An innovative approach towards enhancing energy conservation in buildings via public engagement using DIY infrared thermography surveys

Energy consumption in urban environment in the EU accounts for about 40%of the total energy consumption,and the majority of this energy is utilised for heating and air conditioning of buildings.Hence the process of insulating and retrofitting of relatively old buildings is essential to enhance the thermal performance and hence contribute to energy and carbon emission reduction.There is a need to enhance people’s engagement and education in relation to such issues to inspire and encourage positive actions and investment from the public.This paper presents an approach of combining a novel training process using a low-cost infrared thermal camera with small scale building model to promote DIY(Do-It-Yourself)infrared survey for the public to evaluate the performance of their own homes in order to identify any issues related to insulation or air leaks from the building envelop to encourage them to take corrective actions.The work included the engagement of 50 people to survey their own homes to capture the technical findings as well as their personal reaction and feedback.The results show that 88%of participants have found the educational session helpful to understand the infrared thermography;and 92%have considered the infrared camera to be an effective tool to indicate location of heat losses.Additionally,90%of participants trust that the thermal camera has helped them to identify insulation defects that cause heat losses in their homes.Moreover,84%believe that the thermal imaging has convinced them to think more seriously about the heat losses of their homes and what they could do to improve that.The experimental thermography surveys have shown that many houses have limitations in terms of thermal insulation which have been identified by the participants.This DIY interaction has provided enhanced public engagement and energy awareness via the use of the technology.The financial issues are also found to be critical,as none of the participants would have done the survey if they had to pay for it.Hence,this paper provides a solution for households with limited budgets.

Public awareness,participation and attitude toward the national biosafety framework and genetically modified organisms in Ghana

Public engagement in the development,promotion,and utilization of innovation is an important part of any biosafety decision-making process.Under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,the public is expected to be involved in the development and handling of genetically modified organisms(GMOs)and the implementation of a national biosafety framework(NBF),which governs and regulates the operations of modern biotechnology and GMOs.In this study,we explore the state of public knowledge and awareness regarding GMOs and attitudes toward the NBF in Ghana using a survey conducted in three elite communities in Accra,the capital of Ghana.We interviewed 130 people and found that while most of the respondents obtained information on GMOs through the media,academic papers,and agriculture awareness workshops,access to information on the technology and the NBF was often limited.Our results showed that despite the existence of GMOs and an NBF in Ghana for many years,awareness,understanding,and knowledge of GMOs and the NBF remain inadequate.We found that young,better-educated males are more likely to accept GMOs and be aware of the NBF.This suggests the need for more widespread public education,engagement,and awareness development regarding GMOs,the NBF,and governing institutions as a way of resolving the problems created by misinformation,distrust,and fear,and increasing public confidence in GMOs.

Extreme weather as a window:Exploring the seek and supply of climate change information during meteorological disasters in China

Public engagement is essential for China to address climate change;however,few studies have explored how to encourage climate awareness among Chinese residents.The objective of this study is to explore the role of local extreme weather in advancing Chinese people's climate change awareness.Whether local extreme weather functions as an opportunity to trigger the public's interest in climate change across China and whether the local online information environment resonances with extreme weather by providing climate change news feeds have been examined by a combination of city-level meteorological warnings and search engine data.The results have verified that residents from 50 of the 360 cities show increasing concern for climate change when an extreme weather event occurs locally;however,only the online information environment of two cities echoes local extreme weather by providing more information about climate change or global warming.Correlations between extreme weather events such as heavy rain,an extreme weather event that has occurred in China,and climate change are underestimated.The effect of extreme cold events and snowfall on climate change awareness should also be noted more in China.This study suggests there is still a lot of room for improvement regarding both increasing and satisfying the public's pre-existing climate change-related concerns.A promising approach would be adopting climate change prevention and adaptation as a news report framework for extreme weather events.

The face of conservation responding to a dynamically changing world

In its 40-year history,the science of conservation has faced unprecedented challenges in terms of environmental damage and rapid global change,and environmental problems are only increasing as greater demands are placed on limited natural resources.Conservation science has been adapting to keep pace with these changes.Here,we highlight contemporary and emerging trends and innovations in conservation science that we believe represent the most effective responses to biodiversity threats.We focus on specific areas where conservation science has had to adjust its approach to address emerging threats to biodiversity,including habitat destruction and degradation,climate change,declining populations and invasive species.We also document changes in attitudes,norms and practices among conservation scientists.A key component to success is engaging and maintaining public support for conservation,which can be facilitated through the use of technology.These recent trends in conservation and management are innovative and will assist in optimizing conservation strategies,increasing our leverage with the general public and tackling our current environmental challenges.

Assessing household perception,autonomous adaptation and economic value of adaptation benefits:Evidence from West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Climate change is causing sea-level rise,intense and frequent storm surge flooding,and significant shoreline erosion in Malaysian coastal areas.Consequently,coastal properties,infrastructure,and livelihoods are threatened.It has become apparent that adaptation at the household and community level is necessary to offset the adverse impacts of coastal hazards.The community needs to be made aware of the risks,acquire knowledge about adaptation options,and be empowered to take their own actions.Public perception and preference are therefore crucial for design and implementation of effective planning for climate change.Thus,this study assesses households'perception,adaptation measures and empirically estimates willingness to pay and preference for planned adaptation measures to guide policy instruments through public engagement.In Malaysia,ten highly vulnerable coastal areas in the Selangor coast were surveyed at the household level(n=1016)through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire.Regarding households’perception and adaptation methods,most of the households in the highly exposed areas perceived less risk of inundation and sea-level rise threat and adopted less proactive adaptation and limited risk reduction behaviours during the extreme event.The study found that 66.9%of households were willing to pay for planned adaptation measures despite the limited income capabilities and in favour of moderate adaptation(23.9%).The binomial and ordinal regression results indicated that the probability of willingness to pay for planned adaptation measures significantly increases with age,prior exposure to coastal hazards,awareness,risk perception,community participation,being affected by property damage and loss of income due to extreme events.With increased monthly household income and access to telecommunication services,households will probably pay higher for better adaptation measures.A significant amount of perceived yearly adaptation benefits in the coastal districts revealed the economic value of extensive(22,969.50 MYR/5462.43 USD),moderate(21,853.20 MYR/5196.96 USD)and minimal adaptation measures(8022.90 MYR/1907.94 USD)that can be utilised to incentivise coastal adaptation plans.The findings suggest policies to incorporate social values to reduce vulnerability,enhance community resilience,and contribute to the knowledge gap of adaptation research in the coastal areas.