Ground Zero' for Climate Crisis

Narratives About Climate Adaptation and Implications for Justice in Coastal Louisiana

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2292111
AutoresSimone Justine Domínguez (0000-0003-0385-3941, University of Oklahoma, autor correspondente)
Ano2023
Volume93
Fascículo2
Páginas296-319
Data de publicação2023-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSociological Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0038-0245 • E-ISSN: 1475-682X
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/soin.12526
OpenAlexW4311488299
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas44

Decisions about climate change adaptation are informed by technical information, but they are also shaped by social and political factors and impacted communities. Given the realities of a changing climate, more research is needed to examine how technically trained practitioners and other actors describe their work in relation to social and political factors. This article contributes to knowledge on this topic by analyzing the narratives of 62 organizational actors in coastal Louisiana. Actors include scientists, engineers, modelers, planners, project administrators, government staff, and non-profit employees working on climate adaptation and coastal risk reduction projects outlined in Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan. While scholars critique the Master Plan as overly technocratic, I show that people weave morals and values into narratives about science. However, I show how the motivations of acting boldly, morally, and urgently in the face of emergency clash with climate justice. Some individuals within these organizations do advocate for reforming or rethinking Master Plan projects to better serve coastal communities; however, these individuals also face resistance from colleagues who frame this work as secondary or outside of their organizational purview. To conclude, I argue that research connecting technical aspects of climate adaptation planning to power and social justice outcomes has the potential to bridge disciplinary divides

Adaptation (eye) · Climate change · Environmental ethics · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Vulnerability (computing) · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Disaster Management and Resilience · Law · Public Administration · Risk Perception and Management