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Community climate change beliefs, awareness, and actions in the wake of the September 2013 flooding in Boulder County, Colorado

Community climate change beliefs, awareness, and actions in the wake of the September 2013... Scholars and activists alike contend that extreme weather events may provide the best opportunity for raising public awareness and perhaps even instigating action related to climate change. We explore whether the September 2013 floods were associated with local climate change beliefs and actions after the event via an in-depth case study in Boulder County, CO. Based on analysis of local newspapers and policy documents, responses from an event-specific survey, and semi-structured interviews, we show that Boulder County residents readily connected the flooding event to climate change despite competing scientific claims about the link. Moreover, while the event did not necessarily alter existing climate change beliefs, it did create a greater sense of vulnerability to and increased awareness of the risks posed by climate change. In terms of climate change action after the event, residents and policymakers appeared to place a greater emphasis on adaptation to future extreme events, with a focus on building resilience through social capital. Yet, we also uncovered a complex relationship between social capital and resilience, particularly in terms of the impact of the event on already marginalized and vulnerable populations. This study adds to a growing body of research on climate change beliefs and actions in the wake of extreme weather events. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences Springer Journals

Community climate change beliefs, awareness, and actions in the wake of the September 2013 flooding in Boulder County, Colorado

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References (103)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by AESS
Subject
Environment; Environment, general; Sustainable Development
ISSN
2190-6483
eISSN
2190-6491
DOI
10.1007/s13412-018-0479-4
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Scholars and activists alike contend that extreme weather events may provide the best opportunity for raising public awareness and perhaps even instigating action related to climate change. We explore whether the September 2013 floods were associated with local climate change beliefs and actions after the event via an in-depth case study in Boulder County, CO. Based on analysis of local newspapers and policy documents, responses from an event-specific survey, and semi-structured interviews, we show that Boulder County residents readily connected the flooding event to climate change despite competing scientific claims about the link. Moreover, while the event did not necessarily alter existing climate change beliefs, it did create a greater sense of vulnerability to and increased awareness of the risks posed by climate change. In terms of climate change action after the event, residents and policymakers appeared to place a greater emphasis on adaptation to future extreme events, with a focus on building resilience through social capital. Yet, we also uncovered a complex relationship between social capital and resilience, particularly in terms of the impact of the event on already marginalized and vulnerable populations. This study adds to a growing body of research on climate change beliefs and actions in the wake of extreme weather events.

Journal

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences – Springer Journals

Published: Mar 19, 2018

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