Browsing by Author "Pasquini, Lorena"

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    The capacity of local governments to build flood resilience in informal settlements: a social networks approach
    (2017) Bouwer, Roy; Pasquini, Lorena; Baudoin, Marie-Ange
    As greenhouse gas emissions drive anthropogenic climate change, flooding and flood related risk are likely to increase in frequency and intensity. The burden of these risks are expected to be concentrated in urban areas, particularly affecting highly vulnerable informal settlements. Adapting to these risks will largely fall under the responsibility of local governments. However local governments, in particular those in developing countries, often lack the capacity to implement effective adaptation strategies for long-term resilience. Drawing on social network analysis this research examines the role of social ties and social capital in facilitating knowledge sharing to improve the capacities of local governments to deal with flood-related risks. Using the case studies of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and Mossel Bay Local Municipality in South Africa, this research found that patterns of social interactions in the two local governments were largely a result of the size of structures of governance. The larger Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality network consisted of poorly connected sub-groups with poor knowledge dispersal. This led to poor adaptive and inclusive governance because poor levels of collaboration and social learning inhibited effective flood management. The smaller Mossel Bay Local Municipality network consisted of a bonded network with high knowledge transfers. These characteristics contributed to improved adaptive and inclusive governance because strong collaboration enabled informed and flexible flood management. The poor collaboration in NMBMM is likely to negatively affect the municipality's capacity to build resilience for informal settlements by negatively affecting coping, adaptive and transformative capacity. The strong collaboration in MBLM can foster coping and adaptive capacities, but may be hampering the transformative capacity of the municipality. Thus social networks have a considerable role to play in the governance of flooding, thereby influencing the ability of the two local governments to build resilience in informal settlements.
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    Environmental concern, knowledge, and the enactment of environmental citizenship in a retail food environment: an investigation into the perceptions and behaviours of Cape Town consumers
    (2015) Ractliffe, Tamzin Pascoe; Visser,Martine; Pasquini, Lorena
    Sustainable consumption has long been recognised as essential for the achievement of sustainable development. Whilst early efforts to achieve sustainable consumption focused on using technological innovation and process efficiencies to reduce the resource intensity of products, create new, less toxic, more environmentally friendly products, and/or improve the efficiency of production processes, the inadequacy of production-based approaches alone has been widely accepted. More recent efforts to achieve sustainable consumption have highlighted that a change in the behaviour of individuals is a prerequisite for its achievement. A significant body of research has focusing on trying to understand the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour and specifically the intersection of environmental concern and environmental knowledge in the manifestation in pro-environmental behaviour. The relatively recent concept of environmental citizenship, premised on the existence of concern and knowledge, and rooted in issues of environmental and social justice, has gained traction as an alternative means by which to achieve both sustainable development and sustainable consumption. This dissertation presents research findings from a mixed-method empirical study of the food consumption behaviour of a purposive sample of upper middle income South African retail food consumers. Applying the notion of environmental citizenship, it considers the influence of critical variables widely identified as key to the expression of pro-environmental behaviour, viz. desire to act, knowledge to act, and ability to act. Specifically it considers the relationship between environmental knowledge, environmental concern and pro-environmental behaviour, as well as the barriers and situational factors in the food retail environment which are reported to inhibit the practice of sustainable consumption behaviour. It then considers whether improvements in objective knowledge have an impact on the enactment of environmental citizenship through an increase in pro-environmental behaviour practices. The main conclusion drawn from the findings of this dissertation is that environmental concern and knowledge are positive predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. However, a low incidence of pro-environmental behaviour was evident in the study sample overall. This is most likely as a result of low levels of environmental concern and general lack of objective knowledge although a significant additional barrier could be the lack of a mature market for sustainable food in South Africa. In keeping with international studies, health concerns appear to be both most prevalent and most influential in determining the practice of pro-environmental behaviours. The study also suggests that efforts to increase levels of objective knowledge may have an impact on the practice of sustainable food consumption behaviours.
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    Exploring the effects of climate change communication and training efforts: lessons from training-courses aimed at mid-career professionals
    (2017) Van Wyk, Claire; Ziervogel, Gina; Pasquini, Lorena
    Research on the different ways in which climate change and adaptation (CCA) is communicated and taught has been growing in popularity over the last few decades. Researchers in communication science have found that the way in which information is presented and transferred is important in influencing people's perceptions and attitudes towards particular topics and issues. With this in mind, the lack of interest or realization of the severity of climate change at many levels of governance may be indicative that climate change, the subsequent negative impacts thereof and the need to implement adaptive and mitigative strategies - is not being effectively communicated to these audiences. This research explores the effect of CCA training-courses on participant knowledge, perceptions and attitudes towards CCA and related issues. It also highlights training methods and elements of course design which participants identified as enabling factors in enabling their understanding of CCA. The data collection used a mix methods approach, and focused around two training-courses. Participants (n=37) were mid-career professionals, many of whom engage in decision-making and policy development activities in different levels and sectors of government. Quantitative data was collected using scaled pre-and-post training tests. Qualitative data was collected through 14 semi-structured interviews, process observations, and anonymous feedback slips. A majority of participants (68%), showed an increase in knowledge scores after attending training. Similarly, 62% of participants responded more positively to questions relating to CCA in the post-training test compared to their pre-test responses. This research did not find a strong correlation between changes in knowledge, and changes in perceptions and attitudes; however, there were positive changes in all three variables. Participants discussed six methods of teaching and training which enabled their understanding of CCA and related issues; namely, PowerPointTM presentations, group work, practical exercises, games and role-play. Learnings from studying the training-courses highlight the importance of collaborative learning, diversity in participant groups, active engagement of participants with various mixed training methods and careful framing of content such that it inspires a sense of confidence rather than hopelessness. The effective communication and transfer of CCA information to professionals that are engaged in decision-making and policy development is key to increasing adaptive capacity, and subsequently adaptation at scale. It is therefore critical that CCA communication and capacity building efforts, such as training-courses, are designed such that they optimize participant learning and understanding.
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    Exploring the role of climate change risk perceptions in informing climate services for adaptation in East Africa
    (2023) Steynor, Anna; Hewitson, Bruce; Pasquini, Lorena
    The specificities of the African decision context are not well understood and are often not considered in the development, tailoring and supply of climate services for Africa. Yet, the utility of climate services relies on them being suitable for the decision context, so an understanding of the decision context should be central to climate services development. One unexplored approach to deepening an understanding of the decision context for climate services is through climate change risk perceptions, because perceptions of climate change risk influence whether decision makers take action on climate change as well as what information they seek and use to take action. Accordingly, this study uses data collected through a regional survey (N = 474) and semi-structured interviews (N = 36) to explore and better understand climate change risk perceptions amongst policy decision influencers in east Africa. The data informs three separate analyses. First, a climate change risk perceptions model is constructed, elucidating how various risk perception determinants interact to influence climate change risk perceptions and professional action on climate change in east Africa. This model shows that the pathway to climate change risk perceptions differs depending on individual value systems. Heightened climate change risk perceptions of those with primarily self-enhancing (inward looking) values are predominantly influenced by social norms, whereas heightened climate change risk perceptions of those with primarily self-transcending (outward facing) values are predominantly influenced by experience of extreme events and the psychological proximity of climate change. Second, the identified climate change risk perception determinants are quantified and explored to better understand the specificities of the decision context in which climate services are used. Climate change risk perceptions are found to be heightened, driven by observance of social norms, perceptions of climate change as a proximal risk, frequent experience of extreme weather events and a predominantly self-transcending value system among policy decision influencers. Lastly, the relationships between determinants of climate change risk perceptions and the use of climate services information are quantified and explored to evaluate gaps in currently available climate services. The analysis reveals three main gaps, namely the lack of long-term climate change projections disseminated through National Meteorological Services, the limited locally ground-truthed delivery of impact-based forecasts and inadequate capacity development of climate services users to understand and use complex climate information. The study culminates in a proposed framework for the enhancement of climate services for east Africa, based on understanding gained through the study.
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    Municipalities, politics, and climate change: an example of the process of institutionalizing an environmental agenda within local government
    (SAGE, 2014) Pasquini, Lorena; Shearing, Clifford
    Political issues can influence the delivery of services and other goals, such as environmental sustainability, within municipalities. However, the influence of political factors on the institutionalization of environmental issues within municipalities has not been examined. We investigate these issues using a case study of a South African municipality that has made considerable progress in institutionalizing environmental issues (particularly climate change related) in the last decade, despite a change in political leadership. The presence of the following factors promoted the institutionalization of environmental governance: (i) political champions; (ii) networks between the municipality and other organizations, and dense networks within the municipality; (iii) benefits for the municipality from environmental actions. Political issues can enable the process of institutionalization (e.g. by stimulating innovation through political party competition) and also hinder it through political instability (which for e.g. disrupts patterns in champions and networks) and clientelism (which can cause environmental projects to be discontinued).
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    Sustainable urban agriculture: a sustainable adaptation strategy for the City of Cape Town? : Practices and views on sustainable urban agriculture and climate change in Cape Town
    (2017) Anaïs, Marie; Haysom, Gareth; Pasquini, Lorena
    This work explores the narratives associated with the benefits of sustainable urban agriculture areas in terms of adaptation to climate change in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area, South Africa. Urbanization and climate change are stressing urban areas in developing countries. Therefore, finding a development path towards "sustainable adaptation" remains a critical matter for humanity. Adaptation is sustainable only if it takes into consideration climate risks, while maximizing both social justice and environmental integrity. Urban agriculture is defined in this dissertation as the urban and peri-urban locations where agricultural practices, either the production of crops, livestock, or fish, utilize urban resources for the purpose of selling and consuming these goods produced locally, supporting the urban economy and providing a supply of food for urban citizens. Sustainable urban agriculture encompasses urban agricultural areas operating towards the satisfaction of human food, the preservation of environmental resources, the economic viability of agriculture and the enhancement of the quality of life of farmers, farm workers, and society. This research reviews the practices and views of urban agriculture stakeholders in Cape Town on sustainable urban agriculture to determine if the practices of urban agriculture could be a part of a sustainable adaptation strategy. The methods used to answer this question included a systematic review of studies on urban agriculture worldwide since 1980, and a review of the urban agriculture and adaptation to climate change policies which are implemented at the metropolitan level, all supported and tested through interviews with key informants. Non-Government Organization (NGO)-based community farming initiatives such as Oranjezicht City Farm, Abalimi Bezekhaya or the ERF 81, independent farmers, municipal and provincial government representatives were interviewed. A critical discourse analysis method was utilized to analyze the findings. The study found that the narratives at the metropolitan level, including the policies and the views of governmental representatives, remains focused on the food security contribution whereas the practitioners' narrative expressed an interest in the economic opportunities and social benefits that sustainable urban agriculture can bring, as stated by the literature on sustainable urban agriculture. The key practitioners and NGOs narratives suggest that sustainable urban agriculture is contributing to the adaptive capacity of the farmers as they are using practices such as permaculture or organic farming, which allow them to cope with the impacts of climate variability and climate change. If sustainable farming practices were emphasized instead of farming practices towards small-scale, home-based activity to improve households' food security, the adaptation framework at the municipal and provincial level would be aligned with practitioners and NGOs narratives and would contribute to the sustainable adaptation capacity of the city. The recent shift within the City of Cape Town towards the broad concept of resilience could bridge the gap between current policy and practices, and informants' narratives, but it remains too soon for this to be tested. This study concludes suggesting that the analysis of the informants' and literature's narratives on sustainable urban agriculture express potential to contribute to climate change adaptation and the reduction of vulnerability in Cape Town but alignment between policy and practitioners' needs, wants and actions needs to take place.
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    Views and behaviours of municipal actors relating to climate change and water management: the case of local municipal water management and social networks
    (2019) Gerstner, Kristian; Pasquini, Lorena
    Climate change is projected to impact the hydrological cycle and have a negative effect on water supply. In South Africa, water to the end user is supplied by local municipalities, and thus municipalities are likely to benefit from adapting to these climate impacts. This research aims to understand the views and behaviours of local municipal actors towards water management and climate change, and how these views and behaviours influence the resilience of their water supply system in the face of climate change. A secondary aim of the thesis was to determine if the advice networks, where the actors receive the bulk of their information from, influenced the actor’s views and behaviours around water management, climate change, and adaptation, using a social network approach. The study area focused on five local municipalities in the West Coast District of South Africa. This research made use of a mixed methods approach, utilising both qualitative and quantitative data, obtained using semi-structured interviews with a structured component. Qualitative data were used to collect water management-related views and behaviours of municipal actors, whilst quantitative data were collected to determine social network characteristics. The views and behaviours on water demand and supply management of the actors interviewed tended to differ. Actors’ views on ideal water management approaches were more concerned with the long-term sustainability of water resources through raising awareness and managing existing infrastructure better. Actor’s preferred behaviours however focused on immediate relief to water shortages, by augmenting existing supply and enforcing restrictions. These findings imply that actors respond reactively to drought, and not proactively. In terms of climate change, actors showed a clear understanding of climate change and its risks to water management. Actors understood how climate change adaptation could be used to make their municipalities’ water supply more resilient, by utilising sustainable sources of water or through ecosystem-based adaptation, however it was found that municipal plans and behaviours did not generally reflect these views. Social network characteristics such as strengths of ties, and the existence of multiplex ties, did not appear to influence the sharing of behaviours or views between the actor and their given advice network. It was thus theorised that institutional lock-in and hierarchical governance might play a larger role in influencing views and behaviours than the actors’ social networks. The reactive responses by actors to issues of water demand or supply can lead to poor resilience in the face of climate change, where cases of drought and water shortages may become more frequent. Whilst municipal actors are aware of these changing conditions and risks, the limitations placed on them by governance structures and lock-in impact their ability to be proactive. More work needs to be done to ensure sustainable and resilient water management interventions are implemented at the local municipal level. Additionally, lockin, both institutional and technological, could usefully be challenged to allow for innovative ideas to enter the realm of water management at the local municipal level.
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    Visualising climate change: the case of the intergovernmental panel on climate change's cover images
    (2016) Claassens, Katrine Brink; Rijsdijk, Ian; Pasquini, Lorena
    Climate change is an increasingly urgent problem. How it is communicated and represented are of interest to those seeking to understand action or inaction on the issue. There is increasing interest on how it is being communicated visually. This research speaks to the growing body of literature on the visual communication of climate change in order to contribute to the wider critical literature addressing the role of images in the communication of climate change. It does so by considering a neglected site of climate change imagery: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) report covers. The IPCC's report covers from the first ones in 1990, to the latest ones of 2014, are investigated in this quantitative and qualitative case study where the subject matter, both literal and symbolic of this (hitherto unexamined) body of images, is interrogated. This dissertation sought to identify and investigate what, exactly, the IPCC is using to visually represent and communicate climate change outside the realm of its scientific graphs and diagrams. It sought to compare these findings with the larger lexicon of climate change imagery and look at how the IPCC negotiates the communicational and representational problems inherent in the visual communication of climate change. The question ultimately asked was whether the IPCC's cover images are effective representations of climate change. What was found was that the IPCC images departed significantly from standard climate imagery. The conclusions drawn from the initial content and thematic analysis was that the IPCC images are frequently too banal, bland and decontextualized to be effective representations or communicators of climate change but do offer some potentially effective avenues overlooked in other representations.