Global Change in Local Places: How Scale Matters
Climatic ChangePublished 1 November 1999
Thomas J. Wilbanks, Robert W. Kates
Citations557
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.57
SNIP1.60
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
Abstract
Relationships between local and global scales deserve more attention than they have received in the global change research enterprise to date. This paper examines how and why scale matters, drawing on six basic arguments; examines the current state of the top-down global change research paradigm to evaluate the fit across relevant scale domains between global structure and local agency; and reviews current research efforts to better link the local and global scales of attention and action.
Keywords
Agricultural and Biological SciencesEnvironmental Science
EcologyThe Problem of Pattern and Scale in Ecology: The Robert H. MacArthur Award Lecture
6,759 Citations1992Simon A. Levin
It is argued that the problem of pattern and scale is the central problem in ecology, unifying population biology and ecosystems science, and marrying basic and applied ecology.
Land Degradation and Society
2,035 Citations2015
NaturePotential impact of climate change on world food supply
1,899 Citations1994Cynthia Rosenzweig, Martin L. Parry
ScienceModeling the Exchanges of Energy, Water, and Carbon Between Continents and the Atmosphere
1,544 Citations1997P. J. Sellers, Robert E. Dickinson +11 more
Modern schemes incorporate biogeochemical and ecological knowledge and, when coupled with advanced climate and ocean models, will be capable of modeling the biological and physical responses of the Earth system to global change, for example, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Ecological MonographsCross‐Scale Morphology, Geometry, and Dynamics of Ecosystems
1,477 Citations1992C. S. Holling
Community ecology and ecosystem ecology seem to have existed in different worlds, and Levin (1989) suggests that the gulf between the two is the consequence of the different historical traditions in each.
The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability
1,340 Citations1998Robert T. Watson, Marufu C. Zinyowera +2 more
Global Environmental ChangeClimate change and social vulnerability
872 Citations1994Hans G. Bohle, Thomas E. Downing +1 more
AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA)Description of the Ecoregions of the United States
799 Citations1995Robert G. Bailey
Geographical JournalRegions of Risk: A Geographical Introduction to Disasters
665 Citations1999John Handmer, Kenneth Hewitt
Climatic ChangeClimatic change and the broad-scale distribution of terrestrial ecosystem complexes
615 Citations1985William R. Emanuel, Herman H. Shugart +1 more
The Journal of Economic PerspectivesConsumption Insurance: An Evaluation of Risk-Bearing Systems in Low-Income Economies
591 Citations1995Robert M. Townsend
Landscape EcologyA revised concept of landscape equilibrium: Disturbance and stability on scaled landscapes
519 Citations1993Monica G. Turner, William H. Romme +3 more
A broad framework is developed that separates the spatial and temporal scales of disturbance and recovery and predicts the resultant dynamics of a landscape and demonstrates the scale-dependent nature of concepts of landscape equilibrium.
Global Environmental ChangeTwo types of global environmental change
324 Citations1990B. L. Turner, Roger E. Kasperson +6 more
Population and Development ReviewRegions at Risk: Comparisons of Threatened Environments.
319 Citations1996Geoffrey McNicoll, Jeanne X. Kasperson +2 more
Contemporary Sociology A Journal of ReviewsEnergy Use: The Human Dimension
292 Citations1986Michael G. Lacy, Paul C. Stern +1 more
Global Environmental ChangeLay perspectives on global climate change1
264 Citations1991Willett Kempton
Annual Review of Ecology and SystematicsHUMAN ECOLOGY AND RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY: The Importance of Institutional Diversity
259 Citations1995C. Dustin Becker, Элинор Остром
The design principles that characterize long-surviving, delicately balanced resource systems governed by local rules systems are presented, as is a synthesis of the research on factors affecting institutional change.
The Energy JournalC02 Emission Limits: An Economic Cost Analysis for the USA
227 Citations1990Alan S. Manne, Richard Richels
ScienceEcology and Climate: Research Strategies and Implications
206 Citations1995Terry L. Root, Stephen H. Schneider
A fourth research paradigm, called strategic cyclical scaling (SCS), involves continuous cycling between large- and small-scale studies, thereby offering improved understanding of the behavior of complex environmental systems and allowing more reliable forecast capabilities for analyzing the ecological consequences of global changes.
NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) : guidance for regional implementation
185 Citations1995Jerome E. Dobson, E Bright +9 more
Global Biogeochemical CyclesA compilation of inventories of emissions to the atmosphere
149 Citations1993T. E. Graedel, T. S. Bates +12 more
OecologiaModeled responses of terrestrial ecosystems to elevated atmospheric CO 2 : a comparison of simulations by the biogeochemistry models of the Vegetation/Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project (VEMAP)
142 Citations1998Yude Pan, Jerry M. Melillo +9 more
Analysis of the responses of net primary production to doubled CO2 from 355 to 710 ppmv among three biogeochemistry models in the Vegetation/Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project (VEMAP) indicates that there are negative relationships between precipitation and the response of NPP to doubledCO2 for all three models.
ScienceIntegrated Assessment of Climate Change
131 Citations1993Hadi Dowlatabadi, M. Granger Morgan
Because there is an immediate need for policy decisions on how to prevent or adapt to climate change and how to allocate scarce funds for climate research, analysis frameworks are needed that incorporate knowledge about precursors to, processes of, and consequences from climate change.
Annals of the Association of American Geographers“Sustainable Development” in Geographic Perspective
123 Citations1994Thomas J. Wilbanks
Global Environmental ChangeClimate change and world food supply, demand and trade
121 Citations1994G. Fischer, Klaus Frohberg +2 more
Climatic ChangeThe impact of decadal fluctuations in mean precipitation and temperature on runoff: A sensitivity study over the United States
119 Citations1989ThomasR. Karl, W. E. Riebsame
Journal of Climate and Applied MeteorologyThe Identification of 10- to 20-Year Temperature and Precipitation Fluctuations in the Contiguous United States
114 Citations1984Thomas R. Karl, William E. Riebsame
Environmental Monitoring and Assessmentgrowing pains: a conceptual framework for considering integrated assessments
104 Citations1997Dale S. Rothman, John Robinson
Environmental Modeling & AssessmentScientist–stakeholder collaboration in integrated assessment of climate change: lessons from a case study of Northwest Canada
94 Citations1997Stewart Cohen
Towards an Integrated Impact Assessment of Climate Change: The MINK Study
89 Citations1993Norman J. Rosenberg
Applied Mathematics and ComputationMultiple criteria land use analysis
83 Citations1997Jacques Antoine, Günther Fischer +1 more
Multi-objective optimization coupled with multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques have been used to analyze various land use scenarios, considering simultaneously several objectives such as maximizing revenues from crop and livestock production, maximizing district self-reliance in agricultural production, minimizing costs of production and environmental damages from erosion.
Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable DevelopmentWhere the Poor Live
83 Citations1992Robert W. Kates, Viola Haarmann
Economic GeographyPopulation Growth and Agricultural Change in Africa
77 Citations1995Thomas J. Bassett, B. L. Turner +2 more
Climate ResearchVulnerability of rainfed maize crops in Mexico to climate change
75 Citations1997C. Conde, Diana Liverman +6 more
ARCTICWhat If and So What in Northwest Canada : Could Climate Change Make a Difference to the Future of the Mackenzie Basin?
59 Citations1997Stewart Cohen
Environment Science and Policy for Sustainable DevelopmentTackling Urban CO<sub>2</sub>Emissions in Toronto
56 Citations1993L. D. Danny Harvey
How one project member-Toronto, Ontario-is setting policies that will make reducing its carbon dioxide emissions easier and less expensive in the future.
Biodiversity and ConservationEcological implications of climate change will include surprises
46 Citations1996Stephen H. Schneider, Terry L. Root
Global and Planetary ChangeGlobal climate model and coupled regional climate model simulations over the eastern United States: GENESIS and RegCM2 simulations
40 Citations1997G. S. Jenkins, E. J. Barron
Climatic ChangeThree dilemmas in the integrated assessment of climate change
36 Citations1996Edward A. Parson
Scale Relationships in the Interactions of Climate, Ecosystems, and Societies
33 Citations1987William C. Clark
Water Air & Soil PollutionGlobal emissions inventories of acid-related compounds
33 Citations1995T. E. Graedel, C.M. Benkovitz +3 more
Energy PolicyPractice and progress in integrated assessments of climate change
32 Citations1995Ferenc L. Tóth
The evolution of carbon dioxide emissions from energy use in industrialized countries: an end-use analysis
9 Citations1996Lee Schipper, Michael M. Ting +4 more
The Regional Impact Of Global Warming In Mexico: Uncertainty, Vulnerability And Response
7 Citations1992Diana Liverman
EnergyClimate change and energy policy in Eastern Europe: Two scenarios for the future
5 Citations1991William U. Chandler, Stanislav Kolar +2 more