Community-led initiatives for climate adaptation and mitigation

Abstract

Planning for climate change is complex. There is some uncertainty about how quickly the climate will change and what the anticipated localised effects will be. There are also governance questions, for instance, who has the mandate to make decisions around the management of collective resources (like council infrastructure) and private property. Underlying these questions are issues of justice, equity and agencywho pays for the costs of adaptation and mitigation, and how do decision-makers engage with communities when what is ultimately needed is transformational socioeconomic change? We use a case study in Te Awa Kairangi-Lower Hutt, Wellington, to show how a community initiative called Common Unity Project Aotearoa (CUPA) is fostering everyday practices of adaptation and mitigation amongst people who have traditionally had limited participation in more formal planning processes. We use the example of CUPA to demonstrate the significance of local community-led development initiatives for adapting to a changing climate. We argue that local government engagement with people around climate change cannot be separated from broader community development and wellbeing initiatives, and needs to be understood as longer term processes, rather than one-off project consultations.

Retrofitting an emergency approach to the climate crisis: A study of two climate emergency declarations in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…(2015) and Honig (2014) among others have argued, there is a need for more varied empirical research into how emergency approaches are being adapted and retrofitted for climate change governance and activism, including at a local scale. For instance, our study resonates with calls by Simon et al. (2020) that there remain considerable challenges with the existing suite of local government policies and planning tools for facilitating the necessary transformative change on climate issues.…”

“…As scholars like Adey et al (2015) and Honig (2014) among others have argued, there is a need for more varied empirical research into how emergency approaches are being adapted and retrofitted for climate change governance and activism, including at a local scale. For instance, our study resonates with calls by Simon et al (2020) that there remain considerable challenges with the existing suite of local government policies and planning tools for facilitating the necessary transformative change on climate issues. Also needed is to explore possibilities for different sets of relations between the state and social movements in ways that integrate climate justice and generate participation while addressing the urgency of climate change (Routledge et al, 2018).…”

Path Dependency and Future Adaptation of Coastal Cities: Examples From the Asia-Pacific

“…Several current community-based adaptation planning initiatives are underway. For example, the Common Unity Project Aotearoa (CUPA) initiative in Te Awa Kairangi/ Lower Hutt encourages participation from those who have not traditionally been included in decision-making processes and also focuses on broader community development and wellbeing initiatives (Simon et al, 2020).…”

Realist Review of Interventions Influencing Waste Management and Minimization Practices in New Zealand: Protocol and Initial Program Theory

“…Ten pieces of literature were selected in an initial rapid literature review, covering academic and gray literature (Table 1) (Blumhardt, 2018; Kawharu, 2018; Matata-Sipu, 2018; Ministry for the Environment, 2017; Pauling & Ataria, 2010; Piddock, 2018; Simon et al, 2019; The Councils of the Wellington Region, 2017; The ReMakery; Tucker & Farrelly, 2016). The criteria for selection were: relevant to the topic of waste management and minimization from New Zealand; detailed enough to identify context, mechanisms and outcomes; published within the last 10 years; and, Māori initiatives or viewpoints were given priority.…”