Perceptions of climate change in Thunder Bay, Ontario: towards a place-based understanding

ABSTRACT

Climate change is a global phenomenon that it is experienced and understood in places. This research examined the ways in which community members understand, perceive, and experience climate change in the context of Thunder Bay Ontario; a mid-size and remote city located in Northern Ontario, using semi-structured walking interviews (N = 18). Themes that emerged from the interview data are presented and discussed in relation to the literature. Results emphasise that participants conceptualise climate change as a complex ethical issue that is caused by greenhouse gas emissions and a range of underlying social, economic, and political factors. Participants identified numerous changes in weather, seasonality, and extreme events and anticipate future impacts on local and regional food, water, and forests primarily. Emotional impacts of climate change, ranging from worry to feeling hopeful, emerged as an important theme. The data illustrate that the observed, experienced, and anticipated impacts of climate change are shaped by experiences on the land and water within the community of Thunder Bay and the region of Northern Ontario. Finally, the interview data illustrate that participants believe that transformative action, by a range of actors, is called for to address the problem of climate change. This study highlights the importance of place-based and context-specific climate change research and the utility of walking interviews.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• perceptions
• place-based
• walking interviews

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the research participants and to Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario - unique, beautiful, and inspiring places.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Lakehead University Senate Research Committee Research Development Fund [grant number 1464849].