Adapting to Changing Environmental Conditions: Mixed-Methods Analyses of How Social Capital and Place-Based Social-Psychological Dependencies Influence Climate Change Resilience in Southern Appalachia

The impacts of global climate change have captured the attention of citizens, policy makers, industry, and the scientific community. Adaptation measures informed by both physical and social sciences are needed. This research analyzes communities' and individuals' abilities to adapt to changing climatic conditions. I investigate how both communities' and individuals' resilience is affected by social, economic, and environmental contexts. Specifically, I examine the hypothesis that the ability to adapt to changing climatic conditions is enhanced by the presence of weakly coupled social ties characterized by high degrees of trust among individuals. The related hypothesis, that adaptive capacities are limited by the presence of dense and insular social ties with low levels of trust, is also examined. I also examine a third hypothesis that suggests adaptive capacities are diminished by place-based social-psychological dependencies, as dependencies limit the range of real or perceived options available to communities and individuals when confronting altered environmental conditions. These three hypotheses are tested through three mixed methods case studies in rural, resource dependent communities within the Southeastern United States. The findings of this research improve the empirical understanding and theoretical development of resilience as a social process. By gaining a clearer understanding of how communities and individuals perceive their ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, decision makers can focus on policy solutions that increase adaptive capacities and build social resilience.