Human dimensions of environmental change in small island developing states: some common themes

Weir, Tony; Pittock, Jamie

doi:10.1007/s10113-017-1135-3

Cited by 20 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This study validates that climate analyses and policies in American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands were located at the periphery of analyses and implementation as prior studies illustrate how independent states are the principal focus in climate-change planning and adaptation (Weir & Pittock, 2017). The situation is, indeed, complex when dealing with how the United States Territories work with each other and their neighbours.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Many of the previous Pacific Small Island States' (PSIS) studies have focused on independent islands' climate-change forecasts, imminent exposure to climate-change effects, and the lack of political and related resources for coping with those effects (Betzold, 2010;Docherty & Giannini, 2009;Jacobs, 2005;Robinson, 2015;Schofield, 2009;Weir & Pittock, 2017). Additionally, studies have shown that island assessments often ignore other developmentrelated issues on islands with the blame inadvertently shifting to a catch-all climate-change category, when, in fact, other social and infrastructural challenges abound and need to be addressed (Kelman, 2014).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change perceptions and preparation in the United States territories in the Pacific: American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Schwebel¹

2018

ISJ

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ABSTRACT:The association between and among climate change, preparation, and perceptions on islands is becoming more commonplace-but what about on extraterritorial land governed from thousands of miles away? This article consists of on-the-ground fieldwork and interviews speaking with decision-makers and leadership personnel in American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on the following topics: how climate change is addressed, what the general attitude on-island is towards climate change, if islands' proximities to independent countries affect the territories' preparation, and if being a part of the United States is considered an asset in planning for climate change. The results from the study show that up until very recently, climate change was not readily discussed, and, when it had been, it was often only discussed with concern for ocean life. Additionally, respondents lamented that often their non-US neighbours were able to better prepare, but US territories were either outright excluded due to their tertiary sovereignties or due to lack of representation from the Federal Government at meetings. Research herein illustrates that being a territory of the United States was considered an asset in many respects due to the hypothetical protection and funding available in the event of major disaster. An emerging theme from the study is that the American territories in the Pacific sit within the margins and periphery of climate-change planning within the United States and are behind many of their neighbours in both their perceptions and preparation efforts of the effects of a changing climate.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change perceptions and preparation in the United States territories in the Pacific: American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Schwebel¹

2018

ISJ

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“…Many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are already facing the negative consequences of climate change (Weir & Pittock, 2017). Although there are substantial differences among SIDS, they generally share development challenges in combination with their small and remote character and susceptibility to natural disasters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are substantial differences among SIDS, they generally share development challenges in combination with their small and remote character and susceptibility to natural disasters. Common problems in SIDS are land degradation, marine pollution and biodiversity loss, partially caused by urbanization and population growth (Barnett, 2011;Betzold, 2015;Wairiu, 2017;Weir, Dovey, & Orcherton, 2017;Weir & Pittock, 2017). Climate change exacerbates these problems through changes in rainfall patterns, sea-level rise, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and extreme weather events (Betzold, 2015;Mortreux & Barnett, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-based adaptation to climate change in small island developing states: an analysis of the role of social capital

Hagedoorn

Brander

Beukering

et al. 2019

Climate and Development

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In the context of climate change, small island developing states (SIDS) need to engage in adaptation efforts. Due to the rural, remote and specific institutional characteristics of SIDS, these efforts are commonly implemented at the community level. Therefore, the adaptive capacity of the community is an essential attribute of the adaptation process. With a focus on the role of social capital, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of determinants of household intention to participate in community adaptation projects, using data from a household survey and discrete choice experiment conducted in a coastal community in the Federated States of Micronesia. The results reveal that expectation of high climate change risks and strong sense of social capital enhance adaptive capacity. Participation in community activities and perception of threats to the social group in question are important components of social capital in determining adaptive capacity. Household size, income diversification, and very high resource dependency are negatively related to the household's intention to contribute to community adaptation and therefore adaptive capacity. These results provide crucial insights for the design and implementation of community adaptation projects in SIDS.

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“…Some governmentse.g., Mozambique, Solomon Islandsare formulating planned relocation policies, including as a component of National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) (Warner et al, 2014). There are to date, however, few sites where climate-related relocation has been implemented (Burkett, 2015;Hino et al, 2017;Lipset, 2013;McNamara et al, 2018;Weir & Pittock, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Planned relocation and everyday agency in low‐lying coastal villages in Fiji

McMichael

Katonivualiku²,

Powell

2019

Geographical Journal

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Relocation of communities is widely expected to be an adaptive response to sea‐level rise, albeit a last resort after exhausting other adaptation options. It is a phenomenon, however, from which there are few examples to learn. This paper examines relocation processes underway in three low‐lying coastal villages in Fiji, each affected by coastal erosion and flooding. Drawing on the concept of “everyday agency,” it considers how environmental changes and planned relocation initiatives are resisted, accommodated, or shaped through daily activities and decision‐making. For residents of these three villages, climate change adaptation is not only a matter of adapting to environmental changes, but a process of actively steering a way through unfolding dimensions of planned relocation. The findings respond to increasingly audible calls to recognise the agency of people living in climate‐vulnerable places, and to highlight everyday responses to climate impacts and adaptation initiatives.

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Human dimensions of environmental change in small island developing states: some common themes

Cited by 20 publications

References 31 publications

Climate change perceptions and preparation in the United States territories in the Pacific: American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Climate change perceptions and preparation in the United States territories in the Pacific: American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Community-based adaptation to climate change in small island developing states: an analysis of the role of social capital

Planned relocation and everyday agency in low‐lying coastal villages in Fiji

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