IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i13p7357-d586148.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Communities on a Threshold: Climate Action and Wellbeing Potentialities in Scotland

Author

Listed:
  • Svenja Meyerricks

    (The Pearce Institute, Centre for Human Ecology, Glasgow G51 3UU, UK)

  • Rehema M. White

    (School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK)

Abstract

Community projects provide opportunities for their participants to collectively undertake climate action and simultaneously experience alternative concepts of wellbeing. However, we argue that community projects do so in ‘liminal’ ways—on the threshold of (unactualised) social change. We employed an ethnographic approach involving participant observation and qualitative interviews to investigate two community climate action projects in Scotland supported by the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF). We identify some of the outcomes and barriers of these projects in relation to promoting wellbeing through work, transport, participation and green spaces for food production, biodiversity and recreation. Projects’ achievements are contextualised in light of the urgent imperative to tackle climate change and against a background of social inequality. Liminal community projects are structurally constrained in their potential to create wider systemic changes. However, the projects’ potential to promote wellbeing among their participants can intersect with climate change mitigation when systemic and wide-ranging changes are adopted. These changes must involve a meaningful shift towards an economy that centres wellbeing, framed through principles of environmental justice and promoting social equity.

Suggested Citation

  • Svenja Meyerricks & Rehema M. White, 2021. "Communities on a Threshold: Climate Action and Wellbeing Potentialities in Scotland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7357-:d:586148
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7357/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7357/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas G Measham & Benjamin L Preston & Cassandra Brooke & Tim F Smith & Craig Morrison & Geoff Withycombe & Russell Gorddard, 2010. "Adapting to Climate Change Through Local Municipal Planning: Barriers and Opportunities," Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED) Working Paper Series 2010-05, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
    2. Elisabeth Van de Grift & Joost Vervoort & Eefje Cuppen, 2017. "Transition Initiatives as Light Intentional Communities: Uncovering Liminality and Friction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Candice Howarth & Peter Bryant & Adam Corner & Sam Fankhauser & Andy Gouldson & Lorraine Whitmarsh & Rebecca Willis, 2020. "Building a Social Mandate for Climate Action: Lessons from COVID-19," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 1107-1115, August.
    4. Schwanen, Tim & Banister, David & Anable, Jillian, 2012. "Rethinking habits and their role in behaviour change: the case of low-carbon mobility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 522-532.
    5. repec:ucp:bkecon:9781529200478 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Heiskanen, Eva & Johnson, Mikael & Robinson, Simon & Vadovics, Edina & Saastamoinen, Mika, 2010. "Low-carbon communities as a context for individual behavioural change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7586-7595, December.
    7. Trebeck, Katherine & Williams, Jeremy, 2019. "The Economics of Arrival," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9781447337263, Febrero.
    8. Moloney, Susie & Horne, Ralph E. & Fien, John, 2010. "Transitioning to low carbon communities--from behaviour change to systemic change: Lessons from Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7614-7623, December.
    9. Thomas Measham & Benjamin Preston & Timothy Smith & Cassandra Brooke & Russell Gorddard & Geoff Withycombe & Craig Morrison, 2011. "Adapting to climate change through local municipal planning: barriers and challenges," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 889-909, December.
    10. Kai Whiting & Leonidas Konstantakos & Angeles Carrasco & Luis Gabriel Carmona, 2018. "Sustainable Development, Wellbeing and Material Consumption: A Stoic Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marta Olazabal & Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado & Eduardo Olazabal & Filomena Pietrapertosa & Monica Salvia & Davide Geneletti & Valentina D?Alonzo & Efrén Feliú & Senatro Di Leo & Diana Reckien, 2014. "How are Italian and Spanish cities tackling climate change? A local comparative study," Working Papers 2014-03, BC3.
    2. Jiang, Ping & Chen, Yihui & Xu, Bin & Dong, Wenbo & Kennedy, Erin, 2013. "Building low carbon communities in China: The role of individual’s behaviour change and engagement," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 611-620.
    3. Athena Yiannakou & Konstantina-Dimitra Salata, 2017. "Adaptation to Climate Change through Spatial Planning in Compact Urban Areas: A Case Study in the City of Thessaloniki," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Gawel, Erik & Lehmann, Paul & Strunz, Sebastian & Heuson, Clemens, 2018. "Public Choice barriers to efficient climate adaptation – theoretical insights and lessons learned from German flood disasters," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(3), pages 473-499, June.
    5. Georgia Warren-Myers & Gideon Aschwanden & Franz Fuerst & Andy Krause, 2018. "Estimating the Potential Risks of Sea Level Rise for Public and Private Property Ownership, Occupation and Management," Risks, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Giovanni Pilato & Susannah M. Sallu & Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia, 2018. "Assessing the Integration of Climate Change and Development Strategies at Local Levels: Insights from Muheza District, Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-25, January.
    7. Jana Lorena Werg & Torsten Grothmann & Stefan Löchtefeld, 2021. "Fostering Self-Protection against Impacts of Heavy Rain at the Municipal Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Saatvika Rai, 2020. "Policy Adoption and Policy Intensity: Emergence of Climate Adaptation Planning in U.S. States," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(4), pages 444-463, July.
    9. Gawel, Erik & Heuson, Clemens & Lehmann, Paul, 2012. "Efficient public adaptation to climate change: An investigation of drivers and barriers from a Public Choice perspective," UFZ Discussion Papers 14/2012, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    10. Youhyun Lee & Bomi Kim & Heeju Hwang, 2020. "Which Institutional Conditions Lead to a Successful Local Energy Transition? Applying Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Solar PV Cases in South Korea," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-19, July.
    11. Andrew Macintosh, 2013. "Coastal climate hazards and urban planning: how planning responses can lead to maladaptation," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 18(7), pages 1035-1055, October.
    12. Jahan Zeb Khan & Muhammad Zaheer, 2018. "Impacts Of Environmental Changeability And Human Activities On Hydrological Processes And Response ," Environmental Contaminants Reviews (ECR), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 1(1), pages 13-17, June.
    13. Stephanie L. Barr & Christopher J. Lemieux, 2021. "Assessing organizational readiness to adapt to climate change in a regional protected areas context: lessons learned from Canada," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 1-21, December.
    14. James Ford & Diana King, 2015. "A framework for examining adaptation readiness," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 505-526, April.
    15. Guillaume Simonet & Alexia Leseur, 2019. "Barriers and drivers to adaptation to climate change—a field study of ten French local authorities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 621-637, August.
    16. C. Wamsler & J. Alkan-Olsson & H. Björn & H. Falck & H. Hanson & T. Oskarsson & E. Simonsson & F. Zelmerlow, 2020. "Beyond participation: when citizen engagement leads to undesirable outcomes for nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 235-254, January.
    17. Paul Lehmann & Miriam Brenck & Oliver Gebhardt & Sven Schaller & Elisabeth Süßbauer, 2015. "Barriers and opportunities for urban adaptation planning: analytical framework and evidence from cities in Latin America and Germany," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 75-97, January.
    18. Kelli Archie, 2014. "Mountain communities and climate change adaptation: barriers to planning and hurdles to implementation in the Southern Rocky Mountain Region of North America," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 569-587, June.
    19. Gül Aktürk & Ahmadreza Shirvani Dastgerdi, 2021. "Cultural Landscapes under the Threat of Climate Change: A Systematic Study of Barriers to Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    20. Rakibul Alam & Khalid Md. Bahauddin, 2014. "Mainstreaming Climate Change. Adaptation into Regional Planning of Least Developed Countries: Strategy Implications for Regions in Bangladesh," Management of Sustainable Development, Sciendo, vol. 6(1), pages 1-13, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7357-:d:586148. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.