Examining the Adaptive Strategies of the People of Dome in the Ga-East Municipality to the Effects of Climate Change and Variability

Abstract

There is a global consensus about climate change and variability‟s effects as serious environmental problems. Against this backdrop, adaption and mitigation have been established as key elements for addressing them. However, adaptation to climate change has been established as an important and complementary response to mitigation. In view of this, the study examined the adaptive strategies of the people of Dome to the effects of climate change and variability. Drawing on the adaptive capacity framework, it specifically assessed the perceptions of the people of Dome about climate change and variability; the prevailing effects of climate change and variability as well as the relative adaptive strategies adopted by different people to tackle these effects. Lastly, the study assessed the adaptive capacity of the people of Dome to climate change and variability effects. A systematic random sampling technique was used to sample 371 respondents for the household questionnaire survey whilst institutional heads were purposively selected for the in-depth interviews. The study reveals that majority of respondents were familiar with the term climate change and had a fair understanding of it. Again, flooding, increased temperature and high rainfall intensity were perceived by respondents as more prevalent climate change effects compared to storms. Comparatively, majority of the respondents engage in reactive than planned adaptation measures. Furthermore, the study finds that the adaptive capacity of respondents especially, social capital, effectiveness of institutions, and early warning systems are relatively low in Dome. The study established that coping with climate change and variability is dependent on knowledge and awareness about climate change and its effects, access to technology; information and basic infrastructure, and the effectiveness of institutions. In view of these findings, the study recommends education campaigns on climate change, enhancement of early warning information dissemination and development of practical policies to improve preparedness for climate change effects.