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

Basic Community Power

Structures

Pyramidal Coalitional

Factional Amorphous

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

What are your needs?

What are the immediate needs to enhance

coping capacity?

How do we build adaptive capacity for

challenges to be realized in the next

generation?

– It might take generation(s) to develop enduring

community/organizational capacity