Arctic Climate Politics
Perhaps nowhere else on Earth has been hit harder by climate change than the Arctic. Anthropogenic climatic changes have been occurring for decades in the form of sea ice volatility, coastal erosion, melting permafrost, reduced freshwater levels, and dramatic variability in temperature and precipitation. These changes have profound consequences for the economic and cultural survival of subsistence-based populations living in the Arctic and of settlements physically displaced by geographic changes. How have impacted communities responded? How do individuals in these communities perceive of climate change? How do individuals feel about their own governments' responses to climate change?
The EGAPE Lab's research in this area is in the early stages and addresses two themes:
Climate change and civic engagement. How does climate change affect political participation in the Arctic? We assess this question in the context of Alaska Native community engagement using a combination of survey instruments, conjoint analysis, and in-depth interviews of Alaska Natives living in 19 Arctic communities.
Political attitudes in climate-vulnerable populations. Partnering with the ENVENT Lab at UCSB, we are building the first survey of climate change beliefs in small-island states and Arctic regions. These individuals live in some of the most climate-vulnerable places in the world, yet have eluded systematic surveying of attitudes towards climate change and climate adaptation.