Climate experiences to adaptation participation: a survey study in Catalonia

Climate change is a major threat to regions worldwide. The Mediterranean Basin is considered a notable hotspot for climate impacts, experiencing intense droughts, longer summers, changes in rainfall patterns, and increased heat. Catalonia, a north-eastern Spanish autonomous community located in the Mediterranean region, has experienced extreme drought resulting from climate change during the past decade, with the negative impacts becoming more evident since 2022. Understanding local perspectives on climate change and increasing community engagement in climate initiatives have been shown to foster successful adaptation solutions. Many studies in the literature link climate change experiences with a heightened willingness to participate in climate adaptation initiatives. Some studies state that the link contains nuance and climate experiences do not directly result in an increased willingness to participate. However, there is limited research on how perspectives can be influenced during a natural disaster. To gain an understanding of local climate perspectives and attempt to fill the research gap on how active climate events shape an individual’s perspectives, a survey was conducted in Catalonia, Spain, that asked participants their views on local climate adaptation solutions, trust in local authorities, and their willingness to participate in climate adaptation initiatives. Results from the survey showed skepticism towards the effectiveness of adaptation policies, a low level of trust in authorities, and significant variations in non-monetary and financial willingness to participate in climate adaptation. The results of the survey stress the need for varied engagement methods by authorities to effectively engage citizens in climate adaptation solutions.