Climate change and community resilience in Samoa

Bibliographic Data

ID20154091
AuthorsAnita Latai‐Niusulu (Department of Social Sciences National University of Samoa Apia Samoa), Tony Binns (0000-0003-1803-7218, Department of Geography University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand), Etienne Nel (0000-0002-8401-3698, Department of Geography University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume41
Issue1
Pages40-60
Publication date2020-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSingapore Journal of Tropical Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0129-7619 • E-ISSN: 1467-9493
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjtg.12299
OpenAlexW2979589563
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited33

Being resilient in the face of climate change seems especially important for island societies, which face the effects of rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, changing wind patterns and sea level rise. To date, most studies of adaptation and resilience among Pacific island communities have used indicators and methods rooted in Western science and neo‐classical economics. These have been criticized as being locally irrelevant and inadequate to appreciate the dynamic nature and social structures of island communities and their capacity to adapt. This paper challenges the paradigm that defines resilience as a return to equilibrium, by using a non‐equilibrium, cultural ecological lens. The non‐equilibrium view of resilience sees the social systems of island nations as highly dynamic and undergoing persistent adaptation in the face of changing environmental factors. Field‐based research undertaken in eight villages in Samoa found that, through constant exposure to environmental change over extended periods of time, communities have become resilient and are in a position to adapt to future changes. In developing future policy in relation to climate change, Pacific island governments need to develop a more nuanced understanding of islanders’ perceptions and historical actions in the context of both their physical locations and their dynamic socio‐cultural systems

Adaptation (eye) · Adaptive capacity · Climate change · Context (archaeology) · Economic geography · Environmental resource management · Face (sociological concept) · Geography · Psychological resilience · Resilience (materials science) · Social science · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Ecology · Environmental Science · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Regional resilience and development

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