Climate change adaptation and structures of power in community interventions

Porio, Emma

RC 46, Clinical Sociology; Session on Community Development and Social Justice

(also known as Essentials of Community Intervention)

Climate Change Adaptation and Structures of Power in Community Intervention[1]

By Emma Porio[2]

This paper is based on a multi-disciplinary research and collaborative interventions for climate change adaptation among vulnerable, marginal, riverine communities in the three flood plains of Metro Manila. Anchored on the principles of participatory action research (PAR), the central goal was to produce science-based, community-driven interventions that assesses their vulnerability and facilitates climate change adaptation among the urban poor communities and, in the process, increasing their resilience to climate change effects such as floods, typhoons and sea level rise (SLR).

The study argues that clinical analysis and intervention aimed to promote climate change adaptation and resilience among vulnerable groups must maximize the intersections of insider and outsider knowledge/expertise and institutional resources of the marginal communities, academia, civil society and the state. In the process the production of science-based but community-driven interventions result in creating more sustainable networks and collaborative engagements among different sectors/actors.

[1] Paper for presentation in RC 46 (Clinical Sociology), Session on Essentials of Community Intervention

[2] Professor of Sociology and Chairperson, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University. For comments, please send to: eporio@ateneo.edu

62.2 Climate change adaptation and structures of power in community interventions