Browsing by Author "Ford, James D."

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    Climate change adaptation in coastal shrimp aquaculture: A case from northwestern Sri Lanka
    Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Berkes, Fikret; Ford, James D. (2019)
    Unexpected temperature variations and rainfall patterns have direct, adverse impacts on shrimp farmers in northwestern Sri Lanka. Specifically, changing climatic conditions impact patterns of shrimp disease spread along an interconnected lagoon and make it difficult for shrimp farmers to predict and control the lagoon—the primary water source for coastal shrimp aquaculture. This paper examines how small-scale shrimp farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change by collectively managing shrimp disease. We studied three shrimp farming communities in northwestern Sri Lanka and analysed adaptation using a social-ecological resilience approach with a four-part framework: (1) living with uncertainty — shrimp farmers deal with the uncertain nature of the shrimp business by controlling (rather than trying to eliminate) disease; (2) nurturing diversity — farmers tend to diversify their income sources to include other activities and they also increase the risk of disease by dispersing pond waste water in space and time; (3) employing different kinds of knowledge — farmers combine their experience with large-scale (failed) companies, their own experience, government technical expertise, and new knowledge from adaptive management (the “zonal crop calendar system”); and (4) creating opportunities for self-organization — farmers have built on their experiences with producer cooperatives, known as samithi, to self-organize into a multi-level community-based management structure. Collaboration and collective action are central features of this adaptation mechanism. This small-scale shrimp aquaculture system is persistent, i.e. sustainable and resilient because it is continually adapting.
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    Climate change adaptation in fisheries
    Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Susarla, Vasantha B.; Loutet, Samantha J. T.; Ichien, Stephanie T.; Hyman, Amanda A.; Ford, James D. (Wiley, 2021-07-23)
    We conducted a global systematic literature review of climate change adaptation in fisheries. We addressed three specific questions: (i) What are fisheries adapting to? (ii) How are fisheries adapting? and (iii) What research gaps need to be addressed? We identified, characterized and examined case studies published between 1990 and 2019 that lie at the intersection of the domains of climate change, adaptation and fisheries. We characterized the documented climate change effects in fisheries that are being adapted to multiple stressors, general climate impacts, extreme events, ocean conditions, marine system shifts, climate variability, fishery dynamics, species distribution and atmospheric warming. Three categories of adaptive responses came to light: coping mechanisms (e.g. changing fishing location, use of traditional knowledge); adaptive strategies (e.g. livelihood diversification, incorporation of technology); and management responses (e.g. adaptive management, adaptation planning). We identified key potential areas for future research, including studies on the limits and barriers for adaptation, studies using specific conceptual and methodological approaches, and studies focussing on the top-producing countries such as China, Indonesia, Peru and Russia. This analysis gives broader insights to the fisheries industry and to climate change adaptation research to proceed in the face of new global challenges.
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    Climate change and adaptation to social-ecological change: The case of indigenous people and culture-based fisheries in Sri Lanka
    Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Ford, James D.; Bennett, Elena M. (2020-04)
    Rural coastal fishery systems in tropical island nations are undergoing rapid change. Using a case study from eastern Sri Lanka, this paper examines the ways in which indigenous Coastal- Vedda fishers experience and respond to such change. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 74), focus group discussions (n = 17, 98 participants), and key informant interviews (n = 38) over a 2-year period (2016–2019). The changes that most Coastal-Vedda fishers experience are disturbance from Sri Lankan ethnic war, changes in climate and the frequency and severity of natural disasters, increased frequency of human-elephant conflicts, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, and transformation of the Coastal-Vedda due to social modernisation. We used a resilience-based conceptual framework focusing on place, human agency, collective action and collaboration, institutions, indigenous and local knowledge systems, and learning to examine fishers’ responses to rapid changes. We identified three community-level adaptive strategies used by the Coastal-Vedda: adaptive institutions with a multi-level institutional structure that facilitates collective action and collaboration, the use of culture-based fisheries (CBF), and diversification of livelihoods. We also recognized four place-specific attributes that shaped community adaptations: cultural identity and worldviews, co-management of CBF, flexibility in choosing adaptive options, and indigenous and local knowledge systems and learning. These adaptive strategies and place-specific attributes provide new insights for scientists, policymakers, and communities in the region, enabling them to more effectively work together to support community adaptation.
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    The effects on public health of climate change adaptation responses: a systematic review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries
    Scheelbeek, Pauline F. D.; Dangour, Alan D.; Jarmul, Stephanie; Turner, Grace; Sietsma, Anne J.; Minx, Jan C.; Callaghan, Max; Ajibade, Idowu; Austin, Stephanie E.; Biesbroek, Robbert; Bowen, Kathryn J.; Chen, Tara; Davis, Katy; Ensor, Tim; Ford, James D.; Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Joe, Elphin T.; Musah-Surugu, Issah J.; Alverio, Gabriela Nagle; Schwerdtle, Patricia Nayna; Pokharel, Pratik; Salubi, Eunice A.; Scarpa, Giulia; Segnon, Alcade C.; Sina, Mariella; Templeman, Sienna; Xu, Jiren; Zavaleta-Cortijo, Carol; Berrang-Ford, Lea (IOP, 2021-07-01)
    Climate change adaptation responses are being developed and delivered in many parts of the world in the absence of detailed knowledge of their effects on public health. Here we present the results of a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature reporting the effects on health of climate change adaptation responses in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The review used the 'Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative' database (comprising 1682 publications related to climate change adaptation responses) that was constructed through systematic literature searches in Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar (2013-2020). For this study, further screening was performed to identify studies from LMICs reporting the effects on human health of climate change adaptation responses. Studies were categorised by study design and data were extracted on geographic region, population under investigation, type of adaptation response and reported health effects. The review identified 99 studies (1117 reported outcomes), reporting evidence from 66 LMICs. Only two studies were ex ante formal evaluations of climate change adaptation responses. Papers reported adaptation responses related to flooding, rainfall, drought and extreme heat, predominantly through behaviour change, and infrastructural and technological improvements. Reported (direct and intermediate) health outcomes included reduction in infectious disease incidence, improved access to water/sanitation and improved food security. All-cause mortality was rarely reported, and no papers were identified reporting on maternal and child health. Reported maladaptations were predominantly related to widening of inequalities and unforeseen co-harms. Reporting and publication-bias seems likely with only 3.5% of all 1117 health outcomes reported to be negative. Our review identified some evidence that climate change adaptation responses may have benefits for human health but the overall paucity of evidence is concerning and represents a major missed opportunity for learning. There is an urgent need for greater focus on the funding, design, evaluation and standardised reporting of the effects on health of climate change adaptation responses to enable evidence-based policy action.
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    Equity in human adaptation-related responses: A systematic global review
    Araos, Malcolm; Jagannathan, Kripa; Shukla, Roopam; Ajibade, Idowu; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; Davis, Katy; Ford, James D.; Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Grady, Caitlin; Hudson, A. J.; Joe, Elphin Tom; Kirchhoff, Christine J.; Lesnikowski, Alexandra; Alverio, Gabriela Nagle; Nielsen, Miriam; Orlove, Ben; Pentz, Brian; Reckien, Diana; Siders, A. R.; Ulibarri, Nicola; van Aalst, Maarten K.; Abu, Thelma Zulfawu; Agrawal, Tanvi; Berrang-Ford, Lea; Kerr, Rachel Bezner; Coggins, Shaugn; Garschagen, Matthias; Harden, Alexandra; Mach, Katharine J.; Nunbogu, Abraham Marshall; Spandan, Pandey; Templeman, Sienna; Turek-Hankins, Lynee L. (Elsevier, 2021-10-22)
    Growing evidence suggests that climate adaptation responses that do not incorporate equity considerations may worsen inequality and increase vulnerability. Using data from a systematic review of peer-reviewed empirical research on adaptation responses to climate change (n = 1,682), we present an assessment of how social equity is considered in adaptation across regions, sectors, and social groups. Roughly 60% of peer-reviewed literature on adaptation responses considers social equity by reporting on which marginalized groups were involved in planning or implementation. Articles on responses in Africa and Asia and those focusing on poverty reduction most frequently considered social equity. Equity was less likely to be considered in adaptation responses in Europe, Australasia, and North America, as well as in literature focused on cities. Income-based inequity was more frequently considered than gender, age, or Indigenous status. Ethnic and racial minorities, migrants, and people with disabilities were rarely considered. Attention to the levels and forms in which equity is integrated into adaptation research and practice is needed to ensure just adaptation.
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    Global evidence of constraints and limits to human adaptation
    Thomas, Adelle; Theokritoff, Emily; Lesnikowski, Alexandra; Reckien, Diana; Jagannathan, Kripa; Cremades, Roger; Campbell, Donovan; Joe, Elphin Tom; Sitati, Asha; Singh, Chandni; Segnon, Alcade C.; Pentz, Brian; Musah-Surugu, Justice Issah; Mullin, Cristina A.; Mach, Katharine J.; Gichuki, Leah; Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Chalastani, Vasiliki I.; Ajibade, Idowu; Ruiz-Diaz, Raquel; Grady, Caitlin; Garschagen, Matthias; Ford, James D.; Bowen, Kathryn J.; Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative Team (2021)
    Constraints and limits to adaptation are critical to understanding the extent to which human and natural systems can successfully adapt to climate change. We conduct a systematic review of 1,682 academic studies on human adaptation responses to identify patterns in constraints and limits to adaptation for different regions, sectors, hazards, adaptation response types, and actors. Using definitions of constraints and limits provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we find that most literature identifies constraints to adaptation but that there is limited literature focused on limits to adaptation. Central and South America and Small Islands generally report greater constraints and both hard and soft limits to adaptation. Technological, infrastructural, and ecosystem-based adaptation suggest more evidence of constraints and hard limits than other types of responses. Individuals and households face economic and socio-cultural constraints which also inhibit behavioral adaptation responses and may lead to limits. Finance, governance, institutional, and policy constraints are most prevalent globally. These findings provide early signposts for boundaries of human adaptation and are of high relevance for guiding proactive adaptation financing and governance from local to global scales.
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    The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change
    Ford, James D.; King, Nia; Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Pearce, Tristan; McDowell, Graham; Harper, Sherilee L. (2020-06-19)
    Indigenous peoples globally have high exposure to environmental change and are often considered an ‘‘atrisk’’ population, although there is growing evidence of their resilience. In this Perspective, we examine the common factors affecting this resilience by illustrating how the interconnected roles of place, agency, institutions, collective action, Indigenous knowledge, and learning help Indigenous peoples to cope and adapt to environmental change. Relationships with place are particularly important in that they provide a foundation for belief systems, identity, knowledge, and livelihood practices that underlie mechanisms through which environmental change is experienced, understood, resisted, and responded to. Many Indigenous peoples also face significant vulnerabilities, whereby place dislocation due to land dispossession, resettlement, and landscape fragmentation has challenged the persistence of Indigenous knowledge systems and undermined Indigenous institutions, compounded by the speed of environmental change. These vulnerabilities are closely linked to colonization, globalization, and development patterns, underlying the importance of tackling these pervasive structural challenges.
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    A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change
    Berrang-Ford, Lea; Siders, A. R.; Lesnikowski, Alexandra; Fischer, Alexandra Paige; Callaghan, Max W.; Haddaway, Neal R.; Mach, Katharine J.; Araos, Malcolm; Shah, Mohammad Aminur Rahman; Wannewitz, Mia; Doshi, Deepal; Leiter, Timo; Matavel, Custodio; Musah-Surugu, Justice Issah; Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Antwi-Agyei, Philip; Ajibade, Idowu; Chauhan, Neha; Kakenmaster, William; Grady, Caitlin; Chalastani, Vasiliki I.; Jagannathan, Kripa; Galappaththi, Eranga K.; Sitati, Asha; Scarpa, Giulia; Totin, Edmond; Davis, Katy; Hamilton, Nikita Charles; Kirchhoff, Christine J.; Kumar, Praveen; Pentz, Brian; Simpson, Nicholas P.; Theokritoff, Emily; Deryng, Delphine; Reckien, Diana; Zavaleta-Cortijo, Carol; Ulibarri, Nicola; Segnon, Alcade C.; Khavhagali, Vhalinavho; Shang, Yuanyuan; Zvobgo, Luckson; Zommers, Zinta; Xu, Jiren; Williams, Portia Adade; Canosa, Ivan Villaverde; van Maanen, Nicole; van Bavel, Bianca; van Aalst, Maarten K.; Turek-Hankins, Lynee L.; Trivedi, Hasti; Trisos, Christopher H.; Thomas, Adelle; Thakur, Shinny; Templeman, Sienna; Stringer, Lindsay C.; Sotnik, Garry; Sjostrom, Kathryn Dana; Singh, Chandni; Sina, Mariella Z.; Shukla, Roopam; Sardans, Jordi; Salubi, Eunice A.; Chalkasra, Lolita Shaila Safaee; Ruiz-Diaz, Raquel; Richards, Carys; Pokharel, Pratik; Petzold, Jan; Penuelas, Josep; Avila, Julia Pelaez; Murillo, Julia B. Pazmino; Ouni, Souha; Niemann, Jennifer; Nielsen, Miriam; New, Mark; Schwerdtle, Patricia Nayna; Alverio, Gabriela Nagle; Mullin, Cristina A.; Mullenite, Joshua; Mosurska, Anuszka; Morecroft, Mike D.; Minx, Jan C.; Maskell, Gina; Nunbogu, Abraham Marshall; Magnan, Alexandre K.; Lwasa, Shuaib; Lukas-Sithole, Megan; Lissner, Tabea; Lilford, Oliver; Koller, Steven F.; Jurjonas, Matthew; Joe, Elphin Tom; Huynh, Lam TM M.; Hill, Avery; Hernandez, Rebecca R.; Hegde, Greeshma; Hawxwell, Tom; Harper, Sherilee L.; Harden, Alexandra; Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Gilmore, Elisabeth A.; Gichuki, Leah; Gatt, Alyssa; Garschagen, Matthias; Ford, James D.; Forbes, Andrew; Farrell, Aidan D.; Enquist, Carolyn AF F.; Elliott, Susan; Duncan, Emily; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; Coggins, Shaugn; Chen, Tara; Campbell, Donovan; Browne, Katherine E.; Bowen, Kathryn J.; Biesbroek, Robbert; Bhatt, Indra D.; Kerr, Rachel Bezner; Barr, Stephanie L.; Baker, Emily; Austin, Stephanie E.; Arotoma-Rojas, Ingrid; Anderson, Christa; Ajaz, Warda; Agrawal, Tanvi; Abu, Thelma Zulfawu (Nature Portfolio, 2021-10-28)
    Assessing global progress on human adaptation to climate change is an urgent priority. Although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation. We systematically screened >48,000 articles using machine learning methods and a global network of 126 researchers. Our synthesis of the resulting 1,682 articles presents a systematic and comprehensive global stocktake of implemented human adaptation to climate change. Documented adaptations were largely fragmented, local and incremental, with limited evidence of transformational adaptation and negligible evidence of risk reduction outcomes. We identify eight priorities for global adaptation research: assess the effectiveness of adaptation responses, enhance the understanding of limits to adaptation, enable individuals and civil society to adapt, include missing places, scholars and scholarship, understand private sector responses, improve methods for synthesizing different forms of evidence, assess the adaptation at different temperature thresholds, and improve the inclusion of timescale and the dynamics of responses.