Climate change adaptation under a social capital approach – An analytical framework for small islands

Petzold, Jan; Ratter, Beate

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.05.003

Cited by 88 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Such an understanding refers, on the one hand, to the geomorphological dynamics of the intertidal and coastal zone, and on the other hand to changing anthropogenic perceptions, use of, and interference with the coast, as well as the potential of community action in vulnerable areas. This and many other studies (e.g., Baldacchino, 2005;Groome Wynne, 2007;Kilpatrick & Falk, 2003;Petzold, 2016;Petzold & Ratter, 2015) showed that social capital can be an important resource for various purposes on small islands, including adaptation to climate change.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Social adaptability in ecotones: sea-level rise and climate change adaptation in Flushing and the Isles of Scilly, UK

Petzold¹

2018

ISJ

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Coastal zones and small islands are among the areas most impacted by global climate change and face great challenges for adaptation. While being considered as particularly vulnerable, many coastal communities, nevertheless, have long traditions of living not only by but with the sea. If such ecotones-places where ecosystems intersect-have features distinct from purely continental regions, the question is how life with the shore translates into adaptability towards environmental change. Life at the shore shapes emergent social relationships, local traditions, and collective memory. At the same time, issues such as tourism development, demographic change, and national and international administrations influence how environmental challenges in coastal areas are addressed. In this paper, I analyse how place-specific social structures and conflicting influences in ecotones affect adaptability to sea-level rise in coastal areas. This research draws on quantitative and qualitative data from a comparative study of two case studies, a coastal town and an archipelago, in Southwest England.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Social adaptability in ecotones: sea-level rise and climate change adaptation in Flushing and the Isles of Scilly, UK

Petzold¹

2018

ISJ

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“…My focus does not lie in showing how to assess the level of social capital in an island community or among its individuals (cf. Petzold and Ratter ). I rather analyse how the social capital is mobilised and how different islands' geographic contexts influence the relevance of social capital for adaptation to future climate change.…”

Section: Social Capitalmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Collective social capital is relevant for adaptation to climate change, especially in communities with a high degree of local knowledge and adaptive environmental management, such as small islands (cf. Petzold and Ratter ).…”

Section: Social Capitalmentioning

confidence: 96%

Limitations and opportunities of social capital for adaptation to climate change: a case study on the Isles of Scilly

Petzold¹

2015

Geographical Journal

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Small islands are among regions most affected by the impacts of global climate change. They are regarded as particularly vulnerable, but from a different point of view, island societies also feature a particular sociocultural resilience, which distinguishes them from continental societies. How do social structures increase the adaptive capacity of small islands towards sea-level rise? I consider the concept of social capital as applicable in order to understand the role of communities and collective action in a context of vulnerability and resilience. In this paper, I present results from a case study on the Isles of Scilly, UK. A mixed methods qualitative approach has been applied to analyse the various roles of social capital for the adaptation to climate change impacts on this small archipelago, which is representative of European small islands in an economically advanced, but isolated context. The Isles of Scilly are among the most vulnerable island regions in Europe. The results of the research contribute to the general discussion on social capital and the relevance of collective action for the adaptation to global climate change. How useful is the concept? And how relevant is it for small islands, such as the Isles of Scilly

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“…By using the concept of resilience we address both limitations and opportunities regarding small islands’ adaptability and avoid copying or dictating strategies from continents to islands (cf. Petzold & Ratter, ). Elements to achieve resilience include a society's capacity for renewal, learning, development and transformation – features that require a broad range of knowledge.…”

Section: Resilience Knowledge and Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competing knowledge systems and adaptability to sea‐level rise in The Bahamas

Petzold

Ratter²,

Holdschlag

2017

Area

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In times of climate change and global ecosystem degradation, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are both showcases and indicators for global social-ecological dynamics. Resilience is among the most prominent concepts to assess and improve communities' capacity to adapt to environmental changes, described as adaptability. But how environmental pressures are perceived, and how this perception translates into action and specific behavioural patterns, is regionally different and depends on cultural, historical and cognitive contexts. Within the cultural and regional framing, different knowledge systems can be identified, which affect perception of and behaviour towards environmental concerns. Knowledge systems can be competing, because they are influenced by different and changing cultural identities, experiences, worldviews, norms and (unequal) power relations. How do competing knowledge systems influence adaptability? And how can we learn from them, respectively? By means of qualitative and quantitative empirical research on The Bahamas, we show how different knowledge systems translate into different modes of responding to specific environmental pressures, such as sea-level rise. The understanding of historicity and temporality, experience and learning processes, and institutional settings, which frame people's knowledge of their environment, is important for understanding potentials for adaptability. K E Y W O R D Sadaptability, knowledge systems, resilience, sea-level rise, The Bahamas

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Climate change adaptation under a social capital approach – An analytical framework for small islands

Cited by 88 publications

References 34 publications

Social adaptability in ecotones: sea-level rise and climate change adaptation in Flushing and the Isles of Scilly, UK

Social adaptability in ecotones: sea-level rise and climate change adaptation in Flushing and the Isles of Scilly, UK

Limitations and opportunities of social capital for adaptation to climate change: a case study on the Isles of Scilly

Competing knowledge systems and adaptability to sea‐level rise in The Bahamas

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