Climate Change and Beliefs in Cameroon: A Qualitative Study Among Farmers in the Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian Zones

Sandrine Gaymard, Nicole Kay, Jean-Claude Etoundi

Abstract


The question of climate change is a topical issue as is shown by the numerous publications on the subject during the last few years. However few publications lay emphasis on populations considered to be particularly exposed to the problem of climate change (by location or by activity) and on the impact of religion on these beliefs. In this study, two groups of Cameroon farmers working in two distinctive zones: Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian were interviewed about their social representation of climate change. Results with the free association method highlight two preoccupying social representations. The question of distance from the object is discussed in relation to studies carried out among wider publics. In addition, this study shows that religion can also play an important part in the construction of knowledge of climate change. 


Keywords


Climate change; Risks; Social representations; Religion; Free associations; Cameroon farmers

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abric, J. C. (1976). Jeux, conflits et représentations sociales. Thèse de doctorat d’Etat, Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France.

Abric, J. C. (Ed.). (2003). Méthodes d’études des représentations sociales. Ramonville Saint-Agne: Erès.

Bain, P. G., Hornsey, M. J., Bongiorno, R., & Jeffries, C. (2012). Promoting proenvironmental action in climate change deniers. Nature Climate Change, 2, 600-603. doi: 10.1038/nclimate1532

Bella, H. (2009). Agriculture et croissance économique au Cameroun. Training of Application Engineer for Statistics. Sub-Regional Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics (ISSEA).

Bord, R. J., Fisher, A., & O’Connor, R. E. (1998). Public perceptions of global warming: United States and international perspectives. Climate Research, 11, 75-84.

Bostrom, M. (2001). American attitudes to the environmental and global warming: An overview of public opinion. Study Conducted for the Frame Works Institute, Washington, DC.

Breakwell, G. M. (2007). The psychology of risk. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Capstick, S. B., & Pidgeon, N. F. (2014). What is climate change scepticism? Examination of the concept using a mixed methods study of the UK public. Global Environmental Change, 24, 389-401.

Cardwell, F. S., & Elliott, S. J. (2013). Making the links: do we connect climate change with health? A qualitative case study from Canada. BMC Public Health, 13, 208.

CEEPA (2006). The economic impact of climate change on agriculture in Cameroon, policy note prepared by the centre for environment economics and policies Africa world bank (2007). World development indicators database. Retrieved from http://www.devdata.worldbank.org/ (Accessed on 5 May, 2014).

CICERO. (2000). Developing strategies for climate change: The UNEP country studies impacts and adaptations assessments. Oslo, Report n°2, pp.49-70. Retrieved from http://www.cicero.uio.no/media/314.pdf (Accessed on 3 May 2014).

Connors, L. H., & Higginbotham, N. (2011). “Natural cycles” in lay understandings of climate change. Global Environmental Change, 23, 1852-1861.

De Rosny, E. (1999). Douala. La religion au cœur de la recomposition d’une société. Cahiers de l’UCAC. Citadins et ruraux en Afrique Sub-Saharienne, 4, 67.

Esoh, E. (2006). La prise en compte du magico-religieux dans les pratiques de développement durable : Le cas du Ngondo chez les peuples Sawa du Cameroun. VertigO - la revue électronique en sciences de l’environnement [En ligne], 7(3), mis en ligne le 15 décembre 2006, consulté le 17 février 2015. Retrieved from http://vertigo.revues.org/2685; Doi: 10.4000/vertigo.2685

Flament, C. (2001). Représentation sociale et normativité: Quelques pistes. In F. Buschini & N. Kalampakis (Eds.), Penser la vie, le social, la nature. Mélanges en l’honneur de serge moscovici (pp.257-261). Paris: Maison des Sciences de l’Homme.

Flament, C., & Rouquette, M. L. (Eds.). (2003). Anatomie des idées ordinaires. Paris : Armand Colin.

Gaymard, S. (2006). The representation of old people : Comparison between the professionals and students. International Review of Social psychology, (3-4), 69-91.

Gaymard, S. (2012). Pedestrian representation through the analysis of little stories. Psychology of Language and Communication, 16(3), 185-200. doi: 10.2478/v10057-012-0013-9

Gaymard, S. (2014a). The theory of conditionality: An illustration of the place of norms in the field of social thinking. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 44(2), 229-247.

Gaymard, S. (2014b). Social representation of work by women and girls with intellectual disabilities. Life Span and Disability, 17(2), 145-173.

Gaymard, S., & Bordarie, J. (2014). The perception of the ideal neighborhood: A preamble to implementation of a “street use code”. Social Indicators Research. doi: 10.1007/s11205-014-0610-1

Gaymard, S., & Cazenave, C. (2015, submitted). Thirty years on the social representation of AIDS among French

teenagers.

Gaymard, S., & Joly, P. (2013). La représentation sociale du football chez des jeunes adultes issus d’un milieu social défavorisé. Loisir et Société/ Society and Leisure, 35(2), 263-292. doi: 10.1080/07053436.2012.10707844

Grize, J. B., Vergès, P., & Silem, A. (1987). Salariés face aux nouvelles technologies. Vers une approche socio-logique des représentations sociales. Paris: Editions du CNRS.

IPCC. (1990). Climate change: The IPCC scientific assessment In J. T. Houghton, G. J. Jenkins, & J. J. Ephraums (Eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

IPCC. (1998). The regional impact of climate change: An assessment of vulnerability. A special report of IPCC Working Group 11: Summary for policy makers. IPCC, Geneva.

IPCC. (2007). Climate change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In S. Solomon, M. Manning, Z. Chen, Z, M. Marquis, K. B. Averyt, M. Tignor, & H. L. Miller (Eds.). Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.

IPCC. (2014). Climate change 2014. Impacts, adaptations and vulnerability. Fifth Assessment Report. Retrieved from http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2 (Accessed on 22 April 2014).

IRAD (Institut de recherche Agricole pour le Développement). (2008). Rapport national sur l’état des ressources phytogénétiques pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1500e/Cameroun.pdf

Joffe, H. (2003). Risk: From perception to social representation. British Journal of Psychology, 42, 55-73. doi: 10.1348/014466603763276126

Jovchelovitch, S. (2007). Knowledge in context. representations, community and culture. London and New York: Routledge.

Kramkimel, J. D., Grifoni, U., & Kabeya Mukenyi, R. (2004). Profil environnemental du Cameroun. Rapport financé par la Commission Européenne.

Krosnick, J. A., Holbrook, A. L., & Visser, P. S. (2000). The Impact of the fall 1997 debate about global warming on American public opinion. Public Understanding of Science, 9(3), 239-260.

Leiserowitz, A. A. (2005). American risk perceptions: Is climate change dangerous? Risk Analysis, 25(6), 1433–1442.

Leiserowitz, A. A. (2006) Climate change risk perception and policy preferences: The role of affect, imagery, and values. Climatic Change, 77, 45-72.

Liénou, G., Mahé, G., Paturel, J., Servat, E., Sighomnou, D., Ekodeck, G., Dezetter, A., & Dieulin, C. (2008). Evolution des régimes hydrologiques en région équatoriale camerounaise: Un impact de la variabilité climatique en Afrique Equatoriale. Hydrological Science Journal, 53(4), 789-801. Retrieved from http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1623/hysj.53.4.789

Lorenzoni, I., Leiserowitz, A. A., Doria, M. D., Poortinga, W., & Pidgeon, N. F. (2006). Cross-national comparisons of image associations with “global warming” and “climate change” among lay people in the United States of America and Great Britain. Journal of Risk Research, 9(3), 265-281.

Lorenzoni, I., & Pidgeon, N. F. (2006). Public views on climate change: European and USA perspectives. Climatic Change, 77, 73-95.

Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2007). Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications. Global Environmental Change, 17, 445-59.

Mc Carthy, J. J., Canziani, O. F., Leary, N. A., Dokken, D. J., & Kasey, S. W. (Eds.). (2001). Climate change 2001: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the IPCC Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Mc Sweeney, C., New, M., &Lizcano, G. (2008). UNDP climate change country profiles: Cameroon. Oxford: United Nations Development Programme and University of Oxford.

MINEF (Ministère de l’Environnement et des Forêts du Cameroun). (2001). Première communication nationale sur les changements climatiques (p.160). Rapport Soumis à la CCNUCC.

MINEP (Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Protection de la Nature). (2010). Rapport de l’analyse situationnelle et estimation des besoins dans le domaine de santé et environnement au Cameroun. Retrieved from www.afro.who.int/fr/downloads/doc_download/5791-cameroon.

html

MINEP. (2011). La communication sur les changements climatiques au Cameroun. Workshop of Environmental Statistics. Yaounde, 05-09 december.

MINEPAT. (2011). Atlas national de développement physique du Cameroun. Retrieved from http://minepat.gov.cm

MINEP/PNUD (Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Protection de la nature - Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement). (2009). Diagnostic de la situation de l’environnement au Cameroun. Volume I, Draft.

Molua, E.L., & Lambi, C. M. (2007). The economic impact of climate change on agriculture in Cameroon. Policy Research Working paper 4364. The World Bank Development Research Group Sustainable Rural and Urban Development Team.

Moscovici, S. (1961/76). La psychanalyse, son image et son public (2nd ed). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

NECTAR. (2012). L’agriculture en Afrique face aux défis du changement climatique. Etudes Prospectives 5. Québec, Institut de l’énergie et de l’environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF).

Ngnikam, E., & Tolale, E. (2009). Cameroun—Systèmes énergétiques: Vulnérabilité – Adaptation – Résilience (VAR). Helio International/Cameroun.

Nkem, J., Santoso, H., Murdiyarso, D., Brockhaus, M., & Kanninen, M. (2007). Using tropical forest ecosystem goods and services for planning climate change adaptation with implications for food security and poverty reduction. Journal of Semi-Arid Tropical Agricultural Research, 4(1), 1-23

Norrington-Davies, G. (2011). Climate change financing and aid effectiveness. Addis Ababa: African Development Bank.

O’Neill, S. J., & Hulme, M. (2009). An iconic approach for representing climate change. Global Environmental Change, 19(4), 402-410.

Onomo Etaba, R. (2007). Histoire de l’Eglise catholique du Cameroun. De Grégoire XVI à Jean-Paul II (1831-1991). Paris: l’Harmattan.

OSS/UNEP. (2010). Desktop study of the North African sub-regional climate change programmes. Adaptation, Mitigation and supporting and enabling measures/means of implementation. Draft Report from http://www.unep.org/roa/amcen/docs/AMCEN_Events/climate-change/northafrica/DesktopStudy_NorthAfrica.pdf

Reusswig, F., & Meyer-Olendhorf, L. (2010). Social representation of climate change. A case study from hyderabad (India). Emerging Megacities Discussion Papers, 1-73.

Séraphin, G. (Dir.). (2004). L'effervescence religieuse en Afrique: La diversité locale des implantations religieuses chrétiennes au Cameroun et au Kenya. Paris: Karthala.

Tingem, M., Rivington, M., Bellocchi, G., Azam-Ali, S. N., & Colls, J. J. (2008). Effects of climate change on crop production in Cameroon. Climate Research, 36, 65-77.

UICN/PC (Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature, Programme Cameroun). (2013). Comment aborder la REDD+ au Cameroun. Contexte, enjeux et options pour une stratégie nationale. Retrieved from http://cbf-fund.org/sites/default/files/cmt_aborder_la_redd_au_cameroun_vdf_opt.pdf

UNEP/GEF (United Nations Environment Programme/Global Environment Facility). (2000). Country case studies on climate change impacts and adaptation assessments (Estonia, Pakistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Cameroon). In K. O’Brien (Ed.), Developing strategies for climate change: The UNEP country studies on climate change impacts and adaptations assessment (pp.49-70). CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental Research), Oslo. Report No. 2000: 2. Retrieved from http://www.cicero.uio.no/media/314.pdf Accessed on 28 April 2014.

UNFCCC. (2005). Préserver le climat. Guide de la convention sur les changements climatiques et du Protocole de Kyoto. Retrieved from http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/publications/caring2005_fr.pdf

Vergès, P. (1992). L’évocation de l’argent: Une méthode pour la définition du noyau central d’une représentation. Bulletin de Psychologie, XLV (405), 203-209.

Vergès, P. (2005). Programme d’analyse des évocations “Evoc”. Version non commercialisée. LAMES-CNRS.

Whitmarsh, L. (2011). Scepticism and uncertainty about climate change: Dimensions, determinants and change over time. Global Environmental Change, 21, 690-700.

Wibeck, V. (2014). Social representation of climate change in Swedish lay focus groups: local or distant, gradual or catastrophic? Public Understanding of Science, 23(2), 204-219.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/%25x

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c)



Reminder

  • How to do online submission to another Journal?
  • If you have already registered in Journal A, then how can you submit another article to Journal B? It takes two steps to make it happen:

1. Register yourself in Journal B as an Author

  • Find the journal you want to submit to in CATEGORIES, click on “VIEW JOURNAL”, “Online Submissions”, “GO TO LOGIN” and “Edit My Profile”. Check “Author” on the “Edit Profile” page, then “Save”.

2. Submission

Online Submissionhttp://cscanada.org/index.php/css/submission/wizard

  • Go to “User Home”, and click on “Author” under the name of Journal B. You may start a New Submission by clicking on “CLICK HERE”.
  • We only use four mailboxes as follows to deal with issues about paper acceptance, payment and submission of electronic versions of our journals to databases: caooc@hotmail.com; office@cscanada.net; ccc@cscanada.net; ccc@cscanada.org

 Articles published in Canadian Social Science are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY).

 

Canadian Social Science Editorial Office

Address: 1020 Bouvier Street, Suite 400, Quebec City, Quebec, G2K 0K9, Canada.
Telephone: 1-514-558 6138 
Website: Http://www.cscanada.net; Http://www.cscanada.org 
E-mail:caooc@hotmail.com; office@cscanada.net

Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture