Building Social Capital in Low-Income Communities for Resilienc
The risks and vulnerabilities generated by climate change are disproportionately distributed among low-income communities, indigenous peoples, and communities of color worldwide. However, some communities have proven to be more resilient to the challenges of an unpredictable environment, adapting to change, bouncing back from disasters, and working to anticipate and plan for future threats. To understand these disparities in community resilience, social-environmental researchers have turned to the concept of social capital to understand how local communities impacted by climate change connect to advance community preparedness, response, and adaptability. Social capital is a process of networking beneficial relationships in and across communities that can be explored through bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Social capital processes are not inherently durable, with opportunities to both reduce and improve community resilience. This chapter summarizes and explains key literature on social capital and community resilience. At the same time, how different types of social capital development interact and contribute to collective community action in the context of climate change. The chapter provides examples of how social capital connects to frameworks of social-ecological systems, disaster studies, and environmental governance, with a summary of lessons from these contexts. Additionally, the chapter provides activities, practices, and lessons learned from different society sectors that can support social capital for climate change-affected communities. This chapter demonstrates that developing social capital can provide critical support to climate change-affected communities for their long-term resilience and some of the challenges to achieve this.
