Abstract

One of the seven sub-projects is based at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Marburg University. Our research concentrates on local climate initiatives in Pará (Brazil), Magdalena (Colombia) and Niassa/Nampula (Mozambique). We are particularly interested in their strategies of action against ecological and social effects of climate change, as well as in the diversity of involved climate knowledge. We also investigate how global programmes and national policies for climate change impact adaptation are implemented and work at local and regional level. What tensions arise between this multiplicity of actors from different levels of society and from different backgrounds? Between their strategies, visions, projects and forms of knowledge? What kind of synergies emerge and what challenges and potentials for sustainability innovation are revealed?
Over the next three years, we will empirically investigate these questions through ethnographic field research, problem-centred expert interviews, and content analysis of programmes, public discourses and established adaptation measures.
We are conducting the study in close cooperation with collegues at our partner universities in the research areas: Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) in Belém, Brasil, Universidad del Magdalena in Santa Marta, Colombia and Universidade de Rovuma in Nampula, Mozambique.