Assignment Questions - Environmental, Business and Economic
Boludo
QUESTION10.pdf
Learning objectives
Why does this matter?
Previously, we looked at the international
agreements in place for the purpose of mitigating
climate change. Adaptation and mitigation also
involve more local undertakings, and ethical issues
and challenges.
By the end of the session, you should be able to
▪ Discuss how climate change creates material and non-material impacts.
▪ Recognise the role of ‘place’ in climate action.
▪ Identify how climate action can create new or redistributed vulnerabilities (maladaptation).
▪ Recognise barriers to adaptation.
Adaptation: Prepare for impacts to reduce effect Timescale: Ongoing, but can involve short-term actions
Spatial scale: Local issue, local benefits
Thames Barrier by Andy Roberts from East London, England - Flickr.com - image description page, CC
BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=341228
1. Climate change adaptation and ‘place’
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Why is ‘place’ important?
Place attachment in two concepts: (a) place dependence (i.e., a functional attachment) and (b) place identity (i.e., an emotional attachment).
Vaske, J.J. and Kobrin, K.C., 2001. Place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior. The
Journal of Environmental Education, 32(4), pp.16-21.
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Links to theories of cultural and natural heritage
Material culture: monuments, sites, landscapes (tangible) - Charter of the Council of Europe in 1972 proposes the soil as heritage
Non‐material culture: nonphysical ideas (intangible) - UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)
Vecco, M., 2010. A definition of cultural heritage:
From the tangible to the intangible. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 11(3), pp.321-324.
https://ich.unesco.org/en/dive&display=biome#tabs
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Adger, W.N., Barnett, J., Brown, K., Marshall, N. and O’Brien, K., 2013. Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptat ion. Nature Climate Change, 3(2), p.112.
Case study: Sami reindeer herders
One core theme emerged from the interviews: facing the limit of resilience. Swedish reindeer-herding Sami perceive climate change as yet another stressor in their daily struggle… The forecasts about climate change from authorities and scientists have contributed to stress and anxiety. Other societal developments have lead to decreased flexibility that obstructs adaptation. Some adaptive strategies are discordant with the traditional life of reindeer herding, and there is a fear among the Sami of being the last generation practising traditional reindeer herding.
Furberg, M., Evengård, B. and Nilsson, M., 2011. Facing the limit of resilience: perceptions of climate change among reindeer herding Sami in Sweden. Global health action, 4(1), p.8417.
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“They just don’t need to give a **** so they don’t give a ****,” says Nils Johan Labba with a shrug. A traditional craftsman with an 18-month waiting list for his knives, he is also a member of the Sami parliament. “We have a reindeer community here, this is their moving territory. Or it was – everything changed with the city. Kiruna as a city doesn’t take much consideration about Sami people or Sami lifestyles.”
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Case study: Indigenous people of the Amazon
In some countries like Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia, domestic law reforms, including concepts of “plurinationality” and “pluriculturality”, have given recognition to the rights of indigenous peoples in their own territories… Brugnach, M., Craps, M. and Dewulf, A.R.P.J., 2017. Including indigenous peoples in climate change mitigation: addressing issues of scale, knowledge and power. Climatic change, 140(1), pp.19-32.
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Case study: Farmers in Burkina Faso
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Case study: Farmers in Burkina Faso
▪ Livelihood diversification options include labour migration, gardening, and working for development projects.
▪ Traditional Fulbe preference for transhumance coupled with specific historical developments (e.g. the end of slavery) limits engagement.
▪ Furthermore, Livelihood diversification options challenge cultural concepts like ndimaaku (personal integrity; worthiness), semteede (shame) and pulaaki (Fulbe-ness).
▪ Highlights need for consideration of culture in informing climate adaptation.
Nielsen, J.Ø. and Reenberg, A., 2010. Cultural barriers to climate change adaptation: A case study from Northern Burkina Faso. Global Environmental Change, 20(1), pp.142-152.
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Summary
Climate change impacts can threaten culture, sense of place and identity.
Climate change mitigation may also create tensions with identity and place (renewables vs. reindeer herding)
Culture and identity can inform climate mitigation and adaptation (co-develop effective approaches to minimising risks).
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2. Barriers to adaptation and maladaptation
Understanding Detect problem Gather/use info Define problem
Planning Develop options Assess options Select option
Managing Implement option
Monitor Evaluate
Moser, Susanne C., and Julia A. Ekstrom. "A framework to diagnose barriers to climate change adaptation." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences107.51 (2010): 22026-22031.
Issues ▪ Existence of a signal ▪ Thresholds of concern ▪ Credibility of info
▪ Availability of tech & resources ▪ Legality & feasibility ▪ Threshold of intent
Barriers to adaptation
▪ Ability to agree on goals/options ▪ Control over process/options ▪ Thresholds of concern re. side-effects
Climate change and islands Sea level rise is just one way in which climate change impacts islands.
Additionally, environmental concerns are just one set amongst many for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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How does this point relate to
the experiences of Ursula’s
community?
“ …social justice needs to be measured in terms of the freedom an individual has to achieve his or her goals and objectives, not simply in terms of having some basic needs satisfied.
Siegel, P.B. and Jorgensen, S.L., 2013. Global Climate Change Justice: Toward a Risk‐Adjusted Social Floor. IDS Working Papers, 2013(426), pp.1-28.
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Adaptation measures that ultimately increase the vulnerability of other systems, sectors or social groups.
E.g. relocation leading to a loss of income, social cohesion, etc.
Mal- adaptation
Safe development paradox Potential for
maladaptation when attempting to reduce exposure.
Burby, Raymond J. "Hurricane Katrina and the paradoxes of government disaster policy: Bringing about wise governmental decisions f or hazardous areas." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 604.1 (2006): 171-191. Image: NASA
Discussion questions 10 minutes
What are the differences and similarities between these two island cases?
Is there scope for mal-adaptation in either case? If so, how?
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Patterns of climate change perceptions
Yale Climate Opinion Maps – U.S. 2016 By Peter Howe, Matto Mildenberger, Jennifer Marlon and Anthony Leiserowitz
Members of the public with the highest degrees of science literacy and technical reasoning capacity were not the most concerned about climate change. Rather, they were the ones among whom cultural polarization was greatest. This result suggests that public divisions over climate change stem not from the public’s incomprehension of science but from a distinctive conflict of interest: between the personal interest individuals have in forming beliefs in line with those held by others with whom they share close ties and the collective one they all share in making use of the best available science to promote common welfare.
Kahan, D.M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., Slovic, P., Ouellette, L.L., Braman, D. and Mandel, G., 2012. The polarizing impact of science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks. Nature Climate Change, 2(10), pp.732-735.
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Summary
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▪ Adaptation is planning for the impacts that are expected to occur due to climate change.
▪ Adaptation as a whole is likely to be ongoing, though adaptation actions can occur on short-timescales, with steps taken quickly to reduce key vulnerabilities.
▪ However, a community’s sensitivity, and lack of resilience or adaptive capacities is linked to generic capacities like levels of education and healthcare, political stability, wealth, etc. May not be easy to change.
▪ Maladaptation can also occur when adaptation actions actually leave those they were intended to help worse off than before.
▪ Climate change has social and cultural dimensions that are not always factored into wider decision-making, which could be particularly important in the context of maladaptation.
Discussion questions
Analyse Adger et al.’s (2011) argument that “the risk of irreversible loss of places needs to be factored into decision-making on climate change”. Support your answer with reference to specific examples.
Things to consider: • Is the irreversible loss of places a credible concern?
How would you illustrate your point? • If so, how do we assess whether it “needs” to be
factored in? Is the decision-making process and/or outcomes improved by its inclusion? How will you illustrate this?
