the capacity of the EHP system to adequate plan for and respond to such global EHP threats. Understanding, planning for, and taking action towards climate change mitigation and adaptation will require a comprehensive and integrated environmental health and protection approach. Along with the challenges and barriers that exist, climate change also provides opportunities to redefine the EHP field, to affect organizational and workforce changes, and to bridge the separation between environmental public health and protection to more effectively meet this and future environmental health challenges. The purpose of this paper is to review literature about and to recommend action for the reintegration of environmental health and environmental protection as a field a practice to prepare for and address climate change.
- Resource type:
- Masters Paper
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Public Health Leadership Program
- Degree:
- Master of Public Health
- Degree Granting Institution:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Deposit Record:
- 564d1737-ca9b-4211-9c3e-c1926665c3df
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/26ke-q529
- Graduation Year:
- 2013
- Language Label:
- English
- Note:
- Paper type: Systematic review and Track: Leadership
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Person:
- Lesneski, Cheryll, Bowles, James, and Stamper, Kelli
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
613. Growing Up Healthy in a Changing Climate: Integrating Global Policies to Improve Children's Health and Adapt to Climate Change
- Title Tesim:
- Growing Up Healthy in a Changing Climate: Integrating Global Policies to Improve Children's Health and Adapt to Climate Change
- Creator:
- Thigpen Tart, Kimberly
- Date Created:
- April 9, 2015
- Date of publication:
- April 2015
- Abstract Tesim:
- With the release in September 2013 of its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientifically settled the question of whether climate change is occurring and humans' contributions to it. In addition, the IPCC concluded that: "Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems" (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2014). Such people include children and young people who make up 30% of the world's population, and nearly 50% in the developing world (United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2014b). Major global health policies and agreements are only recently beginning to recognize the need to consider and prioritize the impacts of climate change on children's health. Similarly, global policies to understand and address climate change are only slowly beginning to recognize the particular vulnerabilities of children at all stages of life, including prenatally, to the impacts of climate change. This paper provides a review of the recognition of climate change impacts in global policies to improve children's health (and by extension, maternal health), and of the recognition of the unique vulnerabilities of children and pregnant women in global policies to explain and address climate change. An analysis of the policies identified common points in relation to specific areas of health impacts on children and mothers, as well as gaps that may offer access points opportunities to integrate climate change adaptation recommendations into health policies to produce co-benefits for both the Earth and human health. Lastly, a discussion of emerging areas of global leadership on this topic highlights needs and, in particular, efforts to acknowledge and enlist children and young people themselves to help solve what may well be the greatest global problem of their lifetimes.
- Resource type:
- Masters Paper
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Public Health Leadership Program
- Degree:
- Master of Public Health
- Degree Granting Institution:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Deposit Record:
- 3320f447-322a-4561-82b9-3ac8f4b6b055
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/rtjs-ze80
- Graduation Year:
- 2015
- Language Label:
- English
- Note:
- Track: Leadership and Paper type: Policy
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Person:
- Lesneski, Cheryll, Etzel, Ruth, and Thigpen Tart, Kimberly
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
614. Effect of domestic water use on air pollutant emissions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Title Tesim:
- Effect of domestic water use on air pollutant emissions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Creator:
- MacDonald Gibson, Jacqueline and DeFelice, Nicholas B
- Date Created:
- November 15, 2013
- Date of publication:
- August 14, 2013
- Abstract Tesim:
- The members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf have typically addressed water scarcity problems by building energy-intensive desalination plants. Few efforts have addressed water scarcity through metering, pricing, and other efficiency measures to reduce demand. This paper examines how decreased leakage in the water distribution system and decreased residential water use in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, could decrease air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from desalination plants. We developed a probabilistic model to predict the effects of water use reductions on pollutant emissions from Abu Dhabi's major independent water and power plants, which use a combination of multi-stage flash distillation and multi-effect distillation to produce fresh water from seawater drawn from the Arabian Gulf. We examine three categories of scenarios for reducing water use: increasing the price signal to residential users, instituting demand management programs among residential users, and reducing water loss in the distribution system. Our analysis suggests that water conservation price incentives could reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions by 1% to 5%, depending on assumptions about how households respond to the incentives. Demand-side management programs curbing per capita water use to levels typical of the Singapore or the UK would curb emissions by 10% or 11%, respectively. Reducing water loss during distribution from the current high level of 35% to 15% (similar to loss rates in other developed nations) could cut emissions by more than 3%. Overall, our analysis suggests that high per capita water use contributes to ambient air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Abu Dhabi.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Access Right:
- Open Access
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Bibliographic Citation:
- International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering. 2013 Aug 14;4(1):33
- Deposit Record:
- 5a85ee3d-e79c-4666-8090-c70fbbe96cf4
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/1x7x-2h63
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/2251-6832-4-33
- ISSN:
- 2251-6832
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering
- Journal Volume:
- 4
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Page Start:
- 33
- Peer Review Status:
- Yes
- Person:
- MacDonald Gibson, Jacqueline and DeFelice, Nicholas B
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Rights Holder:
- Nicholas B DeFelice et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- 3f462785b
615. A human rights approach to the health implications of food and nutrition insecurity
- Title Tesim:
- A human rights approach to the health implications of food and nutrition insecurity
- Creator:
- Mason Meier, Ben and Ayala, Ana
- Date Created:
- August 25, 2017
- Date of publication:
- March 9, 2017
- Abstract Tesim:
- Food and nutrition insecurity continues to pose a serious global challenge, reflecting government shortcomings in meeting international obligations to ensure the availability, accessibility, and quality of food and to ensure the highest attainable standard of health of their peoples. With global drivers like climate change, urbanization, greater armed conflict, and the globalization of unhealthy diet, particularly in under-resourced countries, food insecurity is rapidly becoming an even greater challenge for those living in poverty. International human rights law can serve a critical role in guiding governments that are struggling to protect the health of their populations, particularly among the most susceptible groups, in responding to food and nutrition insecurity. This article explores and advocates for a human rights approach to food and nutrition security, specifically identifying legal mechanisms to “domesticate” relevant international human rights standards through national policy. Recognizing nutrition security as a determinant of public health, this article recognizes the important links between the four main elements of food security (i.e., availability, stability, utilization, and access) and the normative attributes of the right to health and the right to food (i.e., availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality). In drawing from the evolution of international human rights instruments, official documents issued by international human rights treaty bodies, as well as past scholarship at the intersection of the right to health and right to food, this article interprets and articulates the intersectional rights-based obligations of national governments in the face of food and nutrition insecurity.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Department of Health Policy and Management
- Bibliographic Citation:
- Public Health Reviews. 2017 Mar 09;38(1):10
- Deposit Record:
- 004c0e1f-3172-49c8-a501-933aa6f8080e
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/nrb8-n663
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-017-0056-5
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- Public Health Reviews
- Journal Volume:
- 38
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- and Georgetown University Law Center
- Page Start:
- 10
- Person:
- Mason Meier, Ben and Ayala, Ana
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Rights Holder:
- The Author(s).
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- b5644v15b
616. Genomic insights into potential interdependencies in microbial hydrocarbon and nutrient cycling in hydrothermal sediments
- Title Tesim:
- Genomic insights into potential interdependencies in microbial hydrocarbon and nutrient cycling in hydrothermal sediments
- Creator:
- Teske, Andreas, Dombrowski, Nina, Seitz, Kiley W, and Baker, Brett J
- Date Created:
- August 25, 2017
- Date of publication:
- August 23, 2017
- Abstract Tesim:
- Background Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are hotspots for productivity and biodiversity. Thermal pyrolysis and circulation produce fluids rich in hydrocarbons and reduced compounds that stimulate microbial activity in surrounding sediments. Several studies have characterized the diversity of Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) sediment-inhabiting microorganisms; however, many of the identified taxa lack cultures or genomic representations. Here, we resolved the metabolic potential and community-level interactions of these diverse communities by reconstructing and analyzing microbial genomes from metagenomic sequencing data. Results We reconstructed 115 microbial metagenome-assembled genomes comprising 27 distinct archaeal and bacterial phyla. The archaea included members of the DPANN and TACK superphyla, Bathyarchaeota, novel Methanosarcinales (GoM-Arc1), and anaerobic methane-oxidizing lineages (ANME-1). Among the bacterial phyla, members of the Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Deltaproteobacteria were metabolically versatile and harbored potential pathways for hydrocarbon and lipid degradation and a variety of respiratory processes. Genes encoding enzymes that activate anaerobic hydrocarbons for degradation were detected in Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Latescibacteria, and KSB1 phyla, while the reconstructed genomes for most candidate bacteria phyla (Aminicenantes, Atribacteria, Omnitrophica, and Stahlbacteria) indicated a fermentative metabolism. Newly obtained GoM-Arc1 archaeal genomes encoded novel pathways for short-chain hydrocarbon oxidation by alkyl-coenzyme M formation. We propose metabolic linkages among different functional groups, such as fermentative community members sharing substrate-level interdependencies with sulfur- and nitrogen-cycling microbes. Conclusions Overall, inferring the physiologies of archaea and bacteria from metagenome-assembled genomes in hydrothermal deep-sea sediments has revealed potential mechanisms of carbon cycling in deep-sea sediments. Our results further suggest a network of biogeochemical interdependencies in organic matter utilization, hydrocarbon degradation, and respiratory sulfur cycling among deep-sea-inhabiting microbial communities.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Department of Marine Sciences
- Deposit Record:
- f4b262c3-fb00-46a2-a2be-6dfe0e700f9e
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/5w4f-d042
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0322-2
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- Microbiome
- Journal Volume:
- 5
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- and Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas Austin, Port Aransas, USA
- Page Start:
- 106
- Person:
- Teske, Andreas, Dombrowski, Nina, Seitz, Kiley W, and Baker, Brett J
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Rights Holder:
- The Author(s).
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- mw22v794x
617. Historical changes in thermoregulatory traits of alpine butterflies reveal complex ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change
- Title Tesim:
- Historical changes in thermoregulatory traits of alpine butterflies reveal complex ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change
- Creator:
- MacLean, Heidi J, Buckley, Lauren B, and Kingsolver, Joel
- Date Created:
- December 9, 2016
- Date of publication:
- December 8, 2016
- Abstract Tesim:
- Background Trait evolution and plasticity are expected to interactively influence responses to climate change, but rapid changes in and increased variability of temperature may limit evolutionary responses. We use historical specimens to document changes in the size and thermoregulatory traits of a montane butterfly, Colias meadii, in Colorado, USA over the past 60 years (1953–2012). We quantify forewing wing length, ventral wing melanin that increases solar absorption, and the length of thorax setae that reduces convective heat loss. Results The mean of all three traits has increased during this time period despite climate warming. Phenological shifts may have extended the active season earlier at low elevations and later at high elevations, increasing exposure to cool temperatures and selecting for increases in thermoregulatory traits. Fitness increases at higher elevations due to warming could also increase thermoregulatory traits. Warmer temperatures during pupal development and later flight dates in the season are associated with decreased wing melanin, indicating a role of phenotypic plasticity in historical trait changes. Conclusions Phenotypic shifts result from a complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary responses to climate change. Environmental variability within and across seasons can limit the evolutionary responses of populations to increasing mean temperatures during climate change.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Department of Biology
- Deposit Record:
- e7364857-7009-48f1-8f05-6fdb24437bcc
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/etb4-5j96
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40665-016-0028-x
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- Climate Change Responses
- Journal Volume:
- 3
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Institute for Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, and
- Page Start:
- 13
- Person:
- MacLean, Heidi J, Buckley, Lauren B, and Kingsolver, Joel
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Rights Holder:
- The Author(s).
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- t435gg614
618. Extreme precipitation and emergency room visits for influenza in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis
- Title Tesim:
- Extreme precipitation and emergency room visits for influenza in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis
- Creator:
- Wade, Timothy J, Crooks, James L, Hilborn, Elizabeth D, Messier, Kyle P, Lin, Cynthia J, and Smith, Genee S
- Date Created:
- October 23, 2017
- Date of publication:
- October 17, 2017
- Abstract Tesim:
- Background Influenza peaks during the wintertime in temperate regions and during the annual rainy season in tropical regions – however reasons for the observed differences in disease ecology are poorly understood. We hypothesize that episodes of extreme precipitation also result in increased influenza in the Northeastern United States, but this association is not readily apparent, as no defined ‘rainy season’ occurs. Our objective was to evaluate the association between extreme precipitation (≥ 99th percentile) events and risk of emergency room (ER) visit for influenza in Massachusetts during 2002–2008. Methods A case-crossover analysis of extreme precipitation events and influenza ER visits was conducted using hospital administrative data including patient town of residence, date of visit, age, sex, and associated diagnostic codes. Daily precipitation estimates were generated for each town based upon data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between extreme precipitation and ER visits for influenza were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results Extreme precipitation events were associated with an OR = 1.23 (95%CI: 1.16, 1.30) for ER visits for influenza at lag days 0–6. There was significant effect modification by race, with the strongest association observed among Blacks (OR = 1.48 (1.30, 1.68)). Conclusions We observed a positive association between extreme precipitation events and ER visits for influenza, particularly among Blacks. Our results suggest that influenza is associated with extreme precipitation in a temperate area; this association could be a result of disease ecology, behavioral changes such as indoor crowding, or both. Extreme precipitation events are expected to increase in the Northeastern United States as climate change progresses. Additional research exploring the basis of this association can inform potential interventions for extreme weather events and influenza transmission.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Bibliographic Citation:
- Environmental Health. 2017 Oct 17;16(1):108
- Deposit Record:
- 38837ef1-1fd0-4ad0-baf5-5572d0907603
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/kx4r-t603
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0312-7
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- Environmental Health
- Journal Volume:
- 16
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado School of Public Health, , and Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Person:
- Wade, Timothy J, Crooks, James L, Hilborn, Elizabeth D, Messier, Kyle P, Lin, Cynthia J, and Smith, Genee S
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central
- Rights Holder:
- US Government (outside the USA).
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- h989r559q
619. Seasonality of cholera from 1974 to 2005: a review of global patterns
- Title Tesim:
- Seasonality of cholera from 1974 to 2005: a review of global patterns
- Creator:
- Ali, Mohammad, Islam, M Sirajul, Emch, Michael, and Feldacker, Caryl
- Date Created:
- August 24, 2012
- Date of publication:
- June 20, 2008
- Abstract Tesim:
- Abstract Background The seasonality of cholera is described in various study areas throughout the world. However, no study examines how temporal cycles of the disease vary around the world or reviews its hypothesized causes. This paper reviews the literature on the seasonality of cholera and describes its temporal cycles by compiling and analyzing 32 years of global cholera data. This paper also provides a detailed literature review on regional patterns and environmental and climatic drivers of cholera patterns. Data, Methods, and Results Cholera data are compiled from 1974 to 2005 from the World Health Organization Weekly Epidemiological Reports, a database that includes all reported cholera cases in 140 countries. The data are analyzed to measure whether season, latitude, and their interaction are significantly associated with the country-level number of outbreaks in each of the 12 preceding months using separate negative binomial regression models for northern, southern, and combined hemispheres. Likelihood ratios tests are used to determine the model of best fit. The results suggest that cholera outbreaks demonstrate seasonal patterns in higher absolute latitudes, but closer to the equator, cholera outbreaks do not follow a clear seasonal pattern. Conclusion The findings suggest that environmental and climatic factors partially control the temporal variability of cholera. These results also indirectly contribute to the growing debate about the effects of climate change and global warming. As climate change threatens to increase global temperature, resulting rises in sea levels and temperatures may influence the temporal fluctuations of cholera, potentially increasing the frequency and duration of cholera outbreaks.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Access Right:
- Open Access
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Department of Geography, Carolina Population Center, and Department of Health Behavior
- Bibliographic Citation:
- International Journal of Health Geographics. 2008 Jun 20;7(1):31
- Deposit Record:
- 0c30a689-aae4-4b00-8c39-eb1a9f8b96ca
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/rjp2-8305
- Identifier:
- 18570659 and https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-7-31
- ISSN:
- 1476-072X
- Journal Issue:
- 1
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Health Geographics
- Journal Volume:
- 7
- Language Label:
- English
- License Label:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- International Vaccine Institute, Korea, ICDDR, B: Centre for Health and Population Research, Bangladesh, and
- Page Start:
- 31
- Peer Review Status:
- Yes
- Person:
- Ali, Mohammad, Islam, M Sirajul, Emch, Michael, and Feldacker, Caryl
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central Ltd
- Rights Holder:
- Michael Emch et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- 5712m8896
620. Millions of online book co-purchases reveal partisan differences in the consumption of science
- Title Tesim:
- Millions of online book co-purchases reveal partisan differences in the consumption of science
- Creator:
- Dokshin, Fedor A., Shi, Yongren, Shi, Feng, Evans, James A., and Macy, Michael W.
- Date Created:
- February 25, 2019
- Date of publication:
- April 2017
- Abstract Tesim:
- Passionate disagreements about climate change, stem cell research and evolution raise concerns that science has become a new battlefield in the culture wars. We used data derived from millions of online co-purchases as a behavioural indicator for whether shared interest in science bridges political differences or selective attention reinforces existing divisions. Findings reveal partisan preferences both within and across scientific disciplines. Across fields, customers for liberal or ‘blue’ political books prefer basic science (for example, physics, astronomy and zoology), whereas conservative or ‘red’ customers prefer applied and commercial science (for example, criminology, medicine and geophysics). Within disciplines, ‘red’ books tend to be co-purchased with a narrower subset of science books on the periphery of the discipline. We conclude that the political left and right share an interest in science in general, but not science in particular. This underscores the need for research into remedies that can attenuate selective exposure to ‘convenient truth’, renew the capacity for science to inform political debate and temper partisan passions.
- Resource type:
- Article
- Affiliation Label Tesim:
- Odum Institute for Research in Social Science
- Deposit Record:
- 43d1e997-e020-442a-9e4b-3360a9779159
- Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.17615/t3cx-e238
- Edition:
- Postprint
- Identifier:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0079
- Journal Title:
- Nature Human Behavior
- Journal Volume:
- 1
- Keyword:
- science, survey data, and consumer patterns
- Language Label:
- English
- ORCID:
- Other Affiliation:
- Person:
- Dokshin, Fedor A., Shi, Yongren, Shi, Feng, Evans, James A., and Macy, Michael W.
- Rights Statement Label:
- In Copyright
- Source:
- d504rn37p
Collection Details
- Total items
-
820
- Size
-
unknown
- Date created
-
August 29, 2022