IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v119y2013i2p519-531.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perceptions of climate change: Linking local and global perceptions through a cultural knowledge approach

Author

Listed:
  • Beatrice Crona
  • Amber Wutich
  • Alexandra Brewis
  • Meredith Gartin

Abstract

Understanding public perceptions of climate change is fundamental to both climate science and policy because it defines local and global socio-political contexts within which policy makers and scientists operate. To date, most studies addressing climate change perceptions have been place-based. While such research is informative, comparative studies across sites are important for building generalized theory around why and how people understand and interpret climate change and associated risks. This paper presents a cross-sectional study from six different country contexts to illustrate a novel comparative approach to unraveling the complexities of local vs global perceptions around climate change. We extract and compare ‘cultural knowledge’ regarding climate change using the theory of ‘culture as consensus’. To demonstrate the value of this approach, we examine cross-national data to see if people within specific and diverse places share ideas about global climate change. Findings show that although data was collected using ethnographically derived items collected through place-based methods we still find evidence of a shared cultural model of climate change which spans the diverse sites in the six countries. Moreover, there are specific signs of climate change which appear to be recognized cross-culturally. In addition, results show that being female and having a higher education are both likely to have a positive effect on global cultural competency of individuals. We discuss these result in the context of literature on environmental perceptions and propose that people with higher education are more likely to share common perceptions about climate change across cultures and tentatively suggest that we appear to see the emergence of a ‘global’, cross-cultural mental model around climate change and its potential impacts which in itself is linked to higher education. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Beatrice Crona & Amber Wutich & Alexandra Brewis & Meredith Gartin, 2013. "Perceptions of climate change: Linking local and global perceptions through a cultural knowledge approach," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 519-531, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:119:y:2013:i:2:p:519-531
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-013-0708-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10584-013-0708-5
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-013-0708-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ian Savage, 1993. "Demographic Influences on Risk Perceptions," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(4), pages 413-420, August.
    2. Matthew Bunce & Sergio Rosendo & Katrina Brown, 2010. "Perceptions of climate change, multiple stressors and livelihoods on marginal African coasts," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 407-440, June.
    3. David Etkin & Elise Ho, 2007. "Climate Change: Perceptions and Discourses of Risk," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(5), pages 623-641, July.
    4. Will R. Turner & Michael Oppenheimer & David S. Wilcove, 2009. "A force to fight global warming," Nature, Nature, vol. 462(7271), pages 278-279, November.
    5. Gian-Reto Walther & Eric Post & Peter Convey & Annette Menzel & Camille Parmesan & Trevor J. C. Beebee & Jean-Marc Fromentin & Ove Hoegh-Guldberg & Franz Bairlein, 2002. "Ecological responses to recent climate change," Nature, Nature, vol. 416(6879), pages 389-395, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Islam, Moinul & Kotani, Koji & Managi, Shunsuke, 2016. "Climate perception and flood mitigation cooperation: A Bangladesh case study," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 117-133.
    2. Stefano Predieri & Marta Cianciabella & Giulia Maria Daniele & Edoardo Gatti & Nico Lippi & Massimiliano Magli & Chiara Medoro & Federica Rossi & Camilla Chieco, 2023. "Italian Consumers’ Awareness of Climate Change and Willingness to Pay for Climate-Smart Food Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Adelle Thomas & Lisa Benjamin, 2018. "Perceptions of climate change risk in The Bahamas," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(1), pages 63-72, March.
    4. Sanober Naheed & Salman Shooshtarian, 2021. "A Review of Cultural Background and Thermal Perceptions in Urban Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Nelson Chanza & Walter Musakwa, 2022. "Indigenous local observations and experiences can give useful indicators of climate change in data-deficient regions," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(3), pages 534-546, September.
    6. Nelson Chanza & Walter Musakwa, 2021. "“Trees Are Our Relatives”: Local Perceptions on Forestry Resources and Implications for Climate Change Mitigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, May.
    7. Frisch, L.C. & Mathis, J.T. & Kettle, N.P. & Trainor, S.F., 2015. "Gauging perceptions of ocean acidification in Alaska," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 101-110.
    8. Anntonina Ngina Muendoh & Prof. Maurice Sakwa, 2024. "Wetland Vegetation Resources and Livelihood Outcomes of Yala Swamp Residents," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 1061-1070, April.
    9. Rohini P. Devkota & Vishnu P. Pandey & Utsav Bhattarai & Harshana Shrestha & Shrijwal Adhikari & Khada Nanda Dulal, 2017. "Climate change and adaptation strategies in Budhi Gandaki River Basin, Nepal: a perception-based analysis," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 195-208, January.
    10. C. Silva & R. Albernaz-Silveira & P. Nogueira, 2014. "Perceptions on climate change of the traditional community Cuiabá Mirim, Pantanal Wetland, Mato Grosso, Brazil," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 83-92, November.
    11. Matias Spektor & Guilherme N. Fasolin & Juliana Camargo, 2023. "Climate change beliefs and their correlates in Latin America," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Dayong Zhang & Jun Li & Qiang Ji & Shunsuke Managi, 2021. "Climate variations, culture and economic behaviour of Chinese households," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 1-18, July.
    13. Sonam Futi Sherpa & Milan Shrestha & Hallie Eakin & Christopher G. Boone, 2019. "Cryospheric hazards and risk perceptions in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park and Buffer Zone, Nepal," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 96(2), pages 607-626, March.
    14. Adelle Thomas & April Karen Baptiste, 2018. "Knowledge, perceptions, concerns, and behaviors to climate change—the Caribbean context: an introduction," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(1), pages 39-41, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shah Md Atiqul Haq & Khandaker Jafor Ahmed, 2020. "Perceptions about climate change among university students in Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(3), pages 3683-3713, September.
    2. Christopher Raymond & Gregory Brown, 2011. "Assessing spatial associations between perceptions of landscape value and climate change risk for use in climate change planning," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 653-678, February.
    3. R. Vignola & S. Klinsky & J. Tam & T. McDaniels, 2013. "Public perception, knowledge and policy support for mitigation and adaption to Climate Change in Costa Rica: Comparisons with North American and European studies," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 303-323, March.
    4. Mayeul Dalleau & Stéphane Ciccione & Jeanne A Mortimer & Julie Garnier & Simon Benhamou & Jérôme Bourjea, 2012. "Nesting Phenology of Marine Turtles: Insights from a Regional Comparative Analysis on Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(10), pages 1-13, October.
    5. Bu, Lingduo & Chen, Xinping & Li, Shiqing & Liu, Jianliang & Zhu, Lin & Luo, Shasha & Lee Hill, Robert & Zhao, Ying, 2015. "The effect of adapting cultivars on the water use efficiency of dryland maize (Zea mays L.) in northwestern China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 1-9.
    6. Anne Goodenough & Adam Hart, 2013. "Correlates of vulnerability to climate-induced distribution changes in European avifauna: habitat, migration and endemism," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 659-669, June.
    7. Monika Punia & Suman Nain & Amit Kumar & Bhupendra Singh & Amit Prakash & Krishan Kumar & V. Jain, 2015. "Analysis of temperature variability over north-west part of India for the period 1970–2000," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 75(1), pages 935-952, January.
    8. Wesley R. Brooks & Stephen C. Newbold, 2013. "Ecosystem damages in integrated assessment models of climate change," NCEE Working Paper Series 201302, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Mar 2013.
    9. Nicoletta Cannone & M. Guglielmin & P. Convey & M. R. Worland & S. E. Favero Longo, 2016. "Vascular plant changes in extreme environments: effects of multiple drivers," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 134(4), pages 651-665, February.
    10. Deqin Fan & Wenquan Zhu & Zhoutao Zheng & Donghai Zhang & Yaozhong Pan & Nan Jiang & Xiafei Zhou, 2015. "Change in the Green-Up Dates for Quercus mongolica in Northeast China and Its Climate-Driven Mechanism from 1962 to 2012," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-13, June.
    11. Benjamin Y Ofori & Adam J Stow & John B Baumgartner & Linda J Beaumont, 2017. "Combining dispersal, landscape connectivity and habitat suitability to assess climate-induced changes in the distribution of Cunningham’s skink, Egernia cunninghami," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(9), pages 1-17, September.
    12. Cherng G. Ding & York Y. Woo & Her‐Jiun Sheu & Hui‐Chen Chien & Shu‐Fen Shen, 1996. "An Effective Statistical Approach for Comparative Risk Assessment," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 411-419, June.
    13. Deana GROBE & Robin DOUTHITT & Lydia ZEPEDA, 1997. "CONSUMER RISK PERCEPTION PROFILES FOR THE FOOD-RELATED BIOTECHNOLOGY, RECOMBINANT BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE (rbGH)," Department of Resource Economics Regional Research Project 9613, University of Massachusetts.
    14. Groeneveld, Jürgen & Johst, Karin & Kawaguchi, So & Meyer, Bettina & Teschke, Mathias & Grimm, Volker, 2015. "How biological clocks and changing environmental conditions determine local population growth and species distribution in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): a conceptual model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 303(C), pages 78-86.
    15. Bo MacInnis & Jon Krosnick & Adina Abeles & Margaret Caldwell & Erin Prahler & Debbie Dunne, 2015. "The American public’s preference for preparation for the possible effects of global warming: impact of communication strategies," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 17-33, January.
    16. Norman Myers, 2003. "Conservation of Biodiversity: How Are We Doing?," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 9-15, March.
    17. Donohue, John G. & Piiroinen, Petri T., 2015. "Mathematical modelling of seasonal migration with applications to climate change," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 299(C), pages 79-94.
    18. John H Matthews & Bart AJ Wickel & Sarah Freeman, 2011. "Converging Currents in Climate-Relevant Conservation: Water, Infrastructure, and Institutions," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-4, September.
    19. Jesper Akesson & Sam Ashworth-Hayes & Robert Hahn & Robert Metcalfe & Itzhak Rasooly, 2022. "Fatalism, beliefs, and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 147-190, April.
    20. Feng, Zhiying & Tang, Wenhu & Niu, Zhewen & Wu, Qinghua, 2018. "Bi-level allocation of carbon emission permits based on clustering analysis and weighted voting: A case study in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1122-1135.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:119:y:2013:i:2:p:519-531. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.