Living with Risk: Climate Change and Vulnerability. Community Perceptions in Peri-urban Areas of La Paz City, Mexico

Resumen

This study analyzes two peri-urban communities exposed to hurricanes and floods in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, showing that both are aware of climate variability. People in these communities recognized their vulnerability to climate change and the high frequency of hurricanes in the area. They also identified the economic transformations, and social adaptations these phenomena have caused, and recognize the impacts on health due to the spread of new diseases. Obtaining local information on climate impacts, understanding the social causes of vulnerability and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency to adaptation through local empowerment are key elements in the analysis of climate change. Our research included meteorological/climate data that complement the information obtained from the inhabitants of the region.