2. Exploring the Lived Experience of Climate Change

This chapter extends the conceptual and theoretical arguments presented in Chap. 1. It introduces lived experience as a rich and complex narrative, set within societal structures which constrain and/or enable individuals to make sense of climate change. In questioning ‘whose knowledge counts’ from this vantage point of view, we suggest that lived experiences of climate change provide insights and knowledge that go beyond scientific or academically presented knowledge. This experiential knowledge evolves through historical processes and is shaped through a variety of social contexts, both general and specific, between groups (Northern, Southern, rich, poor) and individuals (often defined by race, gender). It is also shaped by our personal and collective positioning in society and the scale of events that affect us. The valuable insights and the diversity can only add to existing knowledge of climate change and influence policy and practice in an inclusive way. In this, the chapter focuses on lived experiences in developing countries, the large majority of whose populations are poor and where climate change issues are linked to and subsumed within embedded poverty.