Communities Preparing for Climate Change: Presentation & Roundtable Discussion

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1 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

2 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?

3 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

4 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

5 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

6 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)

7 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.

8 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

9 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

10 Community Sociology & Community Community Question? What is a community? Development 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

11 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

12 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.

13 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

14 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)

15 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

16 Basic Community Power Structures Pyramidal Coalitional Factional Amorphous

17 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.

18 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

19 Relationship of Community Action, Social Capital and Social Infrastructure Social Capital 1 Community Solidarity/Action Social Infrastructure 2 1 Structure and quality of social interaction among community residents that give rise to community solidarity. 2 Interactive aspects of community organizations/institutions that enhance community action.

20 Structure of U.S. Utility-Farm Partnerships USDA FAS CRP-CRSP Information FUNDING FUNDING SWCD Community CWS SWAPS Negotiated BMPs Incentives for Ag System Change Farmers

21 Synthetic Model of Agricultural Adaptation & Change Influences (Controls) Influences (Primary Interest) Outcome of Interest Farmer & Household Demographics Social Capital & Infrastructure Geographic and Spatial Factors Farm or County-level Adaptation/Change Land-use & Development Policy Macroeconomic/ Structural Factors

22 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

23 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

24 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