Perspectives of climate change: A comparison of scientific understanding and local interpretations by different Western Siberian communities

We present a study of social effects of climate change as experienced by local communities, based on field research and analysis in Western Siberia, from southern taiga to tundra. The results of field anthropological research reveal different attitudes of local residents to climate change. We compar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2021-11, Vol.50 (11), p.2072-2089
Main Authors: Rakhmanova, Lidia, Kolesnichenko, Larisa, Kuzhevskaya, Irina, Kolesnichenko, Iurii, Vorobev, Rostislav, Tyulyupo, Svetlana, Drozdov, Viktor, Shaduyko, Olga
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric Sciences
Attitude
Attitudes
Climate Change
Climate effects
Decision making
Divergence
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental impact
Environmental Management
Humans
Knowledge
Local climates
Local communities
Local population
Perception
Physical Geography
Siberia
Siberian Environmental Change
Social interactions
Taiga
Tundra
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Summary:We present a study of social effects of climate change as experienced by local communities, based on field research and analysis in Western Siberia, from southern taiga to tundra. The results of field anthropological research reveal different attitudes of local residents to climate change. We compare the key trends of climate change with the perspectives of local residents, based on memories, subjective experiences, and local environmental knowledge. Our results highlight a significant divergence of the subjective assessments of residents from objective data on the dynamics of changes in certain environmental elements. We explore how the human subjective perception of natural processes, their consequences and impacts, are influenced by such factors as: type of settlement, age, gender, level of education and how collective stereotypes and judgments merge information in attitude formation. We also address the need to reconcile observed climate change impacts and perceptions to enable decision-makers to engage more constructively with the local population to develop and implement adaptation.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-021-01621-y