Suchergebnisse

The last decade was characterized by an intensification of the debate on climate change, both in the public context and in the academic environment. The research on the potential physical impact of climate-related hazards became more sophisticated and methodologically complex. On the other hand, the literature on the societal impact of these processes expanded to incorporate different approaches, including the growing area of intersectionality and climate change studies, with roots in climate adaptation, critical climate justice, feminist literature, indigenous studies, and environmental policy, to name just a few.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the main topics highlighted in the field of intersectionality and climate change during the last ten years to underline the theoretical and methodological contribution of this field to the broader area of climate change research. We carried out a rapid literature review by building a database consisting mainly, but not entirely, of open-access papers published in English between 2014 and 2023. We pointed out the valuable insights provided by intersectionality studies in assessing the multiple facets of human vulnerability to climate change. We also emphasized the diversity of perspectives and the transition from predominantly conceptual approaches to qualitative research aimed to make an impact at the local level. The heterogeneity of approaches is beneficial in understanding the intersectionality and climate change nexus. However, good practice guides and methodological landmarks could support more scholars in incorporating the intersectionality lens in climate change research.

The analysis of the spatial disparities of social marginalization is a requirement in the present-day socio-economic and political context of Romania, an East-European state, member of the European Union since 2007, at present faced with the imperatives of the growth of its territorial cohesion. The main objective of this article is to develop a methodology for the assessment of social marginalization, in order to understand the intensity of the marginalization phenomenon at different spatial scales. The article proposes a social marginalization index (SMI), calculated through the integration of ten indicators relevant for the two components of social marginalization: the material component and the symbolical component. The results highlighted a strong connection between the total degree of social marginalization and the dependence on social benefits, unemployment rate, non-inclusion in the compulsory education, criminality rate, and the type of pension insurance.

As in other countries from Central and Eastern Europe, the economic restructuring occurred in the last decade of the twentieth century affected the mining industry in Romania, an oversize and heavily subsidized sector before 1989. After more than a decade since the beginning of mining restructuring, an evaluation of current social implications of the process it is required, together with an efficiency analysis of the adaptation mechanisms developed at governmental level. This article aims to provide an insight into these issues through case studies conducted in the most important coal basin of Romania, Petroşani Depression.

Abstract
While extensively employed in the mainstream literature focused on earth system science and sustainable development, the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and adaptation are still difficult to operationalize given the different conceptual frameworks proposed in various scientific fields, such as ecology, disaster reduction and global change. Although multiple points of view are, to a certain degree, beneficial to an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the coupled human-environmental systems, there is a need to correlate the theoretical frameworks of the two sustainability pillars, resilience and vulnerability, in a coherent and efficient manner.

AbstractThe paper emphasizes the methodological steps undertaken in the assessment of floods perception, which was conducted in tree study areas from Romania (Banat Plain, Bend Subcarpathians and Siret river basin). The reasons behind the design of the questionnaire and interview guide are explained, in relation with the research objectives. The research endeavor allows not only to better understand the local context of vulnerability to floods and flash floods, but also to incorporate the results in a broader framework of vulnerability assessment, enhancing the quality of scientific services provided to stakeholders.