Climate change adaptation under a social capital approach – An analytical framework for small islands

Highlights

• Small islands are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than continental regions.

• Islands feature a high degree of resilience through dense social networks, collective action, norms of reciprocity, relations of trust.

• Social capital is particularly relevant for climate change adaptation on small islands.

• A step-by-step approach to analyse potentials of social capital for the adaptation to climate change.

• An assessment of social capital, hazard mapping, and the analysis of political and economic capacity.

Abstract

Small islands are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than most continental regions. However, islands also feature a high degree of resilience through resources from dense social networks, such as collective action, norms of reciprocity, and relations of trust. Therefore, we argue that these resources – generally defined as social capital – are particularly relevant for climate change adaptation on small islands.

Current research on the role of social capital for communities covers many different aspects, such as local knowledge, economic development, and political capacity. But effective adaptation relies on understanding the role of social capital for these aspects in connection to the specific impacts of climate change – a holistic approach is needed.

Based on empirical case studies we developed an analytical framework that provides a step-by-step approach to help analyse the potential of social capital for the adaptation to climate change in island-specific case studies. These steps, among others, include an assessment of social capital, hazard mapping, and the analysis of political and economic capacity. Moreover, the framework suggests methods on how to analyse these steps.

Introduction

The current debate on the hazardous consequences of global climate change puts small islands in the focus of scientific (cp. Kelman and Khan, 2013, Nurse et al., 2014) and public attention – most recently after the impact of cyclone Pam on Vanuatu (Climate Policy Observer, 2015). A significant rise in sea level has already been noted and in future a further increase is expected – whether global CO₂ emissions will be reduced or not (Church et al., 2011, Mimura et al., 2007, Nurse et al., 2014). Among the most affected regions from sea-level rise are low-latitude coastal areas and islands – and small islands in particular (Kelman and West, 2009). Apart from these future threats, small islands are and often have been regarded as particularly vulnerable places. Due to problems such as very limited natural resources, social fragmentation and economic disadvantages on the global market, small islands are vulnerable not only to environmental stresses.

Some scholars, however, suggest that island societies feature a particular socio-cultural resilience, which distinguishes them from continental societies (Campbell, 2009, Turner et al., 1996). The anticipated vulnerability may even lead not only to particular economic and political conditions but also to particular social structures. We argue that adaptation to climate change impacts such as rising sea levels and increased storm surges requires collective action, as adaptation is not only a technical obligation, but a social and political challenge as well. Only by understanding how social features are integrated into local actions and decision-making, and which role collective memory and civil society plays for the effectiveness and acceptance of adaptation measures, community resilience towards sea-level rise can be effectively promoted.

This paper analyses the role of so-called social capital in the context of adaptive capacity on small islands. Despite the concept's lack of a universal definition and its disputed interpretation, it offers a perspective on the effects of collective action and civil society on various scales in the context of adaptation to climate change. Chapter 2 of the paper deals with different perspectives on island vulnerability and resilience followed by a focus on the concept of social capital (chapter 3). The fourth chapter applies insights from empirical case studies to integrate island resilience and social capital into the discourse about collective action for adaptation to climate change and highlights its explanatory power for the discussed research question. This is the basis for the resulting analytical framework (chapter 5) for analysing the role of social capital for adaptation to sea-level rise on small islands. Finally, the conclusion highlights the value of such a framework for empirical case studies.