Low perception of climate change by farmers and herders on Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Vulnerable groups living in climate-sensitive areas are facing unprecedented risks. Their perception of the changing climate and its impacts has potentially significant influence over the choices they make in response. However, our understanding of the climate change perceptions of many vulnerable groups, and the key environmental and social predictors of public understanding of climate risk, is insufficient. Our integrated analysis of physical climate trends, demographic characteristics, and climate change responses of over 24,000 farmers and herders across the Tibetan Plateau, finds that fewer than 26 % of respondents perceive the significant warming trend in their region. The results suggest perceptions of climate change are more sensitive to rates of temperature change, changes around ice melt, and extremes, than increases in average temperatures. Importantly, broader dimensions of well-being have influence over perception and confidence in adaptation options as average annual income, having a credit loan, consuming trusted media, and living on high-altitude locations have a significant positive effect on perceiving climate change. Identifying synergies between dimensions of human well-being and adaptation to climate change is critical for investment in the scalable transformations needed to achieve more sustainable livelihoods. Improving income, access to credit and social services present policy makers opportunities for targeted interventions to increase climate change perception of farmers and herders. These interventions can reduce inequalities in adaptation capacity and strengthen the public’s ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change with co-benefits with broader progress towards poverty reduction, social services, climate information and education.