Communities Preparing for
Climate Change: Presentation &
Roundtable Discussion
Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Opportunities Conference
Presentation and facilitation by
Jeff S. Sharp, Ohio State University
Stephen Gasteyer, Michigan State University
Introductions/Group Question
About us
– Biases, rural,
To the group:
– How do you feel about your community’s
potential to manage the challenges (or
opportunities) of climate change?
Organization of Session
Climate Change & Community, an initial review of
the literature & key concepts
Insights from Community, Development and
Natural Resource Sociology
– Select Concepts/Theories/Findings
Our disciplinary bias and nascent research ideas
Open discussion
Important Concepts Mitigation: The reduction of heat-trapping
greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere
Adaptation: The range of adjustments of the environment or those taken by individuals, organizations, communities, or other entities to deal with the potential or experienced impacts of climate change
Concepts
Vulnerability The extent to which a natural or social system is susceptible to sustained damage from weather extremes, climate variability, and change (and other interactive stressors)
Adaptive capacity: The ability of a system to anticipate and adapt to the potential or experienced impacts of climate change. Sometimes equated with and other times distinguished from coping capacity
Concepts
Coping capacity: The ability of a system to deal with the impacts of present-day weather extremes or climate variability
Resilience: The ability of a system to absorb and rebound from the impacts from weather extremes, climate variability, or change and to continue functioning
Source: Luers and Moser (2006)
Stringing these concepts together
Vulnerability of any system (at any scale) is reflective of (or a function of) the exposure and sensitivity of that system to hazardous conditions and the ability or capacity or resilience of the system to cope, adapt or recover from the effects of these conditions. Adaptations are manifestations of adaptive capacity and they represent ways of reducing vulnerability.
Some possible purposes of
adaptation research
Figure out how to mitigate/moderate impacts
Evaluate adaptation options (rank options, assume capacity to decide and implement)
Assessments of adaptive capacity (or vulnerability)
– Identify especially threatened places and/or places with low capacity
Research to contribute to practical adaptation initiatives
Social dimensions of Adaptive
Capacity
Leadership, organizations and institutional
dimensions
Social and cultural attributes of the
community
– e.g. Social capital, such as trust, networks,
norms
Community Sociology & Community
Development
Community Question?
– What is a community?
– Do place based communities comprised of a population
and some amount of social interaction still exist (exurbia
as community?)
– Does place based community even matter anymore?
At the heart of the rural tradition, place based
community still matters; but no consensus in
sociology on this matter
Enter the Social Capital Concept
―Voluntary cooperation is easier in a community that has inherited a substantial stock of social capital, in the form of norms of reciprocity and networks of civic engagement.‖ Putnam (1993, p. 167)
Frequently identified elements of Social Capital.
– Networks, between and within groups
– Trust—both personal and institutional
Ambiguity and Debate
Individual or collective good?
– Rational Choice—social capital is a resource for
individual action. Example of job-seeking.
– Collective Good
Could allow social control by denying opportunities or social
sanctioning of group members
Conversely, may enable increased capacity for local action.
– Trust and awareness among community members may enable
quick response to disasters and also enable stronger collective
efforts for development.
Sampling of ideas from Community
& Natural Resource Sociology
Interactional Field Perspective
Social Capital/Community Capitals
Framework
Social Impact Assessment
Human ecology
Political economy
Social/Environmental Justice
Some foci with research supporting
importance of social/community
capacity
Economic Development
Land-use/Farmland Preservation
Community Food Systems
Natural Disasters
Natural Resource Management (Forest,
Fires & Water)
Interactional Field Theory
Fields of interaction attentive to a particular
community matter
Community field, generalized community
structures/leadership bridging, coordinating
and linking community interest and infusing
social fields
Social Infrastructure
– Swanson (1996) defines social infrastructure in terms of a community’s capacity, including decision-making, leadership, and organizational and social service capacity.
– Others note the importance of other social dimensions, including resource mobilization capacity, within community network structures and external linkages outside the community, and the community sensitivity to diversity and the existence of inclusive community level processes.
Social Capital in Practice
Community Development has been
engaged in social capital building since the
early days of extension
– Early extension agents engaged in ―social
capital‖ building as means of better delivering
programming and improving rural life (Sims,
1920)
Development ―of‖ community concept
Social
Capital1
Community
Solidarity/Action
Social
Infrastructure2
1Structure and quality of social interaction among community residents that give rise to community solidarity.2Interactive aspects of community organizations/institutions that enhance community action.
Relationship of Community Action,
Social Capital and Social
Infrastructure
Structure of U.S. Utility-Farm Partnerships
Farmers
Negotiated BMPs
SWCD
USDA FASCRP-CRSP
CWS
SWAPS
Community
Information FUNDING
Incentives for Ag System Change
FUNDING
Synthetic Model of Agricultural
Adaptation & Change Influences (Controls) Influences (Primary Interest) Outcome of Interest
Farmer &
Household
Demographics
Farm or
County-level
Adaptation/Change
Geographic and
Spatial Factors
Macroeconomic/
Structural Factors
Social Capital &
Infrastructure
Land-use &
Development
Policy
Community Food Systems
Example of a systemic appreciation for a community problem
Community Food Policy Processes
– Often encompass issues of justice, sustainability, rural & urban, etc.
– Require/challenge communities to expand the conversation and partners to best address the opportunities/challenges in the system
– Process might be as important as the outcome
Our intent
We know a lot about community, community
capacity, and development
Disciplinary challenge—may be limited by current
attentiveness to a sociology of community
problems
Research need, identify those community/social
organizaitonal capacities of community that
increase adaptive capacity/resiliance across a
spectrum of potential impacts/challenges