The relevance of lay rationalities on climate change in defining policies and strategies

Abstract:

"Climate change (CC) is the major current environmental problem, reflecting on the balance of ecosystems, livelihoods, social organisation, as well as on health and well-being. Delimiting our research subject around the understanding of the multidimensionality and complexity of the environmental field, involving climate change, and analysing it as a social construction, we investigated the reciprocal relationship between societies and the environment, structures, and agents, to understand its place in the social and political orders. Thus, our research was held in Madeira Island, part of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, and in Las Palmas of Gran Canary, part of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. Both territories belong to the Macaronesia and are considered Outermost Regions, being particularly vulnerable to CC. Therefore, it was crucial to understand how people conceive, explain and deal with CC, how communication has been processed, in which direction policies concerning CC have evolved, and how participation has been structured. Mitigation and adaptation strategies and plans are in place, leveraged by the regional governments and local governance, following European and national guidelines (e. g., Clima-Madeira Strategy, Municipal Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change, Action Plan of the Europe 2020 Strategy in the Canary Islands, Insular Strategy of Adaptation to Climate Change and Boost of a Low Carbon Economy - Gran Canaria, etc.), but policies fail to reflect knowledge of the causes and consequences of CC in everyday life, and fail to facilitate public participation in their definition and implementation. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was adopted, based on the case studies of Madeira Island and of Las Palmas, grounded on documentary research and semi-structured interviews. Thus, the research followed a comprehensive theoretical-methodological emphasis integrating contributions of several theories. The results showed the importance of lay rationalities for the broad understanding of CC networks and policies articulated with the changes required to deal with the socioenvironmental crisis in the territories."