No abstract

The extant literature in urban climate studies suggests that the urban poor are the most vulnerable to climate change. Local perceptions and knowledge of climate change are also generally viewed as crucial for sustainable adaptation planning in developing countries. Yet the extent to which perceptions of climate change are influenced by the context of informal urbanisation in the Global South remains unexamined. This paper aimed to examine the extent to which the context of residents of informal settlements influences their perceptions and the congruence of these perceptions with scientific knowledge of climate change in an African city. Using Accra, Ghana as a case, 582 household surveys, 25 institutional key informant interviews and 14 focus group discussions were conducted and analysed. Results show two main findings: (1) respondents mainly perceived changes in climate change related-phenomena which were in synergy with scientific sources but their claims of increases in flooding were not supported by scientific data; and (2) while the literacy levels of the respondents were unrelated to their perception about climate change,heir perceptions were also discordant with city authorities’ perceptions on the causes of flooding as a hazard. The study suggests the integration of local perceptions and knowledge of climate change in adaptation planning in Accra and similar contexts.

Disasters result where hazards and vulnerabilities intersect. The concept of vulnerability itself is mainly a social construct and the extent to which this can be overcome while transforming disaster-prone systems has often been emphasised in the critical hazard literature. However, the extent to which community-based organisations contribute to post-disaster transformation at the community level remains unexamined. This paper is aimed at examining the extent of the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) in the transformative adaptation of post-earthquake Lyttelton. Quantitative data was obtained from community members using a questionnaire survey of 107 respondents, supporting interviews, and secondary data to explain the phenomenon in this study. System dynamics and agent-based modelling tools were applied to analyse the data. The results show that while CBOs played a major role in Lyttelton’s transformation by fostering collaboration, innovation, and awareness, the extent of their impact was determined by differences in their adaptive capacities. The transformation was influenced by the impacts of community initiatives that were immediate, during, and a long time after the disaster recovery activities in the community. Our research extends the discourse on the role of community-based organisations in disaster recovery by highlighting the extent of CBOs’ impacts in community post-disaster transformation.