Geographic Approaches to Climate Change and Mitigation: Urban and Rural Perspectives (Volume 1)

This book provides an exploration of the geographic dimensions of climate change, focusing on both urban and rural perspectives. By examining the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in different environments, it offers a balanced and holistic approach to climate mitigation. It demonstrates how geographical analysis may guide and strengthen efforts to mitigate climate change by bringing together a variety of tactics, case studies, and research findings from around the world. The main topics covered include urban planning and climate resilience, rural land use and sustainability, the role of geographic information systems (GIS) in climate modeling, and the socio-economic impacts of climate policies. Special emphasis is placed on the interconnectedness of urban and rural ecosystems, recognizing that solutions in one domain can have ripple effects in the other. For instance, the book explores how rural land conservation can support urban carbon sequestration efforts, or how sustainable urban design can reduce the pressure on natural rural resources. These topics are crucial as the world faces environmental changes. Cities are responsible for the majority of global emissions, yet rural areas often suffer the consequences of climate impacts. Understanding the geographic factors influencing both regions is crucial to developing tailored, effective mitigation strategies. The book explores the innovative approaches, such as the use of nature-based solutions in urban areas or regenerative agriculture in rural settings, that offer promising routes for sustainable development. The problem addressed in this book is the lack of a unified geographic perspective on climate change mitigation. By discussing urban and rural strategies, it aims to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and inspire actionable solutions that answer to the needs of diverse communities. Climate change is a global issue, but its impacts and solutions are deeply localized; understanding these geographic issues is essential for policymakers, urban planners, landscape architects, environmental scientists, and community leaders. Targeted at academics, professionals, and policymakers involved in climate change, urban planning, landscape architecture, and environmental management, this book provides readers with the insights needed to create impactful, location-specific strategies for a more resilient and sustainable future.

Dr. Pir Mohammad is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He earned his PhD in Remote Sensing from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, specializing in urban heat island studies in Indian cities, and was recognized with the Excellence in Doctoral Research Award for his exceptional contributions. Prior to his current role, Dr. Mohammad served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the same department at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests encompass remote sensing, urban climate, extreme weather events, heat mitigation, and thermal comfort. Dr. Mohammad has authored 23 peer-reviewed publications in esteemed journals and actively reviews for numerous academic publications. He has presented his research findings at various national and international conferences, further contributing to the academic community. He is also a life member of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS), the Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG), and the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).

Dr. Shahfahad is an assistant professor of Geography at Department of Geography, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Before joining BHU, Dr. Shahfahad worked as an assistant professor of Geography at Department of Geography, Faculty of Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia during 2023-24. He completed his B.A. (H) Geography in 2015, M.A. Geography in 2017, and Ph.D. in 2022 from the Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He has also done Post-Graduate Diploma in Geoinformatics from Centre for Distance and Online Learning, Jamia Millia Islamia during 2022-23. He was a junior research fellow (JRF) during 2017–2019 and a senior research fellow (SRF) during 2019–2022 in the Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia.

Jesús Rodrigo Comino currently works as an associate professor at the University of Granada and has been included in the World's Top 2% Scientists ranking by Stanford University since 2021. He got a Master in Territorial Planning and Geographic Information Systems (2013) at the University of Málaga/Granada, whose final work was divided into 3 national publications and a monograph. During his predoc stage, he obtained three scholarships for doctoral studies: DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), La Caixa Foundation, and FPU (Ministry of Education, Spain). During this period, he completed his first doctoral thesis in Geography between the University of Trier (Germany -2 years-) and Malaga (2 years) in 2018: “Actual geomorphological processes in sloping vineyards. A comparison between Ruwer-Mosel Valley (Trier, Germany) and Montes de Málaga (Málaga, Spain)”.

Abraham R Matamanda is an NRF Y2-rated urban and regional planner. Abraham lectures at the University of Free State (UFS) and is also the deputy-chair of the SARChI Chair on City Region Economies in the faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at UFS. Currently, he serves as the co-editor of the Town Planning Journal published by UFS and serves on the academic editorial board of Plos Water Journal. Abraham is also the current chairperson of the Free State Chapter of the South African Planning Institute (SAPI). He is a fellow of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Future Professoriate Programme Phase 1, third Cohort.