Probing Climate Change Perceptions in Vulnerable Enclaves: Resilient Realities in the Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21814/rlec.5438Keywords:
traditional knowledge, informal settlements, vulnerability, public perception, adaptationAbstract
Under the turbulent environment of the 21st century, climate change emerges as a menacing and urgent crisis, especially in urban poverty-stricken areas, where its impacts are most acutely felt. Despite the importance of understanding public perceptions to foster effective climate change resilience, there still exists a notable gap in nuanced scholarship within the informal settlements of South Africa. This study employs a mixed-method approach to explore how cognitive, emotional, motivational and cultural factors affect these communities' resilience or vulnerability to climate-related hazards. The prevailing consensus in the literature suggests a general underestimation of climate change risks among residents. However, this paper contends that innovative, resource-constrained strategies observed in these communities suggest a significant degree of agency and preparedness to confront these challenges. This study sheds light on the interplay between individual actions, social networks, information channels, cultural practices, and power dynamics in shaping climate change perceptions. It recommends integrating local, cost-effective adaptation measures into wider policy frameworks. In conclusion, the study emphasises the importance of educating informal settlement residents, harnessing community participation and utilising local adaptation knowledge and sustainable development techniques to forge a resilient and equitable future for the inhabitants of Buffalo City Municipality.
Downloads
References
Adger, W. N., Barnett, J., Brown, K., Marshall, N., & O’Brien, K. (2013). Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation. Nature Climate Change, 3(2), 112–117. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1666 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1666
Ajayi, O., & Mafongoya, P. (2017). Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change management in Africa. CTA.
Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behaviour. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckmann (Eds.), Action control: From cognition to behaviour (pp. 11–39). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_2
Aldunce, P., Beilin, R., Handmer, J., & Howden, M. (2016). Stakeholder participation in building resilience to disasters in a changing climate. Environmental Hazards, 15(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2015.1134427 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2015.1134427
Antwi-Agyei, P., Dougill, A. J., & Stringer, L. C. (2015). Barriers to climate change adaptation: Evidence from northeast Ghana in the context of a systematic literature review. Climate and Development, 7(4), 297–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2014.951013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2014.951013
Audefroy, J. F., & Sánchez, B. N. C. (2017). Integrating local knowledge for climate change adaptation in Yucatán, Mexico. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 6(1), 228–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2017.03.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2017.03.007
Ballantyne, R., & Oelofse, C. (1999). Informal settlers’ perceptions of environmental quality: A case study of the Mizamoyethu Community, South Africa. Environmentalist, 19, 203–215. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026446627105 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026446627105
Bamberg, S., Rees, J., & Seebauer, S. (2015). Collective climate action: Determinants of participation intention in community-based pro-environmental initiatives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 43, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.06.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.06.006
Bennoune, K. (2020). Climate change, culture and cultural rights. United Nations.
Bord, R. J., Fisher, A., & Robert, E. (1998). Public perceptions of global warming: United States and international perspectives. Climate Research, 11(1), 75–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr011075
Bosetti, V., Cattaneo, C., & Peri, G. (2021). Should they stay or should they go? Climate migrants and local conflicts. Journal of Economic Geography, 21(4), 619–651. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbaa002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbaa002
Briggs, J. (2005). The use of Indigenous knowledge in development: Problems and challenges. Progress in Development Studies, 5(2), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1191/1464993405ps105oa DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1464993405ps105oa
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. (2022). 2021/2026 Integrated development plan reviewed in terms of Chapter 5 of the Municipal Systems Act, No 32 of 2000. https://www.sacities.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Buffalo-City.pdf
Burch, S. (2011). Sustainable development paths: Investigating the roots of local policy responses to climate change. Sustainable Development, 19(3), 176–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.435
Busayo, E. T., Kalumba, A. M., & Orimoloye, I. R. (2019). Spatial planning and climate change adaptation assessment: Perspectives from Mdantsane Township dwellers in South Africa. Habitat International, 90, Article 101978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.04.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.04.005
Chirisa, I., & Nel, V. (2022). Resilience and climate change in rural areas: A review of infrastructure policies across global regions. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, 7(5), 380–390. https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2020.1871538 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2020.1871538
Curry, G. N., Koczberski, G., Lummani, J., Nailina, R., Peter, E., McNally, G., & Kuaimba, O. (2015). A bridge too far? The influence of sociocultural values on the adaptation responses of smallholders to a devastating pest outbreak in cocoa. Global Environmental Change, 35, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.07.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.07.012
Davies, S. R., Halpern, M., Horst, M., Kirby, D. A., & Lewenstein, B. (2019). Science stories as culture: Experience, identity, narrative and emotion in public communication of science. Journal of Science Communication, 18(5), Article A01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18050201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18050201
Dobson, S., Nyamweru, H., & Dodman, D. (2015). Local and participatory approaches to building resilience in informal settlements in Uganda. Environment and Urbanization, 27(2), 605–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247815598520 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247815598520
Donadelli, M., Jüppner, M., Riedel, M., & Schlag, C. (2017). Temperature shocks and welfare costs. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 82, 331–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2017.07.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2017.07.003
Drivdal, L. (2016). Flooding in Cape Town’s informal settlements: Conditions for community leaders to work towards adaptation. South African Geographical Journal= Suid-Afrikaanse Geografiese Tydskrif, 98(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2015.1052839 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2015.1052839
Faulkner, S. L., Baldwin, J. R., Lindsley, S. L., & Hecht, M. L. (2006). Layers of meaning: An analysis of definitions of culture. In J. R. Baldwin, S. L. Faulkner, M. L. Hecht, & S. L. Lindsley (Eds.), Redefining culture: Perspectives across the disciplines (pp. 27–51). Routledge.
Few, R., Spear, D., Singh, C., Tebboth, M. G., Davies, J. E., & Thompson-Hall, M. C. (2020). Culture as a mediator of climate change adaptation: Neither static nor unidirectional. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 12(1), e687. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.687 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.687
Godsmark, C. N., Irlam, J., van der Merwe, F., New, M., & Rother, H.-A. (2019). Priority focus areas for a sub-national response to climate change and health: A South African provincial case study. Environment International, 122, 31–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.035 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.035
Grab, S., & Nash, D. J. (2023). A new flood chronology for KwaZulu-Natal (1836–2022): The April 2022 Durban floods in historical context. South African Geographical Journal, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2023.2193758 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2023.2193758
Gradín, C., Leibbrandt, M., & Tarp, F. (2021). Inequality in the developing world. Oxford University Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48448 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198863960.001.0001
Hsiang, S., Oliva, P., & Walker, R. (2019). The distribution of environmental damages. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 13(1), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rey024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rey024
Hundenborn, J., Leibbrandt, M. V., & Woolard, I. (2018). Drivers of inequality in South Africa (WIDER Working Paper No. 2018/162). The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research. https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2018/604-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2018/604-3
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability: Summary for policymakers, technical summary and frequently asked questions. Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. C. U. Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844
Islam, N., & Winkel, J. (2017). Climate change and social inequality (Working Paper No. 152). United Nations.
Katrini, E. (2018). Sharing culture: On definitions, values, and emergence. The Sociological Review, 66(2), 425–446. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026118758550 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026118758550
Kienast, G. (2019). Missed the stop? Incremental upgrading or waiting for housing in Buffalo City 1. In C. N. Silva (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Urban Planning in Africa (pp. 263–290). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351271844 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351271844-19
Kovacevic, M., & Calderon, M. C. (2014). UNDP’s multidimensional poverty index: 2014 specifications. United Nations Development Programme. https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/specificationsforcomputationofthempi.pdf
Leal Filho, W., Barbir, J., Gwenzi, J., Ayal, D., Simpson, N. P., Adeleke, L., Tilahun, B., Chirisa, I., Gbedemah, S. F., & Nzengya, D. M. (2022). The role of Indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation in Africa. Environmental Science & Policy, 136, 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.004
Lee, T. M., Markowitz, E. M., Howe, P. D., Ko, C.-Y., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2015). Predictors of public climate change awareness and risk perception around the world. Nature Climate Change, 5(11), 1014–1020. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2728 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2728
Leiserowitz, A. (2006). Climate change risk perception and policy preferences: The role of affect, imagery, and values. Climatic Change, 77(1–2), 45–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9059-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9059-9
Mahl, D., Guenther, L., Schäfer, M. S., Meyer, C., & Siegen, D. (2020). “We are a bit blind about it”: A qualitative analysis of climate change-related perceptions and communication across South African communities. Environmental Communication, 14(6), 802–815. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2020.1736116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2020.1736116
Makondo, C. C., & Thomas, D. S. (2018). Climate change adaptation: Linking indigenous knowledge with western science for effective adaptation. Environmental Science & Policy, 88, 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.014
Manstead, A. S., & Parker, D. (1995). Evaluating and extending the theory of planned behaviour. European Review of Social Psychology, 6(1), 69–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779443000012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779443000012
Mbah, M., Ajaps, S., & Molthan-Hill, P. (2021). A systematic review of the deployment of Indigenous knowledge systems towards climate change adaptation in developing world contexts: Implications for climate change education. Sustainability, 13(9), Article 4811. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094811 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094811
Mthembu, A., & Hlophe, S. (2020). Building resilience to climate change in vulnerable communities: A case study of uMkhanyakude district municipality. Town and Regional Planning, 77, 42–56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18820/2415-0495/trp77i1.4
Mugambiwa, S., & Makhubele, J. (2021). Indigenous knowledge systems based climate governance in water and land resource management in rural Zimbabwe. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 12(5), 2045–2054. https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.183
Mutambisi, T., Chanza, N., Matamanda, A. R., Ncube, R., & Chirisa, I. (2020). Climate change adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic science or indigenous knowledge or hybrid. In Leal Filho, N. Oguge, D. Ayal, L. Adeleke, & I. da Silva (Eds.), African handbook of climate change adaptation (pp. 1751–1766). Springer Nature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_8
Nadeau, K. C., Agache, I., Jutel, M., Annesi Maesano, I., Akdis, M., Sampath, V., d’Amato, G., Cecchi, L., Traidl-Hoffmann, C., & Akdis, C. A. (2022). Climate change: A call to action for the United Nations. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 77(4), 1087–1090. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15079
Norman, P., Boer, H., Seydel, E. R., & Mullan, B. (2015). Protection motivation theory. In M. Conner & P. Norman (Eds.), Predicting and changing health behaviour: Research and practice with social cognition models (pp. 70–106). Open University Press.
O’Brien, K. L., & Wolf, J. (2010). A values-based approach to vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(2), 232–242. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.30 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.30
O’Donnell, O., Van Doorslaer, E., & Van Ourti, T. (2015). Health and inequality. In A. B. Atkinson & F. Bourguignon Handbook of Income Distribution (Vol. 2, pp. 1419–1533). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-59429-7.00018-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-59429-7.00018-2
Petzold, J., Andrews, N., Ford, J. D., Hedemann, C., & Postigo, J. C. (2020). Indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation: A global evidence map of academic literature. Environmental Research Letters, 15(11), Article 113007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb330 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb330
Prentice-Dunn, S., & Rogers, R. W. (1986). Protection motivation theory and preventive health: Beyond the health belief model. Health Education Research, 1(3), 153–161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/1.3.153
Price, J. C., Walker, I. A., & Boschetti, F. (2014). Measuring cultural values and beliefs about environment to identify their role in climate change responses. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 37, 8–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.10.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.10.001
Quandt, A. (2019). Variability in perceptions of household livelihood resilience and drought at the intersection of gender and ethnicity. Climatic Change, 152(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2343-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2343-7
Rogers, R. W. (1975). A protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change. The Journal of Psychology, 91(1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1975.9915803 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1975.9915803
Roncoli, C., Crane, T., & Orlove, B. (2016). Fielding climate change in cultural anthropology. In A. S. Crate & M. Nuttall (Eds.), In S. A. Crate & M. Nuttall (Eds.), Anthropology and climate change (pp. 87–115). Routledge.
Satterthwaite, D., Archer, D., Colenbrander, S., Dodman, D., Hardoy, J., Mitlin, D., & Patel, S. (2020). Building resilience to climate change in informal settlements. One Earth, 2(2), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.02.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.02.002
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 1–65). Academic Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60281-6
Seethal, C., Nel, E., & Bwalya, J. (2021). From East London to Buffalo City Metropole: Developmental challenges of a South African metro. In A. Lemon, R. Donaldson, & G. Visser (Eds.), South African urban change three decades after apartheid: Homes still apart? (pp. 103—116). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73073-4_6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73073-4_6
Singer, M. (2018). Climate change and social inequality: The health and social costs of global warming. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315103358 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315103358
Siyongwana, P. Q., & Chanza, N. (2017). Interrogating the post-apartheid socioeconomic transformation in Mdantsane, Buffalo City. GeoJournal, 82, 735–750. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9714-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9714-2
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Abel, T., Guagnano, G. A., & Kalof, L. (1999). A value-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: The case of environmentalism. Human Ecology Review, 6(2), 81–97.
Sullivan, A., & White, D. D. (2019). An assessment of public perceptions of climate change risk in three western US cities. Weather, Climate, and Society, 11(2), 449–463. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-18-0068.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-18-0068.1
Thomalla, F., Smith, R., & Schipper, E. L. F. (2015). Cultural aspects of risk to environmental changes and hazards. In M. Companion (Ed.), Disaster’s impact on livelihood and cultural survival: Losses, opportunities, and mitigation (pp. 3–18). CRC Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/b18233-3
Todes, A., & Turok, I. (2018). Spatial inequalities and policies in South Africa: Place-based or people-centred? Progress in Planning, 123, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2017.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2017.03.001
Turok, I. (2018). Worlds apart: Spatial inequalities in South Africa. In M. N. Smith (Ed.), Confronting inequalities in South Africa (pp. 159–182). Jacan Media.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (s.d.). Local and Indigenous knowledge systems (LINKS). Retrieved January 7,2022, from https://en.unesco.org/links
van der Linden, S. (2017). Determinants and measurement of climate change risk perception, worry, and concern. In M. C. Nisbet, M. Schafer, E. Markowitz, S. Ho, S. O’Neill, & J. Thaker (Eds.), The Oxford encyclopedia of climate change communication. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.318
van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Maibach, E. (2017). Inoculating the public against misinformation about climate change. Global Challenges, 1(2), Article 1600008. https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.201600008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.201600008
van der Walt, A. J., & Fitchett, J. M. (2021). Exploring extreme warm temperature trends in South Africa:1960–2016. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 143(3–4), 1341–1360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03479-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03479-8
van Valkengoed, A. M., & Steg, L. (2019). Meta-analyses of factors motivating climate change adaptation behaviour. Nature Climate Change 9(2), 158–163. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0371-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0371-y
Williams, D. S., Manez Costa, M., Sutherland, C., Celliers, L., & Scheffran, J. (2019). Vulnerability of informal settlements in the context of rapid urbanization and climate change. Environment and Urbanization, 31(1), 157–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247818819694 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247818819694
World Bank. (2018). Overcoming poverty and inequality in South Africa: An assessment of drivers, constraints and opportunities. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/530481521735906534/pdf/Overcoming-Poverty-and-Inequality-in-South-Africa-An-Assessment-of-Drivers-Constraints-and-Opportunities.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Natal Buthelezi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright, providing the journal with the right of first publication. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons - Atribuição 4.0 Internacional License.
