Influence of socio-economic stressors on interpretations of climate change on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea
Anke Mösinger
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.
Mösinger A. (2019) Influence of socio-economic stressors on interpretations of climate change on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea. Journal de la Société des océanistes (149): 224-234. 10.4000/jso.11312
@article{Mösinger2019,
Title = {Influence of socio-economic stressors on interpretations of climate change on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea},
Author = {Mösinger, Anke},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Journal de la Société des océanistes},
Year = {2019},
Pages = {224-234},
Doi = {10.4000/jso.11312},
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.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Mösinger, Anke
TI - Influence of socio-economic stressors on interpretations of climate change on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea
T2 - Journal de la Société des océanistes
PY - 2019
SP - 224-234
DO - 10.4000/jso.11312
AB - 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.
ER -
