Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exploring Methodological Approaches for Climate Perception Studies in Himalaya

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Climate Change

Part of the book series: Springer Climate ((SPCL))

Abstract

There is a whopping disconnect between the stakeholders, policymakers, and the scientific community towards climate change, anthropogenic contribution, risks and mitigation, and adaptation strategies. Therefore, to understand public perception of climate change and look into possible solutions, it is important to conduct climate change perception surveys that directly involve the public/stakeholders. The primary aim of these surveys is to understand the small-scale variabilities in weather and climate. This also allows us to understand the people’s perceptions of critical changes and their willingness for a change when making choices. The perception studies are aimed at helping the policymakers to formulate better climate policies, by making them aware of the problems of locals. Since Himalayan dwellers are more susceptible to the adversities of climate change, documentation of their knowledge and opinions on climatic variability and its challenges becomes crucial. Therefore, it becomes important to conduct the surveys systematically. The present study provides a robust strategy to survey along with a brief description of the methodologies involved.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agho K, Stevens G, Taylor M et al (2010) Population risk perceptions of global warming in Australia. Environ Res 110(8):756–763

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali SN, Dubey J, Ghosh R et al (2018) High frequency abrupt shifts in the Indian summer monsoon since Younger Dryas in the Himalaya. Sci Rep 8(1):1–8

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Aryal S, Cockfield G, Maraseni TN (2015) Perceived changes in climatic variables and impacts on the transhumance system in the Himalayas. Clim Dev 8(5):435–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barua A, Katyaini S, Mili B et al (2014) Climate change and poverty: building resilience of rural mountain communities in South Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, India. Reg Environ Change 14(1):267–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhutiyani MR, Kale VS, Pawar NJ (2007). Long-term trends in maximum, minimum and mean annual air temperatures across the Northwestern Himalaya during the twentieth century. Clim Change 85(1), 159–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody SD, Zahran S, Vedlitz A et al (2008) Examining the relationship between physical vulnerability and public perceptions of global climate change in the United States. Environ Behav 40(1):72–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhary P, Bawa KS (2011) Local perceptions of climate change validated by scientific evidence in the Himalayas. Biol Lett 7(5):767–770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhary P, Rai S, Wangdi S et al (2011) Consistency of local perceptions of climate change in the Kangchenjunga Himalaya landscape. Curr Sci 504–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi BC, Pang T, Lin V et al (2005) Can scientists and policy makers work together? J Epidemiol Community Health 59(8):632–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins English Dictionary (2014) Pilot study. Retrieved from https://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp

  • Creswell JW, Plano Clark VL (2011) Choosing a mixed methods design. Design Conduc Mixed Methods Res 2:53–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Crona B, Wutich A, Brewis A et al (2013) Perceptions of climate change: linking local and global perceptions through a cultural knowledge approach. Clim Change 119(2):519–531

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Data OA (2020) Cluster sampling. https://www.oferabarbanel-data.com/cluster-sampling-2/

  • Dey T, Pala NA, Shukla G et al (2018) Climate change perceptions and response strategies of forest fringe communities in Indian Eastern Himalaya. Environ Dev Sustain 20(2):925–938

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei Z, Griffee D (2010) Research Methods in applied linguistics. TESOL J 1.https://doi.org/10.5054/tj.2010.215611

  • Field PA, Morse JM (1985) Nursing research: the application of qualitative approaches. Chapman Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler Jr FJ, Cosenza C (2009) Design and evaluation of survey questions. In: The SAGE handbook of applied social research methods, pp 375–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser J, Fahlman DW, Arscott J et al (2018) Pilot testing for feasibility in a study of student retention and attrition in online undergraduate programs. Int Rev Res Open Distrib Learn 19(1)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadenne D, Sharma B, Kerr D et al (2011) The influence of consumers’ environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behaviours. Energ Pol 39(12):7684–7694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentle P, Thwaites R, Race D et al (2014) Differential impacts of climate change on communities in the middle hills region of Nepal. Nat Hazard 74(2):815–836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh M, Ghosal S (2020) Determinants of household livelihood vulnerabilities to climate change in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, India. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct 50:101706

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh M, Ghosal S (2020) Climate change vulnerability of rural households in flood-prone areas of Himalayan foothills, West Bengal, India. Environ Dev Sustain 1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Glasow PA (2005) Fundamentals of survey research methodology. Mitre Department 2013

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta AK, Negi M, Nandy S et al (2019) Assessing the vulnerability of socio-environmental systems to climate change along an altitude gradient in the Indian Himalayas. Ecol Indic 106:105512

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen J, Sato M, Ruedy R (2012) Perception of climate change. PNAS 109(37):E2415–E2423

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ho FW (2005) Survey as a source of statistics and factors affecting the quality of survey statistics. Int Stat Rev 73(2):245–248. https://doi.org/10.17226/4982

  • Kimani NC, Bhardwaj SK (2015) Assessment of people’s perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh, India. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 4(8):47–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer KL (ed) (1991) The information systems research challenge survey research methods, vol III. Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration

    Google Scholar 

  • Lau F (2017) Chapter 13: Methods for survey studies. In: Handbook of e-health evaluation: an evidence-based approach [Internet]. Available online also at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK481602/

  • Leiserowitz A (2006) Climate change risk perception and policy preferences: the role of affect, imagery, and values. Clim Change 77(1):45–72

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Leiserowitz A (2005) American risk perceptions: is climate change dangerous? Risk Anal 25(6):1433–1442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung WC (2001) Conducting a survey. BMJ 322(Suppl S5). Accesssed on 3/3/2021

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzoni I, Pidgeon IL (2006) Public views on climate change: European and USA perspective. Clim Change 73–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Macchi M, Gurung AM, Hoermann B (2014) Community perceptions and responses to climate variability and change in the Himalayas. Clim Dev 7(5):414–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maurer JM, Schaefer JM, Rupper S et al (2019) Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years. Sci Adv 5(6):7266

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan MG (1997) Public perception, understanding, and values. National Academy of Engineering. The Industrial Green Game: Implications for Environmental Design and Management. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Nawrotzki R, Kadatska P (2010) Addressing climate change with indigenous knowledge. Int J Clim Chang Impacts Responses 2(1):33–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Negi VS, Maikhuri RK, Pharswan D et al (2017) Climate change impact in the Western Himalaya: people’s perception and adaptive strategies. J Mountain Sci 14(2):403–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor RE, Bard RJ, Fisher A (1999) Risk perceptions, general environmental beliefs, and willingness to address climate change. Risk Anal 19(3):461–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Staff, 202. Measuring regulatory performance: a practitioner's guide to perception surveys. OECD

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandey R, Kumar P, Archie KM et al (2018) Climate change adaptation in the western-Himalayas: household level perspectives on impacts and barriers. Ecol Indic 84:27–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratap D (2015) Climate change impacts and adaptation by communities in a tribal region of central Himalaya: a study from Uttarakhand Himalaya India, commons amidst complexity and change. In: The fifteenth biennial conference of the international association for the study of the commons, Edmonton, Alberta, pp 25–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Rautela P, Karki B (2015) Impact of climate change on life and livelihood of indigenous people of higher Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. Am J Environ Prot 3(4):112–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawat VS (2013) People perception on climate change and their influence on various aspects around Tones valley of Garhwal Himalaya. Environ Ecol Res 1(3):150–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raygorodetsky G (2011) Why traditional knowledge holds the key to climate change. United Nations University, p 13

    Google Scholar 

  • Salick J, Byg A (eds) (2007) Indigenous peoples and climate change. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma A, Batish DR, Uniyal SK (2020) Documentation and validation of climate change perception of an ethnic community of the western Himalaya. Environ Monit Assess 192(8):1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma RK, Shrestha DG (2016) Climate perceptions of local communities validated through scientific signals in Sikkim Himalaya, India. Environ Monit Assess 188(10):1–1

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi J, Visschers VHM, Siegrist M (2015) Public perception of climate change: the importance of knowledge and cultural worldviews. Risk Anal 35(12):2183–2201. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shukla R, Agarwal A, Sachdeva K et al (2019) Climate change perception: an analysis of climate change and risk perceptions among farmer types of Indian Western Himalayas. Clim Change 152(1):103–119

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh RK, Zander KK, Kumar S et al (2017) Perceptions of climate variability and livelihood adaptations relating to gender and wealth among the Adi community of the Eastern Indian Himalayas. Appl Geogr 86:41–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan A, White DD (2019) An assessment of public perceptions of climate change risk in three western US cities. Weather Clim Soc 11(2):449–463

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Taherdoost H (2016) Sampling methods in research methodology; how to choose a sampling technique for research. In: How to choose a sampling technique for research

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner WR, Oppenheimer M, Wilcove DS (2009) A force to fight global warming. Nature 462(7271):278–279

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Von Borgstede C, Andersson M, Johnsson F (2013) Public attitudes to climate change and carbon mitigation—implications for energy-associated behaviours. Energ Pol 57:182–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitmarsh L, Capstick S (2018) Perceptions of climate change. In: Psychology and climate change. Academic Press, pp 13–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson J (2014) Essentials of business research: a guide to doing your research project. Sage

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India for constant support and infrastructural facilities to carry out the present study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Prachita Arora, S. Nawaz Ali & P. Morthekai

Authors
  1. Prachita Arora
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Nawaz Ali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. Morthekai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Seema Rani

  2. Department of Geography, School of Human Sciences, Sikkim University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India

    Rajesh Kumar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Arora, P., Ali, S.N., Morthekai, P. (2022). Exploring Methodological Approaches for Climate Perception Studies in Himalaya. In: Rani, S., Kumar, R. (eds) Climate Change. Springer Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92782-0_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation