5 Gods, Spirits and Natural Hazards …
95
This chapter argues that as a first step, the context-specific worldviews of local
people must be broadly understood if climate change adaptation has a chance to have
a long-lasting impact in communities. Appropriate pathways and solutions can be
decided upon from that point as it is clear a one-size-fits-all approach has largely
failed (Korovulavula et al. 2019; Nunn and Kumar 2019b). In the same way, a onesize-fits-all religious approach might be just as likely to fail owing to the variations
in culturally grounded ontological perspectives across the region, as shown in this
chapter. Rather a deeper understanding of the localised context and worldviews of
the people in which climate change adaptation is being implemented is essential as a
first step to move toward success and optimal outcomes for those most vulnerable in
the Pacific and around the world. Yet we recognised the already constrained budgets
of aid agencies and governments which may into the future be further reduced (Nunn
and Kumar 2019a).
To conclude this chapter, we suggest opportunities and questions for an evolving
research agenda. First, as there is significant diversity in faith-based beliefs within and
between Pacific Island cultures, as shown in this chapter, we suggest that projects to
build resilience must be specifically tailored to these. To achieve this, a guide detailing
the specifics and commonalities in faith-based understandings and approaches, would
be a useful first step, especially as more research is conducted throughout the Pacific
on faith-based approaches. Additionally, a wealth of ethnographic data already
exists in the literature which could be drawn upon for comparative purposes. Future
research should seek to devise such an approach in consultation with aid agencies and governments and collate findings from research in different cultures in a
comparative fashion. Second, Indigenous cultures throughout the Pacific are already
adapting to a changing climate through their unique faith-based frameworks. As such,
there presents an opportunity to leverage and learn from these existing strategies. A
preoccupation with physicalist adaptations is hindering more nuanced and effective
society wide adaptations that have been recognised for many years as more effective. Further, comparative research and a synthesisation of findings into academic and
plain language policy documents will be essential. Finally, we pose two questions
which could be addressed in future research: how can faith-based understandings and
science be reconciled to lead to scientifically informed yet religiously appropriate
strategies? And, what do these strategies look like? We suggest that community-led
adaptation and experimentation will provide the answers to these questions where
external actors can play a facilitation role, rather than driving and informing adaptation. However, the findings cannot be sealed behind paywalls and in obscure journals,
agencies, governments, religious institutions, and communities must be made aware
of any solutions.
References
Ahmad AN (2019) Disaster cosmologies in comparative perspective: Islam, climate change and the
2010 floods in Pakistan’s Southern Punjab. J Hist Sociol 32:311–330
95
This chapter argues that as a first step, the context-specific worldviews of local
people must be broadly understood if climate change adaptation has a chance to have
a long-lasting impact in communities. Appropriate pathways and solutions can be
decided upon from that point as it is clear a one-size-fits-all approach has largely
failed (Korovulavula et al. 2019; Nunn and Kumar 2019b). In the same way, a onesize-fits-all religious approach might be just as likely to fail owing to the variations
in culturally grounded ontological perspectives across the region, as shown in this
chapter. Rather a deeper understanding of the localised context and worldviews of
the people in which climate change adaptation is being implemented is essential as a
first step to move toward success and optimal outcomes for those most vulnerable in
the Pacific and around the world. Yet we recognised the already constrained budgets
of aid agencies and governments which may into the future be further reduced (Nunn
and Kumar 2019a).
To conclude this chapter, we suggest opportunities and questions for an evolving
research agenda. First, as there is significant diversity in faith-based beliefs within and
between Pacific Island cultures, as shown in this chapter, we suggest that projects to
build resilience must be specifically tailored to these. To achieve this, a guide detailing
the specifics and commonalities in faith-based understandings and approaches, would
be a useful first step, especially as more research is conducted throughout the Pacific
on faith-based approaches. Additionally, a wealth of ethnographic data already
exists in the literature which could be drawn upon for comparative purposes. Future
research should seek to devise such an approach in consultation with aid agencies and governments and collate findings from research in different cultures in a
comparative fashion. Second, Indigenous cultures throughout the Pacific are already
adapting to a changing climate through their unique faith-based frameworks. As such,
there presents an opportunity to leverage and learn from these existing strategies. A
preoccupation with physicalist adaptations is hindering more nuanced and effective
society wide adaptations that have been recognised for many years as more effective. Further, comparative research and a synthesisation of findings into academic and
plain language policy documents will be essential. Finally, we pose two questions
which could be addressed in future research: how can faith-based understandings and
science be reconciled to lead to scientifically informed yet religiously appropriate
strategies? And, what do these strategies look like? We suggest that community-led
adaptation and experimentation will provide the answers to these questions where
external actors can play a facilitation role, rather than driving and informing adaptation. However, the findings cannot be sealed behind paywalls and in obscure journals,
agencies, governments, religious institutions, and communities must be made aware
of any solutions.
References
Ahmad AN (2019) Disaster cosmologies in comparative perspective: Islam, climate change and the
2010 floods in Pakistan’s Southern Punjab. J Hist Sociol 32:311–330