Perception, experience, and indigenous knowledge of climate change and variability: the case of Accra, a sub-Saharan African city

被引:0
作者
Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe
George Owusu
Virginia Burkett
机构
[1] University of Ghana,Regional Institute for Population Studies
[2] University of Ghana,Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research
[3] United States Geological Survey,undefined
来源
Regional Environmental Change | 2014年 / 14卷
关键词
Climate change; Climate variability; Perceptions; Indigenous knowledge; Urban; Experiences; Accra;
D O I
暂无
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
Several recent international assessments have concluded that climate change has the potential to reverse the modest economic gains achieved in many developing countries over the past decade. The phenomenon of climate change threatens to worsen poverty or burden populations with additional hardships, especially in poor societies with weak infrastructure and economic well-being. The importance of the perceptions, experiences, and knowledge of indigenous peoples has gained prominence in discussions of climate change and adaptation in developing countries and among international development organizations. Efforts to evaluate the role of indigenous knowledge in adaptation planning, however, have largely focused on rural people and their agricultural livelihoods. This paper presents the results of a study that examines perceptions, experiences, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change and variability in three communities of metropolitan Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. The study design is based on a three-part conceptual framework and interview process involving risk mapping, mental models, and individual stressor cognition. Most of the residents interviewed in the three communities of urban Accra attributed climate change to the combination of deforestation and the burning of firewood and rubbish. None of the residents associated climate change with fossil fuel emissions from developed countries. Numerous potential adaptation strategies were suggested by the residents, many of which have been used effectively during past drought and flood events. Results suggest that ethnic residential clustering as well as strong community bonds in metropolitan Accra have allowed various groups and long-settled communities to engage in the sharing and transmission of knowledge of weather patterns and trends. Understanding and building upon indigenous knowledge may enhance the design, acceptance, and implementation of climate change adaptation strategies in Accra and urban regions of other developing nations.
引用
收藏
页码:369 / 383
页数:14
相关论文
共 54 条
[1]  
Afenah A(2012)Engineering a millennium city in Accra, Ghana: the Old Fadama intractable issue Urban Forum 23 527-540
[2]  
Agyei-Mensah S(2010)Segregated by neighbourhoods? A portrait of ethnic diversity in the neighbourhoods of the Accra Metropolitan Area Popul Space Place 16 499-516
[3]  
Owusu G(2011)Linking indigenous and scientific knowledge of climate change Bioscience 61 477-484
[4]  
Alexander C(1992)Characterizing mental models of hazardous processes: a methodology and an application to radon J Soc Issues 48 85-100
[5]  
Bynum N(2005)The use of indigenous knowledge in development: problems and challenges Prog Dev Stud 5 99-114
[6]  
Johnson E(2010)Indigenous knowledge in seasonal rainfall prediction in Tanzania: a case of the South-western Highland of Tanzania J Geogr Reg Plan 3 66-72
[7]  
King U(1998)Country backwater to virtual village? Rural studies and ‘the cultural turn’ J Rural Stud 13 367-375
[8]  
Mustonen T(2012)Indigenous health and climate change Am J Public Health 102 1260-1266
[9]  
Neofotis P(2011)Integrating indigenous knowledge with conventional science: enhancing localised climate and weather forecasts in Nessa, Mulanje, Malawi Phys Chem Earth 36 996-1003
[10]  
Oettlé N(2007)The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 12 787-797