scholarly journals The economic and social impacts of environmental change on fishing towns and coastal communities: a historical case study of Geraldton, Western Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 1437-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tull ◽  
S. J. Metcalf ◽  
H. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Economic Importance ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Fishing Industry ◽  
Ecological Vulnerability

Abstract For decades, many Australian coastal communities have been changing, in varying degrees, from traditional “fishing towns” to “mining”, “tourism”, or “retirement” towns. However, environmental changes, such as climate change, have increased the vulnerability of these communities and their capacity to continue to successfully adapt is unknown. A framework for the assessment of socio-ecological vulnerability is used to provide information on the response to change in Geraldton, Western Australia. Geraldton has traditionally been a port and fishing town and has recently become a hub for the expanding mining industry. An innovative historical assessment of adaptive capacity using sustainable livelihoods analysis with indicators of social, economic, human, financial, physical, and natural capital is used to calculate socio-ecological vulnerability over time. The framework integrates adaptive capacity with environmental change, resource dependence, and the socio-economic importance of the fished species during four census years: 1921, 1954, 1981, and 2011. The earlier years are characterized by high adaptive capacity and low socio-ecological vulnerability in keeping with strong economic growth and low unemployment rates following the First and Second World Wars. The years 1981 and 2011 showed markedly higher socio-ecological vulnerability and lower adaptive capacities. This result was due to progressively greater exposure to climate change and the high socio-economic importance of fished species, as well as relatively poor physical, social, and natural capital. With continuing environmental and economic change, the fishing industry and the broader Geraldton population is likely to become increasingly vulnerable. Proactive rather than passive adaptation may speed the recovery and reduce a decline in the fishing industry and local economies. The paper briefly discusses potential adaptation in Geraldton which may be useful as a guideline for other coastal communities.

scholarly journals Adaptive capacity of Arctic communities in the context of climate change and shipping growth: A review of Russian and Western literature

Polar Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
English Only ◽  
The Past ◽  
Arctic Communities ◽  
Circumpolar Arctic

Abstract Throughout the past two decades, the number of studies examining the adaptive capacity of Arctic communities in the context of climate change has been increasing; however, little is known about Arctic communities’ ability to adapt to certain emerging changes, such as increased shipping activity. To address this knowledge gap, this study systematically analyses published scientific articles on community adaptive capacity in circumpolar Arctic, including articles published in Russian which may not be captured in English-only reviews. Throughout this review, the study focuses on three areas: the development of the adaptive capacity framework; the conditions that enable community adaption abilities; and the extent to which shipping developments are addressed in the literature. This study demonstrates that the adaptive capacity framework has been significantly developed both theoretically and methodologically and is broadly used to address new types of climatic and non-climatic changes. Though the impacts from the shipping development are discussed in some studies, there is a clear need for further examination of coastal communities’ ability to adapt to such changes. Additionally, the study reveals limitations in the application of the Western conceptual terminology when exploring community-based research by Russian scholars.

scholarly journals Moving the Conversation on Climate Change and Inequality to the Local

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy S. Teller
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Rainfed Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Vulnerability ◽  
Climate Vulnerability ◽  
Context Specific

Climate change is expected to shift seasonality in Tanzania, while smallholder farmers' livelihoods and the economy rely upon the success of rainfed agriculture. However, we should not a priori assume doomsday climate vulnerability scenarios of drought and devastation in the rural global South nor, on the other hand, that farmers will optimally employ local knowledge for effective adaptation. Drawing from qualitative fieldwork in two Tanzanian communities, I question these grand narratives of devastation and local adaptive capacity and introduce an approach that brings inequality to the center. Poorer nations are most vulnerable to climate change, but they are not homogenous and neither are the smallholder farmers living within them. I present evidence on the crucial context-specific dimensions of socio-ecological vulnerability for these smallholder farmers—1) water resources and access to them; 2) agricultural knowledge, including farmers' own knowledge and their interactions with sources like government-run agricultural extension and NGOs; and 3) existing drought-coping strategies—and the heterogeneity among farmers across these dimensions. Ultimately, this case demonstrates how climate change can reproduce existing inequalities within nations by drawing upon how farmers currently respond to drought as evidence. I present the difficult and somewhat bleak contexts within which the farmers are coping, but also illustrate the agency that farmers exhibit in response to these conditions and the adaptive capacity they possess. Finally, I call for more sub-national research on climate and inequality by sociologists and draw connections among within-nation inequality, climate change, and agricultural development initiatives.

Integrating livelihoods approaches with research on development and climate change adaptation

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Clay
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Analytical Frameworks ◽  
Oriented Approach

This article advances theory and methods for integrating sustainable livelihoods approaches (SLAs) with assessments of adaptive capacity to climate change. The livelihoods concept has been inconsistently applied in research on human dimensions of global environmental change, resulting in limited understanding about how development programmes and policies influence adaptive capacity. Encouraging reflection on the conceptual and methodological overlaps of livelihoods and adaptation, I suggest a process-oriented approach to adaptation that centres on how adaptive capacity is unevenly shaped. Livelihoods analytical frameworks can help visualize complex adaptation pathways, illuminating how households and individuals come to differ in their capacities to adapt to climate change.

scholarly journals Projected Impacts of Climate Change on the Physical and Biogeochemical Environment in Southeast Asian Seas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Kay ◽  
Arlene L. Avillanosa ◽  
Victoria V. Cheung ◽  
Ngoc Hung Dao ◽  
Benjamin J. Gonzales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract The seas of Southeast Asia are home to some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems and resources that support the livelihoods and wellbeing of millions of people. Climate change will bring temperature changes, acidification and other environmental change, with uncertain consequences for human and natural systems in the region. We present the first regional-scale projections of change in the marine environment up to the end of 21st century. A coupled physical-biogeochemical model with a resolution of 0.1° (approximately 11 km) was used to create projections of future environmental conditions under two greenhouse gas scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. These show a sea that is warming by 1.1–2.9°C through the 21st century, with surface pH falling by up to 0.02 and dissolved oxygen decreasing by 5 to 13 mmol m− 3. Changes for different parts of the region, including four sensitive coastal sites, are presented. The changes reach all parts of the water column and many places are projected to experience conditions well outside the range seen at the start of the century. Altered species distribution and damage to coral reefs resulting from this environmental change would have consequences for biodiversity, for the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and for the food security of coastal communities across the region. Projections of this type are a key tool for communities planning how they will adapt to the challenge of climate change.

scholarly journals The capacity to adapt?: communities in a changing climate, environment, and economy on the northern Andaman coast of Thailand

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Bennett ◽  
Philip Dearden ◽  
Alin Kadfak
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The health and productivity of marine ecosystems, habitats, and fisheries are deteriorating on the Andaman coast of Thailand. Because of their high dependence on natural resources and proximity to the ocean, coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced changes in the marine environment. These communities must also adapt to the impacts of management interventions and conservation initiatives, including marine protected areas, which have livelihood implications. Further, communities on the Andaman coast are also experiencing a range of new economic opportunities associated in particular with tourism and agriculture. These complex and ongoing changes require integrated assessment of, and deliberate planning to increase, the adaptive capacity of communities so that they may respond to: (1) environmental degradation and fisheries declines through effective management interventions or conservation initiatives, (2) new economic opportunities to reduce dependence on fisheries, and (3) the increasing impacts of climate change. Our results are from a mixed methods study, which used surveys and interviews to examine multiple dimensions of the adaptive capacity of seven island communities near marine protected areas on the Andaman coast of Thailand. Results show that communities had low adaptive capacity with respect to environmental degradation and fisheries declines, and to management and conservation interventions, as well as uneven levels of adaptive capacity to economic opportunities. Though communities and households were experiencing the impacts of climate change, especially storm events, changing seasons and weather patterns, and erosion, they were reacting to these changes with limited knowledge of climate change per se. We recommend interventions, in the form of policies, programs, and actions, at multiple scales for increasing the adaptive capacity of Thailand’s coastal communities to change. The analytical and methodological approach used for examining adaptive capacity could be easily modified and applied to other contexts and locales.

scholarly journals KAPASITAS ADAPTASI KOMUNITAS PESISIR PADA KONDISI RAWAN PANGAN AKIBAT PERUBAHAN IKLIM (KASUS SEBUAH KOMUNITAS NELAYAN DI JAWA BARAT)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurmala K. Panjaitan ◽  
Galuh Adriana ◽  
Ratri Virianita ◽  
Nanda Karlita ◽  
Renita Intan Cahyani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Institutional Memory ◽  
Innovative Learning ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

<p>ABSTRACT<br />Climate change provokes various problems on coastal community’s life such as reduction in the quantity and quality of the catch, sea-water flood, storms, tidal waves, and drought. Many impacts of climate change will not lead to the vulnerability of coastal communities when a community has sufficient adaptive capacity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the adaptive capacity of coastal communities to food insecurity as the impacts of climate change. Mix method approach such as survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation was applied to collect the data. The unit analysis was community level (n = 100 poor fishery households, beneficiaries of government’s poor rice program). The adaptive capacity of communities to food insecurity is relatively low due to low institutional memory, unable to conduct innovative learning and especially the lack of connectedness with others outside the community. There is no Collective action to cope with food insecurity due to poverty, community’s culture and lack of local leadership.<br />Keywords: Climate change, adaptive capacity, coastal community, food insecurity</p><p>ABSTRAK<br />Perubahan iklim menimbulkan banyak masalah pada kehidupan komunitas pesisir seperti penurunan kualitas dan kuantitas tangkapan, rob, badai, gelombang pasang dan kekeringan. Berbagai dampak perubahan iklim tidak akan menyebabkan kerentanan komunitas pesisir bila komunitas itu mempunya kapasitas adaptasi yang memadai. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menganalisa kapasitas adaptasi komunitas nelayan untuk melihat kesiapan komunitas dalam menghadapi kerawanan pangan akibat perubahan iklim. Pendekatan survei, wawancara mendalam, focus group discussion, dan observasi digunaan untuk mengumpulkan data. Unit analisa adalah pada tingkat masyarakat dengan sumber data 100 rumahtangga nelayan miskin yang merupakan penerima program raskin. Kapasitas adaptasi masyarakat terhadap kerawanan pangan tergolong rendah karena rendahnya institutional memory, tidak mampu melakukan innovative learning dan kurangnya connectedness terutama dengan pihak lain di luar komunitas. Aksi kolektif dari komunitas untuk mengatasi kerawanan pangan tidak ada yang disebabkan oleh kemiskinan,budaya komunitas dan kurang berfungsinya kepemimpinan lokal.<br />Kata kunci: Perubahan iklim, kapasitas adaptasi, pantai komunitas, kerawanan pangan</p>

The contribution of community forestry to climate change adaptive capacity in tropical dry forests: lessons from Myanmar

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-340
Author(s):  
T. LIN ◽  
K.T. HTUN ◽  
D. GRITTEN ◽  
A.R. MARTIN
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Human And Social Capital ◽  
Socioeconomic Benefits

While community forestry (CF) is increasingly promoted as a climate change adaptation strategy, few analyses have examined the contribution of CF to adaptive capacity. We used a sustainable livelihood approach and Ostrom's design principles for managing commons, to assess how CF confers climate change adaptive capacity in two communities in Myanmar. Our findings indicate that CF provides tangible contributions to human and social capital, by increasing landless and female forest users' knowledge of forest management. However, CF has yet to enhance the physical, financial, and natural capital within these communities. The major challenges preventing the enhancement of socioeconomic benefits include limited community participation and weak institutional systems for monitoring and conflict resolution. We argue that CF increases community engagement in natural resource management, but in the absence of effective monitoring and decision-making, socioeconomic benefits to communities from CF programs may be limited. Our results elucidate important factors limiting the uptake and progress of CF as a viable climate change adaptation strategy in Southeast Asia, and indicate that comparative research is needed to better understand the factors that influence CF efficacy in forest- and natural resource-dependent communities globally.

scholarly journals Sovereign states in the Caribbean have lower social-ecological vulnerability to coral bleaching than overseas territories

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1897) ◽  
pp. 20182365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine J. Siegel ◽  
Reniel B. Cabral ◽  
Jennifer McHenry ◽  
Elena Ojea ◽  
Brandon Owashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Ecological Vulnerability ◽  
Differential Exposure ◽  
Overseas Territories

Coral reef social-ecological systems worldwide face major impacts from climate change, and spatial variation in vulnerability is driven by differential exposure to climatic threats, ecological and socio-economic sensitivity to those threats, ecological recovery potential, and socio-economic adaptive capacity. We assess variation in social-ecological vulnerability to climate change-induced coral bleaching, specifically for reef-based fisheries and tourism, of islands throughout the insular Caribbean, thus providing the first region-wide quantitative analysis of island-scale social-ecological vulnerability to coral bleaching. We show that different components of vulnerability have distinct spatial patterns and that variability in overall vulnerability is driven more by socio-economic than ecological components. Importantly, we find that sovereign islands are less vulnerable on average than overseas territories and that the presence of fisheries management regulations is a significant predictor of adaptive capacity and socio-economic sensitivity, with important implications for island-level governance and policies to reduce climate vulnerability.

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