Diamond Open Access Journals at Cambridge
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Cambridge Journal of Climate Research
Cambridge Journal of Human Behaviour
Cambridge Journal of Visual Culture
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Recent Articles
Building Resilience in the Margins: Reimagining Climate Federalism in India through Case Studies on Indigenous Communities in the Eastern Himalayan Landscape
(2025-05) Chakravarty, Abhishek
In a developing country like India, climate change has far-reaching consequences, impacting ecosystems, food and water security, public health, and infrastructure, which in turn undermine economic growth and deepen existing socio-economic vulnerabilities. This challenge is particularly acute in the Eastern Himalayan states of Northeast India, where over 135 recognized tribal groups and nearly 500 sub-tribes inhabit an ecologically fragile landscape. Despite protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, Indigenous communities have remained largely excluded from India’s centralised climate governance. This disconnect is especially concerning as climate change disproportionately affects these communities, threatening their traditional livelihoods, cultural practices, and overall resilience. This paper seeks to critically examine India’s climate federalism framework, assessing the inclusivity of Indigenous communities in existing climate laws, policies, and administrative structures. Judicial interventions, particularly the outcomes of climate litigation like the MK Ranjitsinh & Ors v Union of India case, will be examined to understand the impact of such judgement of indigenous communities. Finally, the article will propose a framework toward creating a bottom-up, community-led climate governance model, that ensures meaningful participation of indigenous groups, ultimately fostering climate resilience among vulnerable communities inhabiting fragile landscapes.
Examining Global Governance Challenges of Voluntary Carbon Offset Projects: An Agenda for Reforming the Voluntary Carbon Market
(2025-05) Nwedu, Cosmos Nike
There is substantial evidence demonstrating the contribution of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to global climate change, originating from both businesses and individuals across various sectors and countries worldwide. Although the responsibility for climate change and its mitigation has often been primarily assigned to the governments of sovereign nations as signatories of relevant international climate agreements, many large businesses and individuals are now undertaking various self-regulating initiatives to combat climate change by reducing their carbon emissions footprints. These initiatives fundamentally focus on voluntary carbon offsetting (VCO) projects, which are increasingly becoming legal, social, and ethical obligations embedded in corporate governance practices that shareholders, as well as the general public, now demand from companies as part of ‘corporate climate accountability’ or ‘carbon accounting’. These days, VCO is gaining traction in both public and private international climate governance; however, serious governance issues and reputational concerns have begun to emerge regarding offset projects.
This article employs an analytical approach to examine the existing global governance structure of the VCO market ecosystem. More specifically, it identifies various structural challenges, both legal and in terms of accountability, that the global VCO landscape faces. The article advocates for a reform of the current governance structure of the VCO market and, accordingly, makes policy recommendations based on innovative structural design solutions for effective global VCO governance. Therefore, it contributes to the development of soft legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks aimed at promoting accountability, transparency, and credibility, as well as fostering market, technical, and structural innovations within the VCO project ecosystem. Overall, the article contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the potential role and shortcomings of VCO in climate change governance.
Between Vision and Practice in Wellbeing Economics: Examining the Climate Economics Paradigms Driving the Implementation of New Zealand’s National Budget Framework
(2025-05) Kosmala-Dahlbeck, Kasia
Wellbeing economics has emerged in economics literature in recent years, gaining attention in climate economics due to the need for economic policy intervention to address climate change. New Zealand (in Māori, Aotearoa) was internationally recognised as a first mover by implementing wellbeing as the key objective of the country’s national budget in 2019. This study first undertakes a semi-systematic literature review to identify two distinct paradigms in wellbeing economics, namely wellbeing economics policy practice (WEPP) and the wellbeing economy vision (WEV). This research then examines the extent to which the WEV concept is present in New Zealand’s budget framework. Through a thematic analysis of primary and secondary interview and document data from key stakeholders, this research finds that WEV is only present on the margins of the framework’s policy implementation. The budget system is dominated by a WEPP view. While there is evidence of movement toward WEV over time, this is not attributed to institutional or academic literature, but to the strong influence of the Māori worldview on governance in New Zealand. The study identifies a gap between vision and implementation in wellbeing economics, supporting the need for further research on wellbeing frameworks as they relate to policy intervention.
Physical Climate Risk in Real Estate: The Wildfire Risk Exposure of US REITs
(2025-05) Ertl, Philipp; Fuerst, Franz
This study examines how physical climate risk affects public real estate companies, particularly wildfire risk, using data on 62 US equity REITs from 2004 to 2023. First, the price volatility of REITs exposed to wildfire risk is estimated using market betas. Additionally, the dynamics of actual wildfire events in Arizona, California and Texas are studied to understand their effect on REIT returns and differentiate these effects from longer-term hypothetical risk measures. The empirical results show that decreasing exposure to high wildfire risk areas decreases REIT betas. Results from the event study suggest that REITs only experience negative abnormal returns when fires break out in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) as opposed to remote rural areas.
The Unequal Impact of Lethal Heatwaves in India for Males and Females: Insights from Climate Projection Data
(2025-05) Bhongade, Aanchala
As climate change accelerates, extreme heatwaves pose increasing risks in India, with differential impacts across gender and age groups. Using data from the World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal and CMIP6 models, we obtained time-series data for relative humidity and mean surface air temperature (1990-2100) across SSPs (1-1.9 to 5-8.5) and calculated the heat index using the Rothfusz formula, incorporating uncertainty bounds from median, 10th, and 90th percentiles. Heat index maps visualised variations across SSPs. Cooling energy demand was estimated using population projections (2020-2100) for males and females, alongside historical sales data for ceiling fans and air conditioners, weighted by energy consumption factors. Contour plots showed the relationship between heat index, energy consumption, and age-wise gender differences, showing that cooling energy demand increases with age and higher heat index values. Scatter plots revealed heat index fluctuations driving energy demand, while correlation plots linked Cooling Degree Days (CDD) to gender-based variations. Gender disparities in cooling demand are primarily socioeconomic, reflecting differential access to cooling technologies rather than physiological differences. These findings highlight the unequal impact of heatwaves, especially on the elderly, and can inform India’s Cooling Action Plan by prioritising subsidies for vulnerable populations to enhance resilience. Clarifying these disparities supports nuanced climate adaptation strategies addressing rising energy needs and vulnerabilities associated with extreme heat.
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