Transformational capacity and the influence of place and identity

By Nadine Marshall, S. Park, W. Adger, K. Brown, S. Mark Howden. 2012

314 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Climate change is altering the productivity of natural resources with far-reaching implications for those who depend on them. Resource-dependent industries and communities need the capacity to adapt to a range of climate risks if they are to remain viable. In some instances, the scale and nature of the likely impacts means that transformations of function or structure will be required. Transformations represent a switch to a distinct new system where a different suite of factors become important in the design and implementation of response strategies. There is a critical gap in knowledge on understanding transformational capacity and its influences. On the basis of current knowledge on adaptive capacity we propose four foundations for measuring transformational capacity: (1) how risks and uncertainty are managed, (2) the extent of skills in planning, learning and reorganizing, (3) the level of financial and psychological flexibility to undertake change and (4) the willingness to undertake change. We test the influence of place attachment and occupational identity on transformational capacity using the Australian peanut industry, which is presently assessing significant structural change in response to predicted climatic changes. Survey data from 88% of peanut farmers in Queensland show a strong negative correlation between transformational capacity and both place attachment and occupational attachment, suggesting that whilst these factors may be important positive influences on the capacity to adapt to incremental change, they act as barriers to transformational change.

Subfields: Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ada09ae49d7f82bf73595bccb78153232c3960e2

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In Sociology and Political Science

Citations in the corpus

The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review (2020, background): “The wound inflicted to this symbolic domain causes more complex psychopatho log ica l consequences, such as identity disorders (164) or long-term personality changes (119), as seen in trauma related to extreme weather events and loss of familiar landscape, or dissociative syndromes (165) as seen in ”
Empathy, place and identity interactions for sustainability (2019, background): “Individuals’ relation to place, including their emotional attachments have, for example, explained how individuals adapt and mitigate environmental change (Singer and Klimecki, 2014; Butler et al., 2015; Marshall et al. 2012; Head et al. 2016).”
Cognitive and institutional influences on farmers’ adaptive capacity: insights into barriers and opportunities for transformative change in central Arizona (2016, methodology): “These Likert items were closely based on the survey instruments that Marshall et al. (2012) had developed and tested, with some modification for language and social– cultural context.”
Sustainability transformations: a resilience perspective (2014, background): “A pioneering study in this regard is by Marshall et al. (2012) who investigated the difference between adaptive and transformative capacity among peanut farmers in Queensland, Australia.”
Farmers’ climate change beliefs and adaptation strategies for a water scarce future in Australia (2013, background): “, 2009), with some exceptions (e.g. Nicholas and Durham, 2012; Marshall et al., 2012).”
Adaptive capacity: exploring the research frontier (2017, background): “assess Australian farmers’ perceptions of risk and uncertainty, skills for planning, ability to cope with change, and their interest in change.(65,66) Grothmann and Patt examine risk perception and also perceived adaptive capacity, arguing that individuals’ selfefficacy and assessment of the costs a”
Limits to adaptation to climate change: a risk approach (2013, background): “Developing a robust, theoretically informed conceptual framework for adaptation limits is urgent given the persistent obstacles to achieving significant greenhouse gas mitigation, which increase the likelihood of large-scale climate changes and irreversible consequences [38].”
Linkages between ecosystem services and human wellbeing: A Nexus Webs approach (2018, background): “438 Marshall et al. (2012) investigated the transformational capacity of peanut farmers to adapt 439 to the altered productivity of natural resources (exacerbated by climate change).”
Climate-Resilient Pathways: Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development (2014, background): “…improving human health, and securing food and livelihoods associated with the idea of sustainable development (Ehrenfeld, 2008; Grist, 2008; Marston, 2012; see also Victor and Rosenbluth, 2007; Victor, 2008) and with efforts to define and establish “safe operating spaces” for humanity…”