Rural Communities and Climate Change

Climate change is a reality and for rural coastal communities in developing countries it has a definite potential to be devastating. It has been projected that hundreds of millions of people in coastal populations will be displaced by the end of the century. These are conservative estimates. The individuals in rural coastal communities have little to do with the causes of climate change, but will be most effected. The rise of sea levels are already occurring and effecting coastal communities around the globe and with this continued rise, along with sea surface temperature increases, we will see even more frequent intense weather events and increased height of storm surges. In the United States alone, the impacts of hurricane Katrina and Sandy are examples of the destruction in a developed country. Imagine how these events impact impoverished communities in developing countries. My objectives are to conduct social research through cultural immersion in developing countries while circumnavigating on a sailing research vessel to better understand how prominent impacts of climate change will effect coastal populations. I will communicate the cultural perspectives to large scale government and scientific communities in order to inform future adaptive strategies in hopes we as a global community can more effectively address climate changes which will impact us all. This initiative will likely be supported by the Nordland Research Institute and be part of my PhD research at the University Oxford (acceptance pending) and will take several years to complete. Your assistance in funding this important research will help change the perspectives of individuals in developing countries as well as policy makers and financial stakeholders that enact decisions that directly impact coastal populations. A detailed copy of my research proposal can be found at http://observicuss.wordpress.com
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