Probing Climate Change Perceptions in Vulnerable Enclaves: Resilient Realities in the Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa

Natal Buthelezi

doi:10.21814/rlec.5438

Authors

Natal Buthelezi Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, África do Sul https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5775-6920

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21814/rlec.5438

Keywords:

traditional knowledge, informal settlements, vulnerability, public perception, adaptation

Abstract

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

Download data is not yet available.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gradín, C., Leibbrandt, M., & Tarp, F. (2021). Inequality in the developing world. Oxford University Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48448

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Singer, M. (2018). Climate change and social inequality: The health and social costs of global warming. Routledge. 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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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