Magdalena Kuchcik
Articles
Geographia Polonica (2024) vol. 97, iss. 4, pp. 485-498 | 
Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0289
Abstract
The article presents the scientific-based strategic board game Neighbourhood with Climate, which aims to become an educational tool for adaptation on a local scale to climate change in temperate climates. The game used in climate education supports citizen engagement, empowering people with the knowledge of nature-based solutions (NbS), which could be applied to prepare and protect themselves and their community from extreme weather in temperate climates. As it combines social engagement and environmental and economic elements, it fulfils the criteria for Education for Sustainable Development. In this game, unlike many other computer or board games, neighbours play on real maps of their estate or neighbourhood and work outthe changes that can be implemented in the city. The paper can encourage scientists to create similar local educational tools for other climate zones and financial realities.
Keywords: climate challenges, serious game, nature-based solutions, education for sustainable development, city adaptation
[mkuchcik@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
[agata_cieszewska@sggw.edu.pl]
[renata_giedych@sggw.edu.pl]
The stimuli of thermal environment defined according to UTCI in Poland
Geographia Polonica (2021) vol. 94, iss. 2, pp. 183-200 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0200
Abstract
The assessment of thermal stress stimuli in Poland was based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Daily values of UTCI at 24 stations selected to represent the whole area of Poland at 12:00 UTC were calculated over the period 1951-2018. Various UTCI characteristics, i.e., spatial averages of daily, monthly and annual values, daily spatial contrasts (i.e., the difference between daily highest and lowest UTCI values) were defined in each of 8 bioclimatic regions of Poland. Ten-year trends for UTCI and spatial contrast values were counted and their statistical significance was analysed. A statistically significant increase in UTCI values was found in all the regions of Poland. However, contrasts in thermal stress both for Poland as a whole and in most of the regions decreased significantly, especially in the north-east of Poland, the country’s coldest region. This indicatesa reduction in the stimuli of thermal environment in Poland and in most of the individual regions.
Keywords: thermal stress, climate change, long series data, regionalization, spatial contrasts, Universal Thermal Climate Index
[mkuchcik@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
[k.blaz@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
[aj.halas@twarda.pan.pl]