Behavior change is needed to adapt to climate change

• DIAN SPEAR

It is very difficult for people to see the link between their food and transportation choices and the changing climate.

Behavioral changes like eating herbal or biking to get to work actions that mitigate the effects of climate change. But the causal chain is so complicated and the impact so temporally and geographically far apart that it is easy for many to ignore.

However, when it comes to adaptation, the consequences of doing nothing become more and more visible.

The result of a small farmer not taking action can be seen at the end of a season. If there is a drought and the farmer does not organize fodder or sell part of his flock, he ends up with an exhausted flock and a huge gash in his capital – his milk cows .

If a farmer planted crops at a time when there was no rain or planted a variety of unsuitable crops, yields are low. In Cape Town, people are starting to realize that if we use too much water, the faucets will dry out.

For those of us working on adaptation to climate change, we understand the impact of climate change and what can be done about it. We can easily see all the links between the decisions made by farmers and what these decisions could mean for their livelihoods and their food security.

We understand the cycle of water and the system of water supply for a city. We also understand the types of measures that need to be taken to adapt to water reduction in cities and in dry agricultural landscapes. However, many people do not understand climate change or the water cycle and the impacts that climate change may have; It does not matter what can be done about it.

And even though people have information about what is happening and what can be done, they do not necessarily act on that information for a number of different reasons.

For example, water savers in Cape Town are often motivated by an innate sense of responsibility, identifying themselves as stewards of the land, they are able and have the opportunity to "get the job done." save water because they have knowledge, finances, ownership and control of their property and the willingness to do so.

However, many people do not change their behavior to adapt to periods of drought. Our research has revealed that some of the reasons behind this include lack of awareness and information, individual perceptions, traditional norms, religious beliefs and the reliance on government to do something about it.

In the north-central Namibia of the Scaling Up in Semi-arid Regions (ASSAR) project, we found that many smallholders do not realize that there is no need for them. In the future, they will face much warmer conditions with more variable rainfall, possibly resulting in more frequent and intense droughts.

Moreover, one of the reasons that prevent these farmers from changing their farming practices is that they do not have the knowledge or skills in alternative farming approaches that they should use. Another very important factor that keeps farmers in business as they have always done in Namibia is the traditional norm.

People are more comfortable with continuing to do what they've always done.

In Cape Town, we see something similar with some residents who do not feel comfortable with 'if it's yellow, leave it fluffy', which is acceptable to follow by some social groups.

Another interesting similarity between the Cape Town urban and rural Namibia was the role of the property. In Cape Town, some residents mentioned that they were unable to implement water saving measures since they only rented the properties where they were staying.

In Namibia, some breeders mentioned that they were unable to sell livestock in anticipation of a drought. In addition to traditional norms and a lack of information, other obstacles to change have come up, such as inconvenience and lack of finances, time, equipment and hand d & # 39; work.

However, in Cape Town, there were individuals who were of the opinion that they are entitled to as much water as they want or that they are going to use the l & # 39; 39 water otherwise, otherwise someone else will do it or they may use water because they do not have a pool or a garden or n '. have no children in their house or are not much at home.

Some people were also of the opinion that the water crisis is not their problem but that it must be settled by the government. Similarly, in Namibia, some expected the government to come to the rescue if they had no food.

The types of mindsets that prevent people from acting because they do not realize that there is a problem or because they think it's the responsibility Someone else to fix the problem makes communities more vulnerable to climate change.

In rural agricultural landscapes where people need to provide food for their families, they need to adopt farming practices that will be more useful to them in the face of drought. This includes the sale of livestock before farmers are unable to provide the necessary food and water.

They must also adopt new ways of making a living. For small farmers, the impact of drought is more directly on the individual. However, those around them should help when there is no food on the table. Similarly, in shared resource situations such as water, the impact is on the collective.

Everyone must consume less water, otherwise everyone will run out of water.

Encouraging action to adapt to climate change requires a multi-pronged approach to address the many reasons why people do not change behavior. Actions such as education to increase awareness, training to develop skills, communicate through role models and media and penalize against restrictions are just the beginning of what needs to be done to change mindsets people who are inhibited by their religious beliefs.

* Dian Spear is a researcher on collaborative research on adaptation in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) – large scale adaptation in semi-arid regions (ASSAR) and climate and development based in Africa of the UCT initiative (CIDA), principal organizer of the 2018 future adaptation, which was held in Cape Town from June 18 to 21.