Abstract
Climate change impacts on Small Island Developing States have been well-documented, highlighting the disproportionate effects on many communities in these regions. Coastal communities have been listed to be at the forefront of climate change impacts. For the Caribbean the exposure to climate-related hazards, together with socioeconomic factors and the adaptive capacity of the community, all affect overall vulnerability. Understanding how coastal communities or subsections thereof adjust to the impacts of climate change on their daily activities is important, especially in cases where livelihoods are threatened by these impacts. The current chapter seeks to understand the levels of knowledge regarding climate change, perceptions related to the impacts of climate change on livelihoods, and current strategies that are being used to adjust to climate change among fishers. The case study of Old Harbour Bay, Jamaica, will be used to articulate patterns within the broader Caribbean context. For fishers, there are high levels of knowledge about the causes of climate change. Additionally, there is a clear, perceived relationship between climate change and threats to the physical environment and to livelihoods. Taking these perceptions into consideration, the question that must be addressed is the notion of what type of strategies, if any, are being used to adjust to the threats to livelihoods.
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Notes
- 1.
Pseudocauses were included to cross-check whether individuals have a true understanding of the causes of climate change based on the Western scientific understanding.
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Baptiste, A.K. (2016). Factors Influencing Perceptions of Climate Change Among Caribbean Coastal Artisanal Fishers: Case Study of Old Harbour Bay, Jamaica. In: Beckford, C., Rhiney, K. (eds) Globalization, Agriculture and Food in the Caribbean. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53837-6_10
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