Mösinger, Anke (2019) Influence of socio-economic stressors on interpretations of climate change on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea. Journal de la société des océanistes (149). pp. 224-234. DOI https://doi.org/10.4000/jso.11312.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

The global media widely reports low-lying South Pacific islands as being rendered imminently uninhabitable by the effects of anthropogenic climate change. The impacts climate change has on these islands must be adequately addressed, yet there is often a stark contrast between what the media reports and what people on the ground perceive occurring. On Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea, socio-economic conditions, more than environmental ones, are presently at the forefront of concern and debate. This paper focuses on three main environmental changes observed by local residents, namely increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, shoreline erosion, and salinization of garden plots. It then explores how specific socio-economic conditions, such as high reliance on imported food, increased population mobility and lack of livelihood opportunities influence local interpretations of the information about climate change received from external sources, including increasingly mobile Takuu Islanders. In order to optimize the effectiveness of future climate change adaptation initiatives in the South Pacific, it is imperative to take into account the particularities of local contexts.

Document Type:	Article
Programme Area:	UNSPECIFIED
Research affiliation:	Social Sciences > Social-Ecological Systems Analysis
Refereed:	Yes
Open Access Journal?:	No
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.4000/jso.11312
ISSN:	0300-953X
Date Deposited:	11 May 2020 09:44
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2022 11:01
URI:	http://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/3720

Actions (login required)

View Item