Sense of Belonging and Response to Climate Change: How the Relation with Local Territories Influences Climate Resilience

Earth’s climate has changed throughout history and regional changes in climate have already affected a diverse set of physical and biological systems in many parts of the world. The impacts depend on community’s vulnerability and exposure conditions, and mitigation and adaptation actions have been recognized as essential to meet the goals of global agendas (e.g., New Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework). Adaptation measures seem to be less common compared to mitigation ones, probably for the limits on ecological, physical, economic, and technological dimensions. The objective of this study, conducted as part of the Interreg RESPONSe Project, is to analyze the resilience of local population in the Veneto Region in relation to the integration in the territory. Hence, the investigation focused on analyzing the locals’ perception of climate impacts on their daily life, their sense of place, and how perception and sense of place influence the willingness to take personal and collective actions to counteract climate change. Social and physical characteristics, local climate change scenarios, and the targeted adaptation approach of different communities have been examined. Results suggest that age and proximity to the coast are influencing factors in the response to climate change. For instance, younger people appear to acknowledge the shared personal responsibility of tackling such a challenge, while wishing for a broader community involvement. At the same time, the sense of belonging appears to support long-term, adaptation actions. Overall, the outcomes give hints about the key elements to consider when planning for improving local climate resilience.