Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu
Purpose – While the South Pacific is often cited as highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, there is comparatively little known about how different groups perceive climate change. Understanding the gaps and differences between risk and perceived risk is a prerequisite to designing effect...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Emerald Publishing
2018-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0060 |
| _version_ | 1818040832278659072 |
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| author | Rory A. Walshe Denis Chang Seng Adam Bumpus Joelle Auffray |
| author_facet | Rory A. Walshe Denis Chang Seng Adam Bumpus Joelle Auffray |
| author_sort | Rory A. Walshe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – While the South Pacific is often cited as highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, there is comparatively little known about how different groups perceive climate change. Understanding the gaps and differences between risk and perceived risk is a prerequisite to designing effective and sustainable adaptation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – This research examined three key groups in Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu: secondary school teachers, media personnel, and rural subsistence livelihood-based communities that live near or in conservation areas. This study deployed a dual methodology of participatory focus groups, paired with a national mobile phone based survey to gauge perceptions of climate change. This was the first time mobile technology had been used to gather perceptual data regarding the environment in the South Pacific. Findings – The research findings highlighted a number of important differences and similarities in ways that these groups perceive climate change issues, solutions, personal vulnerability and comprehension of science among other factors. Practical implications – These differences and similarities are neglected in large-scale top-down climate change adaptation strategies and have key implications for the design of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and therefore sustainable development in the region. Originality/value – The research was innovative in terms of its methods, as well as its distillation of the perceptions of climate change from teachers, media and rural communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T08:20:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-238e11200da14540a074b1c43a1e807c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1756-8692 1756-8706 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T08:20:47Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-238e11200da14540a074b1c43a1e807c2022-12-22T01:56:20ZengEmerald PublishingInternational Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management1756-86921756-87062018-03-0110230332210.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0060599903Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and VanuatuRory A. Walshe0Denis Chang Seng1Adam Bumpus2Joelle Auffray3Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, UK and Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR), University College London, London, UKIntergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, Paris, FranceSchool of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, AustraliaApidae Development Innovations Pty Ltd., Melbourne, AustraliaPurpose – While the South Pacific is often cited as highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, there is comparatively little known about how different groups perceive climate change. Understanding the gaps and differences between risk and perceived risk is a prerequisite to designing effective and sustainable adaptation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – This research examined three key groups in Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu: secondary school teachers, media personnel, and rural subsistence livelihood-based communities that live near or in conservation areas. This study deployed a dual methodology of participatory focus groups, paired with a national mobile phone based survey to gauge perceptions of climate change. This was the first time mobile technology had been used to gather perceptual data regarding the environment in the South Pacific. Findings – The research findings highlighted a number of important differences and similarities in ways that these groups perceive climate change issues, solutions, personal vulnerability and comprehension of science among other factors. Practical implications – These differences and similarities are neglected in large-scale top-down climate change adaptation strategies and have key implications for the design of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and therefore sustainable development in the region. Originality/value – The research was innovative in terms of its methods, as well as its distillation of the perceptions of climate change from teachers, media and rural communities.https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0060PerceptionsClimate changeAdaptationVanuatuSamoaFiji |
| spellingShingle | Rory A. Walshe Denis Chang Seng Adam Bumpus Joelle Auffray Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management Perceptions Climate change Adaptation Vanuatu Samoa Fiji |
| title | Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu |
| title_full | Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu |
| title_short | Perceptions of adaptation, resilience and climate knowledge in the Pacific: The cases of Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu |
| title_sort | perceptions of adaptation resilience and climate knowledge in the pacific the cases of samoa fiji and vanuatu |
| topic | Perceptions Climate change Adaptation Vanuatu Samoa Fiji |
| url | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0060 |
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