James  D.  Ford  KC  Bolton,  J  Shirley,  T  Pearce,    

M  Tremblay,  M  Westlake        www.jamesford.ca      IPY  Conference,  Montreal,  April  23rd  2012    

Mapping  the  human  dimensions  of  climate  change  research  in  the  Canadian  Arctic  

•  Explosion  of  human  dimensions  of  climate  change  (HDCC)  research    •  6,800  hits  for  CC  and  adaptation    

•  Similar  trend  in  Canadian  Arctic  

Introduction    

•  Need  to  keep  track  of  publishing  trends  •  Research  duplication    •  Gaps  neglected    

•  Project  aim:  what  we  know  about  HDCC  in  eastern  Canadian  Arctic  (Nunavut,  Nunavik,  Nunatsiavut)  

The  Challenge  

•  How  to  do  a  lit  review?    •  ‘Narrative’  literature  reviews  •  IPCC,  ACIA,  National  assessments  •  Comprehensive  BUT  transparency,  replicability  

•  Systematic  lit  review  methodology  •  Address  specific  question    •  Systematic  and  explicit  methods  •  Aim  for  replicability  and  external  validation  •  (e.g.  Ford  and  Pearce  2010  in  Env  Res  Letters;  Ford  et  al  2011  in  Climatic  Change  )    

Methodology    

•  Search  procedure    •  2070  initial  hits    •  117  articles  retained  for  full  review    

•  Analysis    •  Quantitative  coding  scheme  •  Qualitative  analysis    

Methodology  

Rapid  growth  in  HDCC  research  

ArcticNet  &  Nasivvik  

established  

IPY  begins    

INAC  &  FNIHB  CC  projects  

Harper  elected    

ACIA  published  

Canadian  National  

Assessment  published  

Canada  ratifies  Kyoto  

#  pub

lications

 

Year    

•  Social  sciences  •  Vulnerability  /  impacts  assessment  •  Identification  of  adaptation  options    •  Resource  management    

•  Biophysical  sciences    •  Animal  populations  (polar  bears,  caribou)  

•  Health  sciences    •  Slow  to  emerge  •  Food  security  and  safety  focus  predominant    

The  social  sciences  and  increasingly  prominent    

•  Major  development  in  recent  work  •  Documenting  change  •  Knowledge  system  evolution    •  Characterize  vulnerability  &  resilience    •  Underpinning  adaptive  capacity  

•  BUT  •  Need  for  critical  reflection  on  methodology  to  incorporate  TK  

TK  is  widely  utilized  in  HDCC  studies  

Stakeholder  engagement  increasing  

}  Author  analysis  }  2005  first  paper  authored  with  community  members  

Stakeholder  engagement  increasing  

}  Author  analysis  }  2005  first  paper  authored  with  community  members  

}  42%  authors  geography  /  env.  sciences      }  24%  ecology  }  8%  health  sciences  }  17%  earth  &  atmospheric  science    }  0%  law,  economics  

•  Regional  analysis  •  39%  NU  •  9%  Nunavik  •  4%  Nunatsiavut  •  21%  Arctic  generally    

•  Research  hotspots  •  Small,  traditional  settlements  overrepresented  

•  Large  number  of  communities  with  no  research  (see  online  google  map)  

Significant  geographic  disparities  in  publishing    

Sectoral  disparities  pronounced  

•  Address  geographic  disparities    •  Need  for  broader  spread  of  studies  to  allow  for  

generalization    •  Address  sectoral  bias  •  Business  &  economy  (mining  in  particular,  

tourism,  fisheries)  •  Opportunities  from  CC  

•  Health  

 

Research  needs    

•  Future  focus  •  What  do  future  scenarios  mean  

•  Adaptation  research  •  Effectiveness,  durability,  socio-­‐economic  and  ecological  implications,  long  term  viability  and  cost  

•  Vulnerable  sub-­‐groups    

Research  needs    

•  We  know  a  lot    •  2.7  articles  per  1000  people  

•  Take  stock  every  5  years    •  Same  methodology  –  track  evolution  of  knowledge  

•  To  read  more:  Ford  J  et  al  (in  press).  A  literature  review  and  gap  analysis  of  human  dimensions  of  climate  change  research  in  Nunavut,  Nunavik,  and  Nunatsiavut.  Arctic.    

 

Conclusion  

Thank-­‐You      

Stakeholder  engagement  increasing  

}  Author  analysis