Children’s perceptions of climate change in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Halstead, Florence

Abstract

We are in the midst of a climate crisis (IPBES, 2022). Our reliance on burning fossil fuels as the primary energy source for the global economy is leading to atmospheric and oceanic heating, which is leading to a range of societal consequences including unstable, unpredictable, and more intense hydrological extremes such as tropical storms and associated, extended periods of drought, as well as sea level rise, ocean acidification, and ecological instability; amongst many other ill effects (United Nations Environment Programme, 2021). Perhaps most significantly, Climate Change is placing a growing number of people at heightened flood risk in low laying deltaic regions around the world, including one of the most at-risk deltas, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam (Dun, 2011a; Human Rights Watch, 2019; Huong & Pathirana, 2013; Ngo et al., 2019; World Bank, 2020b), which is home for 18 million people.
Among those people most at risk from Climate Change, both here and around the world, are children (Jones et al., 2021; O'Brien et al., 2018). Yet, these voices are often the least consulted or explored within Climate Change research, knowledge exchange and policy formulation (Beer, 2014; Malin & Ryder, 2018; Schlosberg & Collins, 2014; Smith, 2021; Son et al., 2021). Using a qualitative, creative, and place-based approach, this thesis provides an indepth exploration of the knowledges, perceptions, and experiences that children living in the Mekong Delta hold in relation to Climate Change and hydrological extremes – paying particular attention to the socio-cultural dimensions that shape these views. The findings presented demonstrate how children psychologically distance the issue of Climate Change both spatially and temporally and highlights the suite of reasons generating disconnects between lived experiences and formal education. The findings, however, also identify many socio-cultural factors that serve as opportunities for enhancing Climate Change education across the region and suggests ways in which these could be leveraged in future education initiatives with the aim of improving decision making and longer-term Climate Change adaptation and mitigation.

Citation

Halstead, F. Children’s perceptions of climate change in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4224276

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 2, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2023
• Keywords: Geography
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4224276
• Additional Information: Department of Geography, Geology and Environment, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Mar 1, 2022