Julia Bentz

University of Lisbon | UL

This book shows how creative methods involving stories and art can help educators to address the challenging topics of climate change and peace via new channels that inspire their learners and underline the role of each individual, with their specific talents and worldviews, in engaging with the crucial questions of this generation. Where climate c...

Calls for transformations are clear and multiple pathways and alternative visions for the future have been defined. Yet, there is very little shared understanding of how such transformations come about and how knowledge-action gaps will be filled. This Special Feature focuses on how we can go beyond talking about transformation—the “blah blah blah”...

Climate change has been conceptualized as a form and a product of colonization. In this perspective, it becomes important to base climate change adaptation and transformation efforts on decolonizing practices and imaginaries. A central aspect of decolonization is contained in the Indigenous conceptualization of relationality. Exploring how decoloni...

This paper argues for an integrative approach to sustainability transformations, one that reconnects body and mind, that fuses art and science and that integrates diverse forms of knowledge in an open, collaborative and creative way. It responds to scholarship emphasizing the importance of connecting disparate ways of knowing, including scientific,...

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we use...

Effective strategies to learn about and engage with climate change play an important role in addressing this challenge. There is a growing recognition that education needs to change in order to address climate change, yet the question remains “how?” How does one engage young people with a topic that is perceived as abstract, distant, and complex, a...

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we use...

Building more resilient societies, including advancing the European Green Deal, should be a central concern as Europe considers its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 recovery must be climate-compatible and focus on building long-term resilience.

actors Evolving issues brief 2019 Evolving issues brief 2016 Blog Outputs Policy briefs Visuals Webinars Events Workshops Training Home > Our work > Foresight for policy & decision-makers Search for: People and technology Foresight for policy & decision-makers Our coordination and knowledge exchange platform provides a common ‘spac...

Young people represent a powerful force for social change, and they have an important role to play in climate change responses. However, empowering young people to be “systems changers” is not straightforward. It is particularly challenging within educational systems that prioritize instrumental learning over critical thinking and creative actions....

The 4th European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA 2019) took place in Lisbon from 28 to 31 May 2019. The conference brought together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to discuss recent advances in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) research, policy and practice, and aimed to inspire collective clim...

Climate change is altering chemical, physical and biological processes in the marine environment. Observed impacts driven by climate have been recorded and include changes in the geographical distribution, timing of seasonal migrations, breeding biology and behaviour of species. A number of qualitative and quantitative methodologies have been devel...

Europe's climate change vulnerability pushes for initiatives such as the European Adaptation Strategy and the associated Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. What are the triggers and barriers, for which sectors and for which risks and how is adaptation funded? This paper examines 147 Local Adaptation Strategies in Europe. Key triggers were i...

Increasing resilience is the common goal of both Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) communities. Thus, closer collaboration between them can lead to several bene ts. PLACARD aims at establishing a coordination and knowledge exchange platform to support multi-stakeholder dialogue and consultation between CCA and DRR re...

This study explores diver motivations in the Azores in relationship to demographic variables and level of specialization, based on a survey of 425 divers in five of the nine islands. Using cluster and principal components analysis, four diver clusters were distinguished: socializers, shark and manta divers, biodiversity seekers and explorer divers....

Many shark species are highly endangered. The main cause of mortality is fishing. Shark tourism is growing worldwide and has the potential to provide incentive-based conservation for some shark species but fishing remains a major challenge. In the Azores, sharks are still relatively abundant and a shark tourism industry has developed over the last...

Numerous national governments and supranational organizations such as the OSPAR Commission, the European Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have underlined the importance of maritime spatial planning (MSP) for balancing and solving conflicts between the needs of different sectors and conservation...

Small islands typically exhibit characteristics like isolation, smallness, limited natural and human resources, which limit their capacity to embrace development. Marine wildlife tourism (MWT) can combine the apparently conflicting goals of development and conservation. It has a potential to provide significant benefits to local communities and eco...

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are playing important roles in environmental conservation and management. Some are actively involved in the development and implementation of marine spatial planning (MSP), especially in Europe where this has been embodied within a European Directive. MSP is being used by many countries to sustainably manage co...

Public participation in transport planning is a recent trend. There is an increasing number of cases in Europe where the public is involved in the decision-making process. In Portugal, where the use of a motor vehicle as a means of transportation still enjoys a deep approval in the society, a participatory approach is an opportunity to change perce...

This paper makes recommendations for the development of Management Plans for Natura 2000 Sites, enabling future managers and decision-makers to elaborate and implement their own plans more efficiently and in a more informed fashion. The original methodology entailed a 10 phase plan, starting with “Problem Classification and Stakeholder Identificati...