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There is today a global recognition that we live in an 'urban age' of near-planetary urbanization where cities are at the forefront of all sorts of agendas. Yet little attention is offered to the active role of cities as political drivers of the urban age. There might today be more than two hundred 'city networks' globally, with thousands of para-diplomatic connections actively defining relations between cities, international organization and corporate actors. This actively networked texture of the urban age shapes all areas of policy and, not least, international relations, and holds much promise as to possible urban solutions to global challenges. Based on an overview of a representative subset of this mass of city-to-city cooperation (n=170), this article illustrates the landscape of city networking, its issue areas and institutional shapes, and its critical features. As we argue, city networks today are faced by a crucial challenge: while trying to overcome state-centric 'gridlocks' cities are, at the same time, building both political—economic as well as very material 'lock-ins'. We need to pay serious attention to this impact of city diplomacy in international affairs, developing a greater appreciation of the path dependencies and responsibilities this diplomatic activity purports.

A longstanding, alternative approach is offered to the existing UNFCCC international policy regime as a viable policy option. This 'bottom-up' approach has been neglected in policy discourse until now. The alternative approach is a 'clumsy' proposal, which emphasizes the 'direction of travel' over targets and timetables. It places an immediate emphasis on adaptation and the development of effective measures to minimize global warming through a diverse range of policy actions, originating from the 'bottom up' within nations, based on their own institutional, technological, economic and political capacities. Cumulatively, this would lead to a fundamental technological shift in global patterns of energy and land use. It would also encourage practical cooperation among the large emitters to control greenhouse gases and support the formation of regional collaborations on adaptation. Climate change is framed as a strategic challenge rather than an optimizing problem for analysts and policy-makers. Hence, policy is no longer obsessed with issues of leakage and concerns about free-riders, but greater explicit recognition is given to the fact that development is inevitably uneven and that different actors have very different motivations for action and capabilities to contribute to the climate change challenge.

Climate policy after 2012, when the Kyoto treaty expires, needs a radical rethink. More of the same won't do, argue Gwyn Prins and Steve Rayner. After kyoto Starting from the challenging assertion that the Kyoto Protocol is failing, Gwyn Prins and Steve Rayner argue that it's time to adopt a more radical approach to climate policy. Their suggested alternatives include a bottom-up approach to emissions trading, a massive publicly funded research effort in energy technologies and increased investment in adaptation.

In the complex institutional and physical infrastructure nexus of South Australia, weather and climate information is highly valued by freshwater managers and users. But different users focus on very different time scales. Recent changes in water rights and technology, driven by the Millennium Drought, enable agricultural users to focus on real-time monitoring and relatively short-term forecasts (3–5 days ahead). A wide range of users make extensive use of the full 7-day weather forecasts and there is awareness of, but not reliance on, seasonal outlooks. These are widely viewed as providing “background” indications and are seldom directly used in decision-making. While concern about climate change is driving scientific research on downscaling climate impact models for the region, there are different views among decision-makers about the usefulness of these for adaptation. All forms of weather and climate information appear to be best integrated into decision-making when incorporated into sector-specific models and decision-support tools alongside other relevant variables. However, there remains something of a mismatch between scientific aspirations to improve the skill of seasonal and long-term climate forecasting and the temporal rhythms of water-resource decision-making.

To what extent is the December 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change based on magical thinking?

Scientific momentum is increasing behind efforts to develop geoengineering options, but it is widely acknowledged that the challenges of geoengineering are as much political and social as they are technical. Legislators are looking for guidance on the governance of geoengineering research and possible deployment. The Oxford Principles are five high-level principles for geoengineering governance. This article explains their intended function and the core societal values which they attempt to capture. Finally, it proposes a framework for their implementation in a flexible governance architecture through the formulation of technology-specific research protocols.

This book is a guide to special and inclusive education and provides a comprehensive overview of this complex field. Author Stephen Rayner examines context, policy, and practice, and shows how to successfully navigate the managerial challenges involved, while contributing to the way forward through leadership in a diverse field.

InEnhancing Evolution, leading bioethicist John Harris dismantles objections to genetic engineering, stem-cell research, designer babies, and cloning and makes an ethical case for biotechnology that is both forthright and rigorous. Human enhancement, Harris argues, is a good thing--good morally, good for individuals, good as social policy, and good for a genetic heritage that needs serious improvement.Enhancing Evolutiondefends biotechnological interventions that could allow us to live longer, healthier, and even happier lives by, for example, providing us with immunity from cancer and HIV/AIDS. Further, Harris champions the possibility of influencing the very course of evolution to give us increased mental and physical powers--from reasoning, concentration, and memory to strength, stamina, and reaction speed. Indeed, he says, it's not only morally defensible to enhance ourselves; in some cases, it's morally obligatory. In a new preface, Harris offers a glimpse at the new science and technology to come, equipping readers with the knowledge to assess the ethics and policy dimensions of future forms of human enhancement.