MEASURING SOCIAL VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTIVE CAPACITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC COASTAL COMMUNITIES

Abstract Affluence and vulnerability are often seen as opposite sides of a coin—with affluence generally understood as reducing forms of vulnerability through increased resilience and adaptive capacity. However, in the context of climate change and an increase in associated hazards and disasters, we suggest the need to re-examine this dynamic relationship—a complex association we define here as the Affluence–Vulnerability Interface (AVI). We review research in different national contexts to show how a more nuanced understanding of the AVI can (a) problematize the notion that increasing material affluence necessarily has a mitigating influence on social vulnerability, (b) extend our analysis of social vulnerability beyond low-income regions to include affluent contexts and (c) improve our understanding of how psychosocial characteristics influence people’s vulnerability. Finally, we briefly outline three methodological approaches that we believe will assist future engagement with the AVI.

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

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247420000297 ◽

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.

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

10.31230/osf.io/kjfz2 ◽

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.

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A new approach to assess the impact of extreme temperature conditions on social vulnerability

10.5194/nhess-2021-45 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ibolya Török ◽

Adina-Eliza Croitoru ◽

Titus-Cristian Man

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Social Vulnerability ◽

Extreme Temperature ◽

Principal Component ◽

Vulnerability Index ◽

Point Of View ◽

Social Vulnerability Index ◽

Economic Point ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The objective of this research is to develop a set of vulnerability indicators and to analyze the effect of climate factors on social vulnerability. While the main aim of the study is to improve the existing methodology by quantifying the effects of climate change on social vulnerability, it also represents a novel scientific contribution in the field, as it delimits for the first time in the Romanian literature the most vulnerable areas from this point of view. This study aims to facilitate the decision-making processes and planning efforts targeting the increase of resilience and adaptive capacity of local communities. By applying the principal component analysis, we have selected 45 variables and have constructed four aggregated indexes. The Climate-Related Social Vulnerability index (CleSoVI) has pointed out that the largest impact on the current vulnerability of settlements in the test region (Cluj County) can be attributed to the lack of adaptive capacity and increased poverty, the most vulnerable areas being represented by the eastern and north-western parts of the county. From a socio-economic point of view, local authorities' efforts should concentrate on reducing the vulnerability of these regions and preparing them to cope with- and adapt to the impact of climate change.

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

Sodality Jurnal Sosiologi Pedesaan ◽

10.22500/sodality.v4i3.14736 ◽

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

ABSTRACT 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. Keywords: Climate change, adaptive capacity, coastal community, food insecurityABSTRAK 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. Kata kunci: Perubahan iklim, kapasitas adaptasi, pantai komunitas, kerawanan pangan

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Comparative Analysis of Social Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity to Impacts of Climate Change among Fisherfolk in Garchitorena, Camarines Sur, Philippines

The International Journal of Climate Change Impacts and Responses ◽

10.18848/1835-7156/cgp/v13i02/127-146 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 127-146

Author(s):

Ariel Delfino

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Social Vulnerability ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsv196 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. 1437-1446 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

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.

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