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'The Power of Narrative' provides fresh insight into the rhetorical and semantic properties on both sides of the climate change debate that preclude dialogue around climate science, and proposes a means for moving beyond ideological entrenchment through language mediation, further ethnographic study, and research-informed teaching.

Introduction -- Climate scepticism in the UK -- Climate scepticism in Germany -- Climate scepticism and Christian conservatism in the United States -- Climato-scepticisme in France -- Science and technology studies, ecocriticism and climate change -- What we've learned from climate sceptics

Electronic procurement has become one of the main e-government initiatives for many countries as they look to improve procurement through a more open, competitive, and transparent environment. E-procurement continues to prove itself as a viable alternative to manual processes, bringing cost savings and efficiencies. The Asian Development Bank has been a promoter of electronic government procurement (e-GP) as a key component for procurement reforms through active involvement in the Multilateral Development Bank Working Group on e-GP. This handbook aims to inform readers about e-GP, provide a reference for related concepts, and examine how e-GP implementations have taken shape in different jurisdictions worldwide.

"This book, drawing on new research conducted for the UK Energy Resource Centre (UKERC), examines the contemporary public debate on climate change and the linked issue of energy security. It analyses the key processes which affect the formation of public attitudes and understanding in these areas, while also developing a completely new method for analysing these processes. The authors address fundamental questions about how to adequately inform the public and develop policy in areas of great social importance when public distrust of politicians is so widespread. The new methods of attitudinal research pioneered here combined with the attention to climate change have application and resonance beyond the UK and indeed carry global import"--

Communication Strategies for Engaging Climate Skeptics examines the intersection of climate skepticism and Christianity and proposes strategies for engaging climate skeptics in productive conversations. Despite the scientifically established threats of climate change, there remains a segment of the American population that is skeptical of the scientific consensus on climate change and the urgent need for action. One of the most important stakeholders and conversants in environmental conversations is the religious community. While existing studies have discussed environmentalism as a factor within the religious community, this book positions religion as an important factor in environmentalism and focuses on how identities play a role in environmental conversation. Rather than thinking of religious skeptics as a single unified group, Emma Frances Bloomfield argues that it is essential to recognize there are different types of skeptics so that we can better tailor our communication strategies to engage with them on issues of the environment and climate change. To do so, this work breaks skeptics down into three main types: "separators," "bargainers," and "harmonizers." The book questions monolithic understandings of climate skepticism and considers how competing narratives such as religion, economics, and politics play a large role in climate communication. Considering recent political moves to remove climate change from official records and withdraw from international environmental agreements, it is imperative now more than ever to offer practical solutions to academics, practitioners, and the public to change the conversation. To address these concerns, this book provides both a theoretical examination of the rhetoric of religious climate skeptics and concrete strategies for engaging the religious community in conversations about the environment. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners of climate change science, environmental communication, environmental policy, and religion.

National governments are supposed to play a pivotal role in disaster risk management (DRM). This paper reviews trends and patterns in developing governance and institutions in DRM in the Asia and the Pacific region. The paper then derives recommendations on how to establish disaster risk governance for developing countries, including mainstreaming DRM into development plans and policies. A four-pronged approach is presented: First, strengthen the DRM coordination role of the national government. Second, develop an enhanced legal framework. Third, establish a DRM focal point agency. Fourth, build a flexible cooperation system among concerned organizations and all levels of government.

Online social networks are today’s fastest growing communications channel and a popular source of information for many, so understanding their contribution to building awareness and shaping public perceptions of climate change is of utmost importance. Today’s online social networks are composed of complex combinations of entities and communication channels and it is not clear which communicators are the most influential, what the patterns of communication flow are, or even whether the widely accepted two-step flow of communication model applies in this new arena. This study examines the diffusion of energy saving practices in a large online social network across organizations, opinion leaders, and the public by tracking 108,771 communications on energy saving practices among 1,084 communicators, then analyzing the flow of information and influence over a 28 day period. Our findings suggest that diffusion networks of messages advocating energy saving practices are predominantly led by the activities of dedicated organizations but their attempts do not result in substantial public awareness, as most of these communications are effectively trapped in organizational loops in which messages are simply shared between organizations. Despite their comparably significant influential values, opinion leaders played a weak role in diffusing energy saving practices to a wider audience. Thus, the two-step flow of communication model does not appear to describe the sharing of energy conservation practices in large online heterogeneous networks. These results shed new light on the underlying mechanisms driving the diffusion of important societal issues such as energy efficiency, particularly in the context of large online social media outlets.

The state-contingent approach to production uncertainty presents a more general model than the conventional stochastic production approach. Here we investigate whether the state-contingent approach offers a tractable framework for representing climatic uncertainty at a farm level. We developed a discrete stochastic programming (DSP) model of a representative wheat–sheep (mixed) farm in the Central West of NSW. More explicit recognition of climatic states, and associated state-contingent responses, led to optimal farm plans that were more profitable on average and less prone to the effects of variations in climate than comparable farm plans based on the expected value framework. The solutions from the DSP model also appeared to more closely resemble farm land use than the equivalent expected value model using the same data. We conclude that there are benefits of adopting a state-contingent view of uncertainty, giving support to its more widespread application to other problems.

This newsletter of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Sri Lanka Resident Mission (SLRM) aims to enhance communications between ADB and its client groups. News from Sri Lanka disseminates information on ADB activities and provides a forum on development issues in Sri Lanka. Articles in the newsletter, however, do not necessarily reflect the official ADB view. We welcome readers’ comments and suggestions.

The Pacific region - a diverse array of 7,500 islands of varying topographies, cultures, and economies - is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with significant economic costs. This study provides fine-scale climate-economic information that is critical for making development and adaptation planning decisions in Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Pacific developing member countries (DMCs). Economic assessment associated with climate information helps identify priority sectors, estimate funding needs, and prepare for economy-wide climate change impacts. Projections of total economic damage to the Pacific due to climate change are provided in various scenarios. Current and future plans for economic advancement must factor in climate change and its potential consequences. Local climate-economic information is essential for effective planning at all levels, ranging from public infrastructure investment to household and community adaptation programs. This flyer gives an overview of the findings of a study evaluating the economics of climate change for developing member countries in the Pacific. It aims to raise the level of understanding of all sectors and stakeholders on possible impacts of climate change, with analyses that lead to regional strategies supported by national programs linked to local policies and activities.

This policy brief explains how the adoption of timely policies and programs can convert environmental migration from a threat into an opportunity to promote improved livelihoods and sustainable development. An ADB project that is developing policy and financing responses to environmental migration has determined that climate change will increase forced migration due to environmental disruptions in Asia and the Pacific. However, the adoption of timely policies and programs can convert such migration from a threat into an opportunity to promote improved livelihoods and sustainable development. The project emphasizes the importance of boosting the capacity and resilience of vulnerable communities.

Over the past decade, Asia and the Pacific has made significant progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. However, accelerating climate change is threatening to reverse these gains, and those who are already economically and socially vulnerable are likely to suffer soonest and most. To enable member countries cope with the inevitable impacts already locked into the climate system, as well as to transition them to low-carbon economies, ADB is working with urgency to put in place integrated solutions that will address both the causes and consequences of climate change in the region. In 2009 to August 2011, ADB's climate change-related interventions span a total of more than 110 projects, involving an investment of about $10 billion. During the same period, ADB has also provided more than $245 million in technical assistance to improve knowledge and capacities, support policy and institutional development, and ensure the feasibility of investments related to climate change.