The Dynamic Multiscale Nature of Climate Change Vulnerability: An Inuit Harvesting Example

Ford, James D.; McDowell, Graham; Shirley, Jamal; Pitre, Mike; Siewierski, Richard; Gough, William A.; Duerden, Frank; Pearce, Tristan; Adams, Peter; Statham, Sara

doi:10.1080/00045608.2013.776880

Cited by 120 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate change and variation to which any given agricultural system is exposed (maize yields here) and the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of agricultural systems [1]. Consistent with the general vulnerability scholarship [8,10,42,[45][46][47][48], vulnerability is here conceptualized as a function of: (1) the sensitivity of maize to droughts [8,49]; (2) the level of exposure of maize to droughts [8,49]; (3) the adaptive capacity of maize or the ability to absorb the shocks caused by the decline in precipitation, as well as the ability of farmers to adapt to changes [8,30,[50][51][52][53][54]. In our approach, we develop a sub-index for each of these components of vulnerability that incorporates agro-ecological, climatic and socio-economic aspects of vulnerability to droughts, combining them together to create a composite vulnerability index (Equation (1)) ( Figure 1):…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rain-fed character of agriculture in Africa presents significant challenges [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9], with small-scale farmers responsible for most agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and least equipped to adapt [10,11]. The need for new integrative approaches that monitor resilience, adaptive capacity, vulnerability and the sensitivity of African agriculture to droughts is urgent [12,13] because the effects of droughts will be reflected in the degree of vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of cropping systems [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability of Maize Yields to Droughts in Uganda

Epule

Ford

Lwasa

et al. 2017

Water

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Climate projections in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) forecast an increase in the intensity and frequency of droughts with implications for maize production. While studies have examined how maize might be affected at the continental level, there have been few national or sub-national studies of vulnerability. We develop a vulnerability index that combines sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity and that integrates agroecological, climatic and socio-economic variables to evaluate the national and spatial pattern of maize yield vulnerability to droughts in Uganda. The results show that maize yields in the north of Uganda are more vulnerable to droughts than in the south and nationally. Adaptive capacity is higher in the south of the country than in the north. Maize yields also record higher levels of sensitivity and exposure in the north of Uganda than in the south. Latitudinally, it is observed that maize yields in Uganda tend to record higher levels of vulnerability, exposure and sensitivity towards higher latitudes, while in contrast, the adaptive capacity of maize yields is higher towards the lower latitudes. In addition to lower precipitation levels in the north of the country, these observations can also be explained by poor soil quality in most of the north and socio-economic proxies, such as, higher poverty and lower literacy rates in the north of Uganda.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability of Maize Yields to Droughts in Uganda

Epule

Ford

Lwasa

et al. 2017

Water

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“…1 The burden of injury and trauma disproportionately affects socially marginalized populations, [2][3][4] and Indigenous populations in the Arctic have been identified as being particularly susceptible given social and environmental contexts. [5][6][7] Mortality rates of unintentional injury in the Inuit territory of Nunavut, for example, are more than twice the national average, and potential years of life lost (2,763 per 100,000) more than three-times the national average. 8,9 Climate change may further amplify injury rates in the Canadian Arctic, given the strong relationship between Inuit and the land for culturally-valued harvesting activities and transport between communities on semi-permanent ice and land-based trails.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5,9,14,15 However, by not accounting for exposure or quantity of travel on land, sea, or ice termed land-use previous studies do not capture links between environmental risk and injury. Without controlling for exposure, studies could simply be capturing fluctuations in land-use intensity, not risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8,9 Climate change may further amplify injury rates in the Canadian Arctic, given the strong relationship between Inuit and the land for culturally-valued harvesting activities and transport between communities on semi-permanent ice and land-based trails. 5,10,11 Over the past century in the Arctic, average surface air temperatures have increased by 5 o C, and perennial sea ice has declined by 9-14%; 12 Temperatures are projected to increase by an additional 2 o C to 9 o C this century, with wide ranging impacts. 13 Research suggests that more dynamic ice conditions and increasing unpredictability of the weather are increasing the risk of injury and raising demand for search and rescue (SAR) across the North.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of environmental factors in search and rescue incidents in Nunavut, Canada

et al. 2016

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Objectives: Unintentional injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nunavut, where the importance of land-based activities and reliance on semi-permanent trails creates unique risk profiles. Climate change is believed to be exacerbating these risks, although no studies have quantitatively examined links between environmental conditions and injury and distress in the Canadian Arctic. We examine the correlation between environmental conditions and land-based search and rescue (SAR) incidents across Nunavut. Study design: Case studyMethods: Case data was acquired from the Canadian National Search and Rescue Secretariat. Gasoline sales from across the territory are then used to model land-use and exposure. We compare weather and ice conditions during 202 SAR incidents to conditions during 755 non-SAR days (controls) between 2013 and 2014.Results: We show daily ambient temperature, ice concentration, ice thickness, and variation in types of ice to be correlated with SAR rates across the territory during the study period.Conclusions: These conditions are projected to be affected by future climate change, which could increase demand for SAR and increased injury rates in absence of targeted efforts aimed at prevention and treatment. This study provides health practitioners and public health communities with clearer understanding to prepare, respond to, and prevent injuries across the Arctic.

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Effects of climatically shifting species distributions on biocultural relationships

et al. 2019

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Local and Indigenous Peoples play critical roles in safeguarding global biological and cultural diversity. However, species distribution modelling has yet to incorporate perspectives that assess threats to the linked biological and cultural systems of local and Indigenous Peoples. Here, we provide the first example of integrating species distribution modelling with benefit‐relevant indicators. This novel approach assesses how human access to culturally important species may change over time. Focusing on two culturally significant species used by the Indigenous Māori people of New Zealand, we first identified predictor variables relevant to the habitat of each species. We used species distribution models (SDMs) to estimate the recent (1961–1990) potential distribution for each species based on occurrence records and predictor variables, then generated future climate suitability maps. Our models show that future suitability for one species shifts to the south, in line with changes in temperature and precipitation, while the second species range expands into higher latitudes, driven primarily by increased temperature. When we combined these models with knowledge of tribal boundaries and cultural practices, results indicated that these distributions might decrease access to culturally important plants. Future suitability for one species shifted substantially from where it is most valued for weaving, while the second species range expanded to include more of its primary medicinal users. Climate change‐mediated shifts in the ranges of these species are likely to affect intergenerational human–environment relationships, sense of place, cultural identity and knowledge on a regional scale, as well as cultural identity and social cohesion on a national scale. By interpreting SDMs within a socioecological framework, this research illustrates a new approach to assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change and identifies strategies for adaptation. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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The Dynamic Multiscale Nature of Climate Change Vulnerability: An Inuit Harvesting Example

Cited by 120 publications

References 59 publications

Vulnerability of Maize Yields to Droughts in Uganda

Vulnerability of Maize Yields to Droughts in Uganda

The role of environmental factors in search and rescue incidents in Nunavut, Canada

Effects of climatically shifting species distributions on biocultural relationships

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