Community capacity and climate change in the Laurentian Great Lakes Region: the importance of social, human, and political capital for community responses to climate-driven disturbances

Abstract

The Laurentian Great Lakes region in North America is experiencing climate-driven disturbances that threaten the public safety of the region and is forcing communities to respond. Communities vary in their ability to respond to these disturbances based on their existing capacities and access to resources, but responses in the region are uneven and create vulnerabilities to disasters. A virtual workshop was conducted to understand the community responses to climate-driven disturbances in the Great Lakes and identify the essential capacities for effective responses. Results show that the region as a whole has not responded adequately, and although the resources exist to respond, they are not adequately organized, and inequalities between urban and rural communities can exacerbate these challenges. Community capacities identified as critical for resilience include leadership, scientific knowledge, and connection to broader regional networks to access additional resources, but there are challenges with the complacency of some communities and deficiencies in mental health services.