Geo-Geography and Environment最新文献

Little is known about the complex power and governance dynamics within e-waste hubs in the Global South. Taking the example of Sodom-Agbogbloshie, Mortuary-road, Ashaiman and Ashaiman New Town in Ghana's capital Accra, we explore their role as catalysts for sustainable rurbanity—a concept that blends urban and rural characteristics within an informal economy. Ghana, home to some of Africa's largest informal e-waste dumpsites, presents a typical case where e-waste processing, traditional herding and related economic activities converge, creating a vibrant yet challenging landscape for urban informal actors. Our research utilises the assemblage theory to analyse the interconnectedness and interdependencies of various economic practices, social networks and environmental factors. Employing a mixed methods approach, data were collected through stratified random sampling, resulting in a total of 420 respondents across the four locations. Non-parametric statistical tests, including Kruskal–Wallis, Dunn's post hoc tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and chi-squared tests, were used to assess the economic, social and environmental dynamics of the four e-waste hubs. Key findings highlight diverse demographics, the adaptability of economic activities, site-specific resilience to economic outcomes and the motivations driving engagement in the informal sector. We also identify major challenges, including health risks, environmental footprints, and socio-economic instability, and outline pathways to sustainable rurbanity. The pathways comprise integrating local endowments, improving connectivity, promoting diverse livelihoods, and establishing supportive institutions. Leveraging the unique rurban characteristics, this study provides a blueprint for transforming informal economies into more resilient and thriving communities, capable of withstanding urbanisation pressures while preserving their local identity and socio-economic fabric.

Studies that explore the interconnection of cultural heritage, climate (im)mobilities and Indigenous ways of knowing in changing climates are rare. This article calls for reimagining and reframing this intersection in global climate governance. What existing studies have shown, and what we advocate exploring further, is that the mobile livelihoods or mobility practices of Indigenous mobile groups are more than an adaptation strategy or a fix for climate change. They embody meaning, rituals, ancestral guidance and ways of knowing nature, land, seas and the universe, connecting intangible and tangible dimensions of culture in relational ways. This paper conceptualises mobility not merely as a response to environmental changes and climatic stress but as a living heritage of Indigenous ways of knowing. To elaborate on the dynamics of the adaptive and mobile-oriented cultural expressions of Indigenous mobile groups in changing climates, we draw on four case studies of (semi)nomadic communities in Ethiopia, Senegal and Thailand to illustrate how the mobility practices of many Indigenous groups constitute mobile systems of observation, forecasting and ecological adaptation that embody centuries of empirical climate knowledge. Our case studies also illustrate how sedentary-focused sustainability projects that overlook adaptive mobile cultures can impinge on not only the mobility rights of historically mobile groups but also on their adaptive cultural practices. Hence, we demonstrate the need for integrating the peculiarities of mobile-oriented cultures in climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage policies to avoid maladaptive outcomes that threaten both livelihoods and cultural identity.

The rapid expansion of urban areas and their significant effects on carbon emissions and the urban heat landscape have become major research subjects in Bangladesh. The primary aim of this study was to analyse the changes in land use and land cover (LULC) and land surface temperature (LST) from 2003 to 2023 and project them to 2043 for Gazipur, Bangladesh. Additionally, spatiotemporal variations in carbon emissions during summer and winter and their relationships with the LST were explored. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to evaluate changes in LULC. Furthermore, Cellular Automata-Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN) models were utilised to investigate the future dynamics of LST and LULC. The findings of the study include urban expansion from 3% in 2003 to 18% in 2023, and its projected value indicates an expansion of 315 km² in 2043 from 52 km² in 2003. Therefore, the projected LST results indicate a notable increase of 10°C for the winter season in 2043. The correlation between LST and carbon emissions showed strong R² values for both summer and winter. Specifically, the R² values were 0.93 and 0.97 for summer and 0.91 and 0.94 for winter in 2013 and 2019, respectively. This investigation has the potential to offer novel insights into prospective urban development, effective management of thermal environments and strategies for mitigating carbon emissions.

This study critically examines the limitations of satellite remote sensing (SRS) in capturing the complexities of human–fire interactions. It proposes a relational approach grounded in the embodied, place-based knowledge of communities living with fire. Conventional SRS reduces fire to pixels, providing a synoptic yet partial view of fire regimes. Fire governance shaped by these representations often marginalises local practices, knowledge, and priorities. Drawing on relational theory and critical remote sensing scholarship, we introduce ‘adding lines along pixels’, an approach that reworks the use of SRS through a situated, community-centred perspective. Here, lines denote the dynamic relations among fire, people, landscapes, and institutions, which pixel-based methods overlook. Our case studies in Ethiopia and India used satellite data alongside ethnographic and participatory approaches to explore not only where and when fires occur, but also why they emerge and how they are embedded in seasonal rhythms, livelihood practices and local governance. This approach challenges the prevailing narratives that marginalise local fire use and underscores the need to engage with diverse knowledge systems for more inclusive and effective fire management. As fire governance is reshaped by climate change and digital technologies, such critical engagements are essential for co-producing sustainable fire futures.

This commentary critically examines the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan (CEP) through the lens of energy justice, focusing on Robeson County, North Carolina, USA—a region paradoxically leading in solar energy development while remaining one of the state's most economically marginalised areas. Drawing on J. Mijin Cha's Four Pillar Framework for a Just Transition and Karl Polanyi's critique of market liberalism, this commentary argues that renewable energy initiatives in Robeson County replicate historical patterns of dispossession and environmental inequity. Despite rhetoric around equity and sustainability in state climate policy, solar infrastructure currently stands to benefit external actors, disrupt local land use and exacerbate economic and environmental vulnerabilities, particularly among Indigenous and low-income communities. This commentary contends that a truly just transition requires more than green technologies; it demands systemic change rooted in strong governance, local sovereignty, participatory planning and reparative justice. Robeson County exemplifies both the risks of market-driven energy transitions and the possibilities of place-based, equity-centred alternatives.

The dominant image of Shenzhen as one of China's most rapidly urbanised and densely populated cities stands in sharp contrast to the often-overlooked fact that fresh water resources within its territory can supply only a miniscule fraction of its demand. An untold story of Shenzhen is how its rapid transformation has co-evolved with the development of one of the most sophisticated urban blue infrastructures in the country. Within Shenzhen's municipal boundaries, there are 149 government-managed reservoirs connected by a complex network of 310 streams and rivers, and 16,377 km of pipelines. This blue infrastructure constitutes a largely hidden but critical element of the city's urban framework that continues to play a key role in the story of Shenzhen's development. Through the theoretical framework of hydrosocial territories, this paper conceptually maps Shenzhen's territorialisation from 1949 to the present, revealing a process driven by water-society interactions. By applying a unique historical-geographical angle, it examines three approximate historical phases to crystallise both the critical intersection of administrative and infrastructural change and the contingency embedded in the spatiotemporal layering of nested territories shaped by socio-ecological dynamics. The study finds that these continuously evolving hydrosocial territories are both a medium for and an expression of Shenzhen's shifting identities on China's southern frontier as well as its corresponding administrative transformations. Furthermore, it illuminates how such evolution has been driven by the changing historical, social, political and cultural contexts, which in turn have transformed the territory's hydraulic grid, economic base structures and political relationships. This research is generated through multimodal methodological practices, including spatial analysis, archival research and stakeholder interviews. By mapping and tracing the contingent histories of the blue infrastructures in Shenzhen, this study contributes to a more nuanced conceptualisation of relations between water, technology, power and society within the context of China.

Central and Eastern European geography, shaped by its entanglement of natural and social sciences, provides a distinctive lens for rethinking the unity of the discipline. Its historical and institutional hybridity makes the region particularly well positioned to foster integrative geographical perspectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the present, post-transitional state of the discipline in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), to identify its future trajectory and to uncover the significant role of CEE geography in addressing global environmental, social and economic challenges. To facilitate this process, four significant geographical topics have been identified as potentially providing a conducive environment for the partial reintegration of geography. The aforementioned themes encompass a range of topics, including migrations, the green transition, anthropogenic climate change, global tipping points, wetland disturbance, peatland carbon sequestration and cryosphere degradation. Furthermore, we have sought to assess the perspective and significance of geographical unity in addressing global crises that impact human life on Earth. This analysis has enabled the identification of critical issues that necessitate integrated approaches. The necessity for enhanced collaboration between physical and human geography, as well as between nature studies and social and economic explorations, is emphasised. In this regard, it is acknowledged that a more inclusive approach is employed in the field of CEE geography, with contributions from other disciplines such as biology, ecology, physics, sociology and economics being welcomed. These disciplines address processes that span from local to global scales, as well as those that study long-term phenomena, such as history and archaeology. The establishment of robust interdisciplinary networks has the potential to enhance the scientific standing of integrated geography and to strengthen innovative connections between human and physical geography.

Decolonial feminisms offer a unique lens to understand why current global climate governance arrangements perpetuate the patterns of inequality and cannot address the climate crisis. The modern nation-state, democratic but only in the image of the White masculine subject, who owns but is not part of territory, cannot recognise the violence of separating body from territory, a first step towards climate justice. Through the concept of cuerpo-territorio, understood as the inseparability of bodies from their territory advanced by Latin American communitarian feminisms, we can illuminate how climate governance materialises the colonial separation of bodies from their territories. This severance sanctions activities that continue environmental and social injustices. While human rights approaches appear to offer climate justice pathways, I show how they reproduce the modern/colonial gender system responsible for the crisis. Using decolonial feminist theory and drawing from experiences attending the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations, I argue for the restoration of cuerpo-territorio that colonialism severed, transforming the way we think about gender, territory, identity and belonging, fostering a practice of care, essential to justly address the climate crisis.

In Bangladesh's delta, rural communities have long held lives inseparable from seasonal flooding, adapting their homes and livelihoods to the annual monsoon. However, land subsidence, changing seasons, severe storms, increased salinity, and rising sea levels are threatening local livelihoods. The objective of this paper is to understand rural residents' perceptions of climate impacts and adaptation measures, focusing on their mobility choices. Through 15 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 22 representatives from two embanked polder localities in southwest Bangladesh, we explored the following questions: (i) How do local residents perceive recent climate and environmental changes? (ii) How are local residents coping with these changes and what external assistance do they require to maintain their livelihoods; and (iii) How do local residents perceive migration or partial migration as a potential adaptation strategy? While these communities report an increased frequency of extreme climate events and severe flooding, our findings also reveal a lack of external assistance for adaptation solutions. Moreover, most families are either unwilling or unable to completely migrate out of affected areas. Therefore, increased support—the provision of fresh drinking water, money to recoup lost income and assistance rebuilding or reinforcing homes—is essential for building adaptive capacity and increasing local resilience in the face of climate shocks.

European coasts are contested spaces due to conflicting uses and impacts, prompting the introduction of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). These governance frameworks aim to promote cooperation, resolve conflicts and ensure socio-ecological outcomes acceptable to multiple actors, even as large-scale blue infrastructure projects increasingly transform maritime environments. However, these integrative governance approaches have been criticised for promoting essentialist ‘blue growth’ as a dominant ontological and epistemological lens. Thereby, they contribute to shifting production and exploitation frontiers towards coastal and marine areas, prioritising market-based solutions while sidelining meaningful democratic participation. As a result, structural power asymmetries persist, leading to ongoing ecological degradation and the disenfranchisement of communities connected to coastal environments. Challenging the often-proclaimed inevitability of integration and its technocratic foundation, this paper highlights coastal governance's inherent yet unseen contingent—and therefore political—nature, arguing for its repoliticisation. Drawing on a post-foundationalist interpretation of political ontology and environmental justice, a conceptual framework is proposed to deconstruct depoliticisation, which is deeply embedded yet hidden in knowledge production around coastal environments. It underscores how dissent and difference can offer productive alternatives beyond path-dependent, growth-oriented approaches by emphasising injustices related to blue infrastructure planning and construction and their uncertain socio-ecological impacts. Illustrative case studies from the Spanish Mediterranean coast demonstrate how environmental justice movements around blue infrastructure projects, and their counter-narratives can disrupt depoliticisation and help to establish more just, and sustainable coastal environments.