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Anonymous Final Manuscript, It never rains in California, WCE.pdf (305.34 kB)

"It never rains in California": constructions of drought as a natural and social phenomenon

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 21:06 authored by Sarah Becker, Paul Sparks
In response to suggestions that, in the West, inaction on climate change is due to climate change’s perceived temporal and spatial distance, we examine how people in California responded to the local influence of climate change in relation to the California drought in 2015. Between 2012 and 2016 California experienced an exceptionally severe drought resulting in a variety of social impacts. In this paper, we focus on how people experienced and understood drought (rather than on their views on the connection between anthropogenic climate change and drought). Seventy-one interviews were conducted during ten weeks of fieldwork in late 2015 with people in urban and rural areas of California. Five emerging themes are discussed: (i) conceptions of normality, (ii) location (inside versus outside urban areas), (iii) emotional responses, (iv) understanding the drought as a social and political phenomenon, and (v) marginalised experiences of the drought. Examining perceptions of drought can enhance our understanding of how people react to climate change and the construction of proximity and personal relevance.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Weather and Climate Extremes

ISSN

2212-0947

Publisher

Elsevier

Article number

a100257

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2020-04-20

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2020-05-05

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2020-04-20

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