Abstract
Communicating climate risks is crucial when engaging the public to support climate action planning and addressing climate justice. How does evidence-based communication influence local residents’ risk perception and potential behavior change in support of climate planning? Built upon our previous study of Climate Justice maps illustrating high scores of both social and ecological vulnerability in Michigan’s Huron River watershed, USA, a quasi-experiment was conducted to examine the effects of Climate Justice mapping intervention on residents’ perceptions and preparedness for climate change associated hazards in Michigan. Two groups were compared: residents in Climate Justice areas with high social and ecological vulnerability scores in the watershed (n=76) and residents in comparison areas in Michigan (n=69). Measurements for risk perception include perceived exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability to hazards. Results indicate that risk information has a significant effect on perceived sensitivity and level of preparedness for future climate extremes among participants living in Climate Justice areas. Findings highlight the value of integrating scientific risk assessment information in risk communication to align calculated and perceived risks. This study suggests effective risk communication can influence local support of climate action plans and implementation of strategies that address climate justice and achieve social sustainability in local communities.
Highlights
As of August 2017, 372 U.S Mayors representing 67.5 million people in American cities are committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement—an agreementUrban Planning, 2017, Volume 2, Issue 4, Pages 34–50 within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to curtail greenhouse gas emission mitigation and to strengthen adaptation and finance—in response to the derailing of the White House’s policy on climate change
Our study explored the following questions: 1) how well are residents aware of their climate risks and social and ecological vulnerability to climate change; and 2) to what degree does climate risk information affect residents’ perceptions and adaptation behaviors? Taken together, we hypothesized that the communication of visualized risk information would increase individuals’ awareness of climate associated hazards and decrease their perceived levels of preparedness to respond to future extreme events, especially in Climate Justice areas
Respondents living in the Climate Justice areas reported significantly higher levels of perceived exposure (M = 4.46, 95% CI: 4.28–4.64) than did those who lived in other comparison areas (M=4.07, 95% CI: 3.87–4.25)
Summary
As of August 2017, 372 U.S Mayors representing 67.5 million people in American cities are committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement—an agreementUrban Planning, 2017, Volume 2, Issue 4, Pages 34–50 within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to curtail greenhouse gas emission mitigation and to strengthen adaptation and finance—in response to the derailing of the White House’s policy on climate change (climatemayors.org). Social ecology studies human-environment relations that reflect psychological, cultural, and institutional context to environmental change and vice versa (Lejano & Stokols, 2013). It provides a holistic frame for examining the dynamic relationship between equity, planning, climate change, and sustainability. Schrock, Bassett and Green (2015) found that over a hundred cities’ sustainability plans failed to include equity as a measurable outcome comparing to extensive measures developed for achieving environmental and economic goals of sustainability. As climate change adaptation becomes an integral part of urban planning for coping with climate change threats (e.g., municipal climate action plans), identifying strategies for communicating climate change risks and adaptation strategies plays a critical role in engaging the public to support climate planning goals (Hagen, 2016a; Hagen, 2016b; Maibach, Roser-Renouf, & Leiserowitz, 2008; Moser, 2014).
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