Are values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place the values most vulnerable to climate change?

Johannes Persson,Erik Persson,Kristina Blennow

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0210426

Johannes Persson, Erik Persson + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210426

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Abstract

Values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place have sometimes been downplayed in the climate change discourse. However, they have been suggested to be not only important to citizens but the values most vulnerable to climate change. Here we test four empirical consequences of the suggestion: (i) at least 50% of the locations citizens' consider to be the most important locations in their municipality are chosen because they represent these values, (ii) locations representing these values have a high probability of being damaged by climate change induced sea level rise, (iii) citizens for which these values are particularly strongly held less strongly believe in the local effects of climate change, and (iv) citizens for which these values are particularly strongly held less strongly believe that they have experienced the effects of climate change. The tests were made using survey data collected in 2014 from 326 citizens owning property in Höganäs municipality, Sweden, and included values elicited using a new methodology separating instrumental values from end values, and using the former (which strictly speaking should be seen as estimates of usefulness rather than as aims in themselves) as stepping stones to pinpoint the latter, that represent the true interests of the respondents. The results provide the first evidence that, albeit frequent, values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place are not the values most vulnerable to climate change. This in turn indicates a need to further investigate the vulnerability of these values to climate change, using a methodology that clearly distinguishes between instrumental and end values.

Highlights

Assessments of vulnerability to climate change, reflecting exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to climate change [1], typically focus on material and economic aspects of climate change while values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place are rarely accounted for, e.g. [2,3]
Identity, community cohesion and sense of place contribute to all value profiles identified among the respondents except "My economy" (MEC)
The value profile "The local community" (LCO) is statistically significantly more common among respondents having lived for a period up to the median of 23 years in the municipality than among those having lived in the municipality for a period longer than the median (χ2 = 7.48, n = 269, p-value = 0.0068) (S5 Fig)

Summary

Introduction

Assessments of vulnerability to climate change, reflecting exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to climate change [1], typically focus on material and economic aspects of climate change while values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place are rarely accounted for, e.g. [2,3]. Assessments of vulnerability to climate change, reflecting exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to climate change [1], typically focus on material and economic aspects of climate change while values related to culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place are rarely accounted for, e.g. [2,3] These latter kinds of value have been suggested important for human well-being but potentially the values most vulnerable to climate change [4], p. These latter kinds of value have been suggested important for human well-being but potentially the values most vulnerable to climate change [4], p. 112 in [2].

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