People think differently about the way that climate change affects their lives, their communities, and their regions. Likewise, organizations differ in their capacity to adapt to climate change based on the way that they are structured, the resources they depend on, and their role in the community. In order to facilitate adaptation, it is important to understand how different people and organizations think about and respond to changes of all kinds.
A key element of this research project is to place climate change within the context of community values and resources. This means understanding what those values and resources are in order to identify specific ways that they may be impacted by a changing climate. In order to do this, interviews are being held with leaders and stakeholders across four communities in the study area. These interviews will also help to direct scientific modelling to ensure that the indicators being examined by scientists are in line with the values and concerns of communities.
Where it is not possible to scientifically model all of the values, this work will also identify opportunities for future research based on the perceived needs of community members. The initial interviews provide the foundation for future community engagement and scenario planning.
Dr. Ralph Matthews is leading the sociological research team from UBC’s Department of Sociology. The following links include more information on sociological research for this project.
Sociological Research Poster – presented at UBC CCA-SFM Conference, Feb, 2011.
More information and background documents can also be found in the Resources sectionof this website.
Overlooking Cow Bay, Prince Rupert.