A Framework for Disaster Vulnerability in a Small Island in the Southwest Pacific: A Case Study of Emae Island, Vanuatu

Jackson, G. V. H.; McNamara, Karen E.; Witt, Bradd

doi:10.1007/s13753-017-0145-6

Cited by 42 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Such vulnerability can be caused by a reliance on climate sensitive sectors (e.g. fisheries and agriculture), low incomes, insufficient infrastructure, high levels of population growth, limited food and water security, constrained health and education systems, inadequate power and decision making, and geographic and historical factors (Ayers and Forsyth 2009;Heltberg, Siegel and Jorgensen 2009;Jackson, McNamara and Witt 2017).…”

Section: Research Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite high levels of internal resilience, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which include all self-governing Pacific Island Countries (PICs) (Barnett and Campbell 2010), have been labelled as some of the most vulnerable places in the world to climate change. This is largely due to a combination of high exposure to climate change impacts as well as a range of underlying social, historical, political, and economic vulnerabilities exacerbated by comparative smallness and remoteness (Huq and Reid 2007;Jackson, McNamara and Witt 2017;Kelman 2014). Climate change impacts experienced in PICs are predominantly coastal and include rising sea levels, intensification of cyclones resulting in increased storm surge extent, coastal erosion, and changing rainfall patterns (Chand, Tory, Ye and Walsh 2016;IPCC 2014c;Keener et al 2012).…”

Section: Research Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is not to discount a biophysical hazard, but rather view it and account for it after understanding the contextual elements of the system first. As O'Brien et al (2007: 76) Despite such definitional ambiguities, and a lack of consensus of what vulnerability means in the current academic literature, practice, and policy there is a general acceptance that vulnerability refers to the combination of the exposure of a system to outside perturbation, and the potential of that system to be harmed (Jackson, McNamara and Witt 2017;Tu'akoi et al 2018). As such, vulnerability to climate change refers to both the severity of a climate related impact (such as sea-level rise, increased storm surge activity, drought, increased temperatures, tidal inundation), coupled with the propensity of the associated social and/or physical system to be harmed by such climatic impacts.…”

Section: Vulnerability To Climate Change In Pacific Island Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sensitivity refers to the interface between environments (including climate change) and people (MacMahon 2017), namely the likelihood of a system (social or physical) to be adversely affected by a climate change event (Adger 2006). There are many factors that can contribute to sensitivity (otherwise referred to as susceptibility), and include historical, social, economic, physical, cultural, environmental, and institutional factors (Jackson, McNamara and Witt 2017;Kumar et al 2018). Sensitivity is strongly linked to the livelihood resources available to people.…”

Section: Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ensor, Park, Hoddy and Ratner (2015: 39) define adaptive capacity as "the ability of social actors to make deliberate changes that influence the resilience of their complex social-ecological systems". Adaptive capacity has also been referred to as livelihood resilience within the literature (Jackson, McNamara and Witt 2017;Tanner et al 2014).…”

Section: Adaptive Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the effectiveness of planned adaptation in rural Pacific Island communities: case studies from Fiji and Kiribati

Piggott-McKellar¹

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Rural coastal communities in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are amongst the world's most vulnerable to climate change. This is due to a combination of both high physical exposure (from sea-level rise, increasingly intensified storm surges, tidal inundation, and coastal erosion) as well as a range of underlying social, cultural, historical, economic, and physical factors that generate and drive vulnerability. As such, a plethora of adaptation projects intended to assist such communities in reducing their vulnerability to experienced and future climate change impacts have emerged, with the Pacific Region receiving the highest per capita climate aid globally. Owing to the inadequacies of traditional top-down approaches in achieving successful outcomes for communities, projects implemented at the community level, known commonly as community-based adaptation (CBA) and seen as a bottom-up approach, have been increasingly implemented. Yet, if such projects have been effective in reducing the vulnerability of targeted groups remains equivocal owing in part to the limited (yet growing) empirical case study material.This thesis aims to better understand if community adaptation projects implemented in rural coastal communities in PICs have been successful in providing sustained outcomes and benefits, and further provide insights into how adaptation can be improved in the future. This is achieved through a review of CBA projects published in the grey literature (Chapter 2.0), and three in-depth qualitative case studies across the tripartite of adaptation responses: retreat, protect, and accommodate from communities in both Fiji and Kiribati (Chapter 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0). In total, 16 focus groups (FGs) and 41 interviews were undertaken with a total of 205 participants.First, a review of CBA grey literature is undertaken to gain a snapshot of CBA initiatives globally and explore the main barriers to adaptation success. The grey literature reviewed included reports undertaken by donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and international NGOs (INGOs). These reports hold a wealth of information on, and lessons about, CBA as these are the organisations often responsible for implementing and reporting on projects. In undertaking this review it was found that the most common barriers to adaptation success 3 were cognitive and behavioural. These barriers reveal limited interest by community members in CBA projects, as well as projects not being in line with the social and cultural views of target communities. This raises questions about the usefulness and role of CBA in reducing people's vulnerability to climate change impacts in future adaptation efforts. Further, this review detailed the need for evaluation of adaptation from the perspective of those adaptation has been implemented to assist -that of the community.Next, this thesis contributes to the dearth of in-depth case studies, especially those evaluating adaptation from community perspectives. This is achieved through providing an in-depth case study across each of the ...

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Section: Research Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vulnerability To Climate Change In Pacific Island Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%