Intersectionality shapes adaptation to social-ecological change

Erwin, Anna; Ma, Zhao; Popovici, Ruxandra; O’Brien, Emma Patricia Salas; Zanotti, Laura; Zeballos, Eliseo Zeballos; Bauchet, Jonathan; Calderón, Nelly Ramirez; Larrea, Glenn Roberto Arce

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105282

Cited by 53 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Our study shows how social inequities and power relations surrounding access to fisheries resources and government aid make Indo-Fijians in the SSF sector vulnerable to economic stresses resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic and a severe tropical cyclone. While we showed differences in vulnerability experienced by different SSF actors, future research should further problematise differentiations within Indo-Fijians as a group, and explore how gender, class, livelihood, and ethnicity produce variations in how people live, experience, and adapt ( Afriyie et al, 2018 ; Erwin et al, 2021 ). External stresses like pandemics and natural disasters, viewed through an intersectional lens, expose uneven patterns of vulnerability that ultimately stem from long-term political economies of resource use and access ( Adger, 2006 ; Eakin and Luers, 2006 ; Sovacool et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…This requires descriptive studies to create a baseline for further explorations of vulnerability. Conceptualising vulnerabilities from an intersectionality lens is essential in framing recovery to avoid further marginalisation of certain groups of people ( Erwin et al, 2021 ). One of the greatest challenges for countries is to simultaneously be planning for short- and long-term economic recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Politics of vulnerability: Impacts of COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold on Indo-Fijians engaged in small-scale fisheries

Mangubhai¹,

Nand²,

Reddy³

et al. 2021

Environmental Science & Policy

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of our health, social, and economic systems. While responding to the health crisis, governments are scrambling to understand and address the knock-on economic effects from market disruptions, and respond to other major disturbances (e.g. natural disasters). We conducted 61 key informant interviews with Indo-Fijian small-scale fisheries (SSF) actors (i.e. fishers, boat owners (that may or may not fish), crew members, and traders) in May 2020, two months after Fiji got its first case of COVID-19 and a month after Cyclone Harold hit the country. We examined how these SSF groups whose access to resources depends on their ability to navigate existing social relations of power, have lived through, experienced, and responded to the two stresses. We found the main impact of COVID-19 on SSF actors was the reduction in sales of fish (73.8 % of respondents) likely a result of reduction in local consumption and/or the loss of tourism markets. Loss of purchasing power meant almost a fifth of Indo-Fijian SSF actors interviewed (comprising 44.4 % of crew members, 16.4 % fishers, 11.5 % boat owners, 8.3 % traders) were unable to obtain sufficient food to meet their families’ daily needs. Many of these SSF actors do not have access to social security or similar safety nets leaving them vulnerable to the current crisis as well as to other shocks and changes. Furthermore, social inequities and power relations surrounding access to fisheries resources and government aid contributed to their vulnerability to economic stresses from COVID-19 and a severe cyclone. An understanding of early impacts of COVID-19 on SSF through an intersectional lens can assist decision-makers to quickly mobilise assistance to help people who are most vulnerable, and avoid widening inequities among social groups.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics of vulnerability: Impacts of COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold on Indo-Fijians engaged in small-scale fisheries

Mangubhai¹,

Nand²,

Reddy³

et al. 2021

Environmental Science & Policy

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“…The https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss3/art27/ farmers interviewed for our study conveyed a sense of urgency in needing quick solutions to their concrete problems, such as a predictable window for crop planting and an effective system for water-saving irrigation. Our research indicates that farmers might prefer non-local assistance for quick and targeted problem solving (Popovici et al 2021), at least in the short term, but may not have the power-sharing structures in place that coproduction processes promote. In contrast, approaches such as knowledge coproduction that are lengthy and time-intensive may not be able to keep up with the urgency at which changes are needed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…In contrast, approaches such as knowledge coproduction that are lengthy and time-intensive may not be able to keep up with the urgency at which changes are needed. Nor do they acknowledge the difficulties that arise in situations where local resource users have reduced capacity or prefer not to engage in initiatives that require extensive in-person and verbal participation (Cleaver 1999, Popovici et al 2021. To be effective, long-term institution-building initiatives should be paired with short-term solutions such as targeted consultations that address specific and immediate local needs while continuing to address overall processual and power-sharing features of integrating ILK into policy decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first stream emphasizes the importance of recognizing, reviving, and interweaving ILK systems into mainstream policy decisions at various scales. In small-scale agricultural communities with diverse identities (Erwin et al 2021), ILK systems are considered essential for many reasons, including ensuring food security, fostering community well-being, and contributing to biodiversity conservation of native crop species (Lane andJarvis 2007, Arteaga andBurbano 2018). Because rural agricultural communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change (Sanga et al 2013), many studies have emphasized the importance of incorporating ILK systems into adaptation strategies that would increase farmer resiliency to the consequences of climate change in a way that aligns with ILK and decision-making institutions (Armitage et al 2011, Postigo 2014, Burnham et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How do Indigenous and local knowledge systems respond to climate change?

Popovici¹,

Moraes²,

Ma³

et al. 2021

E&S

Self Cite

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Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) systems are critical for achieving biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and other environmental goals. However, ILK systems around the world are increasingly threatened by multiple stressors.Our study assesses the effect of climate change on ILK held by crop farmers in Peru's Colca Valley. We collected qualitative data on farmers' ILK through semi-structured interviews, which we supplemented with climatological trend analysis in four Colca Valley districts. We found that shifts in the rainy season together with warmer weather affected farmers' ILK, which was less effective for informing crop planting and irrigation practices in the context of climate uncertainty and unpredictability. Changing and uncertain ILK poses obstacles to adaptation strategies that require long-term institution building from local resource users, who may prioritize short-term solutions addressing urgent needs.

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Governing intersectional climate justice: Tactics and lessons from Barcelona

Amorim‐Maia,

Anguelovski,

Chu

et al. 2023

Env Pol Gov

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Cities and local governments are important actors in the global governance of climate change; however, the specific governance principles and arrangements that enable urban climate plans and policies to realize commitments to social equity and justice remain largely unexplored. This article uses the City of Barcelona, Spain, as a critical case study of emerging “intersectional climate justice” practice, where plans to build resilience to climate change are pursued in conjunction with efforts to tackle structural inequalities in accessing the built environment, health services, energy, housing, and transportation experienced by frontline communities. The study illustrates how Barcelona and its community partners do this through four different categories of governance and decision‐making tactics, which include: (1) experimenting with disruptive planning strategies; (2) working transversally across agencies and actors to institutionalize climate justice over time; (3) putting care at the center of urban planning; and (4) mobilizing place‐based approaches to tackle intersecting vulnerabilities of frontline residents. These tactics seek to redistribute the benefits of climate‐resilient infrastructures more fairly and to enhance participatory processes more meaningfully. Finally, we assess the limitations and challenges of mobilizing these tactics in everyday urban politics. Barcelona's experience contributes to research on climate governance by challenging the notion of distinct waves of governance and revealing concurrent dimensions of climate urbanism that coexist spatially and temporally. Our research also illustrates lessons for fairer climate governance in the city, where different tactics are mobilized to address structural and intersecting socioeconomic vulnerabilities that exacerbate the experience of climate change of frontline residents.

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Intersectionality shapes adaptation to social-ecological change

Cited by 53 publications

References 94 publications

Politics of vulnerability: Impacts of COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold on Indo-Fijians engaged in small-scale fisheries

Politics of vulnerability: Impacts of COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold on Indo-Fijians engaged in small-scale fisheries

How do Indigenous and local knowledge systems respond to climate change?

Governing intersectional climate justice: Tactics and lessons from Barcelona

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