Abstract
The introduction of new technologies into small remote communities can alter how individuals acquire knowledge about their surrounding environment. This is especially true when technologies that satisfy basic needs, such as freshwater use, create a distance (i.e., diminishing exposure) between individuals and their environment. However, such distancing can potentially be countered by the transfer of local knowledge between community members and from one generation to the next. The objective of this study is to simulate by way of agent-based modeling the tensions between technology-induced distancing and local knowledge that are exerted on community vulnerability to climate change. A model is developed that simulates how a collection of individual perceptions about changes to climatic-related variables manifest into community perceptions, how perceptions are influenced by the movement away from traditional resource use, and how the transmission of knowledge mitigates the potentially adverse effects of technology-induced distancing. The model is implemented utilizing climate and social data for two remote communities located on the Seward Peninsula in western Alaska. The agent-based model simulates a set of scenarios that depict different ways in which these communities may potentially engage with their natural resources, utilize knowledge transfer, and develop perceptions of how the local climate is different from previous years. A loosely-coupled pan-arctic climate model simulates changes monthly changes to climatic variables. The discrepancy between the perceptions derived from the agent-based model and the projections simulated by the climate model represent community vulnerability. The results demonstrate how demographics, the communication of knowledge and the types of ‘knowledge-providers’ influence community perception about changes to their local climate.
Highlights
Community perceptions of climate change are constructed by the relationships that individuals share with their environment, the nature in which communities are structured, and the rate at which climate variables change over time [1]
LK, the objective of this study is to develop an agent-based modeling approach for simulating how community perceptions evolve over time when subject to changes in technology and local knowledge, and how these dynamic perceptions influence the vulnerability of a community to climate change
The objective of the model is to understand how community perceptions about climate change emerge from quantitative perceptions of individuals in the community, their interactions with each other, the influence that technology imposes on their perceptions, and the transmission of local knowledge from one generation to another
Summary
Community perceptions of climate change are constructed by the relationships that individuals share with their environment, the nature in which communities are structured, and the rate at which climate variables change over time [1]. Perceptions play a crucial role in the ability of a community to adapt to climate change as misguided views can impede a group’s response or ability to cope with external stresses, leaving them vulnerable [2]. The relationship between community perceptions and vulnerability is important when addressing the needs of marginalized communities. Communities with relatively small populations that exist in remote locations often lack sufficient resources and infrastructure to adapt to stresses such as changes in temperature and precipitation regimes that affect their traditional way of life [3]. Community vulnerability is exacerbated when community perceptions about their environment are adversely affected by the introduction of new technologies that alter the way in which they access traditional resources [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
