Impact case study database

Climate change and hazard processes are key stressors in driving the exposure, vulnerability, and disaster losses of remote communities, especially those located in sensitive high mountains and coastal lowlands. Evidence for the positive difference made to these communities in India and Kiribati encompass 4 areas: firstly, engaging local community understanding, voice and action; secondly, enhanced understanding of the cultural impacts of climate change via international advocacy; thirdly, DRR policy development pathways; and finally, enterprise generation/ client gain. The first, second and third areas of impact are fundamentally interconnected; understanding drives policy (and vice versa), and international advocacy highlights issues focussing policy evolution and resourcing to address global challenges.

Local Community Understanding, Voice and Action

In India, Johnson and Edwards, in partnership with GBPNIHE and Kraft Films, produced participatory bilingual documentary films (R2, underpinned by R1). These provided a platform for the voices of indigenous villagers and Tibetan refugees to articulate community knowledge of past disaster impacts and adaptation. Film screenings developed understanding across the wider community, Kullu District government and NGOs. For example, in June 2018, following film screenings, 10 local community members and officials expressed their changed understanding, motivating them to enhance DRR efforts (E2, p5; E3, p2). This impact is demonstrated in the following comments: a local villager – “You have told us about natural disaster, a calamity, flood, which came. I want to tell that when we’re young we don’t remember anything and today when you told us we felt that we should increase… information so that we can save ourselves from disaster and increase awareness amongst people on how to save themselves” (E3, p2); and an official from the Central Tibetan Authority – “We learnt a lot about disaster risk and their respective managements. It triggered a sense of responsibility towards climate change; it gave us [knowledge of] how to approach the [District government] management committee” (E2, p5; E3, p2). More broadly, the leading Himachal Pradesh State and Kullu District disaster management authorities report that the research has benefited them, providing access to new community knowledge and influencing their DRR management (E2, p5 and E3, p2). These forms of impact contrast with the longitudinal survey evidence (E2, p2-3) collected in April 2018, prior to the film screenings. Based on 50 respondents in 10 key villages in the study area, this evidence revealed a low level of hazard/ disaster education (18%) and awareness (44%). Encouragingly, 75% who interacted with Johnson and Edwards (2012-2018) then spoke about their experience with family/ friends, demonstrating a successful mechanism to extend understanding, realised by the films (R2).

There was extensive local reach with films engaging 630 people, including 210 local community members, at 5 mountain village events in the Phojal Nalla study area (E2, p4), with an average attendance of 12.5% of each village population, based on 2011 census data. In total, there were 19 film screenings and allied discussion workshops (E1, p2), including at the famous Kullu International Dussehra festival. Further public reach of the films was achieved using print and broadcast media (E1, p3). In October 2018 this included 4 leading Hindi newspaper articles ( Aapka Faisla, Amar Ujala, Danik Jagram and Punjab Kesari, comprising a daily issue readership of 800,000-17,500,000) and TV broadcasts (Zee News, across the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, with a population of approximately 60,000,000). Social media and the Kullu District government webpage hosting also resulted in 1,446 Vimeo and 2,095 YouTube plays (to 31 December 2020, E1, p4).

Despite the global focus on Kiribati as a ‘drowning nation’, KiriCAN, a local environmental organisation, argues that they will drown in rubbish before they drown in water (E7, p5). Resourced by projects led by Penrhyn Jones, KiriCAN consulted with 3 communities in South Tarawa, identifying waste as the most urgent issue. Endemic communicable diseases are connected to poor waste management and Kiribati's high infant mortality rate. KiriCAN decided to buy 2 trucks that could collect rubbish, and to train volunteers to use them. They reported: “[this] will impact people on a community level... it will have a lot of positive impact on children, you know, clean water... because the rubbish will end up in our drinking source, the spread of mosquitoes, and with the recent outbreak of dengue fever, diarrhoea, so it will all connect to health. It won't solve the issue altogether but help minimise it”(E7, p5). Local cooperation successes can also lead to greater community engagement on a range of challenges, seeding longer term impact: “When we talk about waste [the villagers] really want to… solve it, but they are losing hope, because their rubbish doesn't get picked up. So what is the point of picking up our rubbish if at the end there is no collection? ... the trucks will give them hope… we can clean up our village” (E7, p5-6). Similarly, amplifying local voices and valuing local knowledge, an indigenous artist appreciated being facilitated to drive the artistic filmmaking process: “As far as I know you are the first filmmakers or researchers that are working… almost full time with a person like me. This is very new and it's unusual. I think it's very effective and you're... following the eye of the informant...to the places where the information is located... it's like the information that I have, and my eyes, is in the frame of your camera” (E7, p7).

Enhanced Understanding of Cultural Impacts of Climate Change via International Advocacy

The Troubled Waters film (R4) and associated resources have achieved significant international reach. The International National Trust Organisation (INTO), a project partner, reported that the film is an incredibly useful advocacy tool, with enormous impact internationally for getting the message across about the dire effects of climate change on cultural heritage (E8, p2-3). Before it was shown at their conference (Bali, 2017), “some... members from industrialised nations... had not, until then, appreciated the effects that their country was having on small island states.” INTO screened the film at United Nations Climate Change conferences in Marrakech, Bonn and Katowice (2016, 2017, 2018), reaching approximately 300 people in their booth and 2,000 through side events (E8, p2-3). Further screenings by the project team included events in the UK, Montreal, Gothenburg, Munich and Rhode Island, 2016-2017 (E9, p2-7).

The National Trust (NT), also project partners, used the film to communicate connections “between climate change, heritage, and people's lives... equipping the next generation of... cultural heritage professionals to better understand the issues.” Research findings (2015-2016, including UK and Kiribati case studies) informed their coastal work. Penrhyn Jones' piece on the research for the NT's internal magazine, Views (October 2017), reached thousands of Trust staff and volunteers, making “an important contribution [to] the conversation around the impacts of climate change at our coastal places.” Research collaboration led to further impacts, contributing in part to the NT's confidence to engage in a partnership project with Gwynedd County Council looking at enhancing community resilience in 2020 (E8, p4-5).

After attending the event 'Drowning in Art' (Bala, 2015), a prominent Welsh author wrote in her column, “Sara Penrhyn Jones [made the theme] painfully contemporary... the anguish [in Kiribati] was conveyed... everyone became sombre” ( Herald, Daily Post, 2015). She notes that this experience has motivated her since 2016; her local cooperative group has been increasingly active, instigating a sustainable food project, and a climate action facilitator in 2020 (E8, p6-7). Planet magazine note that perspectives from Kiribati enriched the heritage loss debate and Penrhyn Jones’ photography generated pathos and empathy (E8, p8).

Disaster Risk Reduction Policy Development Pathways

A June 2020 policy briefing (R3), substantially led by Johnson, delivered recommendations for new disaster risk reduction interventions to government disaster management authorities across the Indian Himalayan Region. Significantly, this has influenced their thinking about community-based disaster risk reduction approaches, resulting in a public commitment to future policy revision. For example, in reference to the key policy document (i.e. the State Disaster Management Plan, 2017 version) in August 2020, [redacted text] the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA, the key responsible agency) (E4, p1), stated: “Next year [2021] onwards we will be undertaking [a] comprehensive revision of the [2017] plans. It is [a] very good suggestion on [Johnson’s] part that there has to be a specific chapter and focus on community-based disaster management, on village disaster management committees – their roles/ structure/ guiding principles… we will implement it, that’s one commitment I can give from my side.” The government agencies’ implementation of this policy has been delayed by Covid-19, as detailed in the affected case study statement.

Multiple platforms were used to promote and discuss this policy brief, bringing wide reach. Web-hosting included BSU data repository, GBPNIHE, the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and Zurich Flood Resilience Portal, supplemented by articles in leading Indian newspapers including The Tribune (1,487 e-version views), Times of India and Punjab Kesari. A webinar (August 2020, 59 attendees) brought direct engagement with 14 NGOs, 4 (of 12) State governments across the Indian Himalayan Region, and 7 (of 12) District governments in Himachal Pradesh. As a consequence of these engagements, in the period June to December 2020, the science policy brief received 640 views and 92 downloads from 19 nations, via the BSU data repository (E4, p2).

Enterprise Generation and Client Gain

The first interdisciplinary film pilot (2013-2014) included 2 creative writing appointees, whose research roles catalysed their entrepreneurial careers, delivering economic impacts and wider client gains. In April 2014 appointee 1, now a children’s author, expressed a renewed desire to write a children’s book set in the Himalayas (E5, p1). More recently (2020) they stated, “I participated in Bath Spa University’s India research project… which had a direct impact on the emergence and growth of my publishing career [and] on my self-confidence and ability to carry out this [novel] research, by improving my knowledge and skills.” Their first 2 novels set in the Indian Himalayas achieved notable reach and significance (E5, p2-8). Running on the Roof of the World (2017) was chosen as a “future classic” by Booktrust, sending [redact] copies to UK schools, and selling a total of [redact] copies by June 2019. In August 2020, Amazon’s children’s book bestsellers top 100 list ranked this book 8^th in the emigration/ immigration category. When the Mountains Roared (2018) was chosen by Booktrust’s Bookbuzz reading programme reaching approximately [redacted] UK students, selling [redacted ] in the first year. The author’s first 3 novels generated approximately [redacted text] in UK revenue and the reviews attest to their societal value: “A cracking adventure and survival novel set in the Himalayas which really makes you think about the plight of the Tibetan people” ( Irish Independent); “[it] taught me… the importance of friendship and family, love, kindness, protecting animals and the planet” ( National Geographic Kids).

In 2015, appointee 2, now a film director reflected on the connection between Johnson’s Kullu research and their career aspirations: “At some point in the near future, I will start developing this idea… I like cameras and I like writing, why not combine both to tell meaningful and impactful stories” (E6, p2-15). Shortly afterwards, in August 2016, they founded their film company. Successes up to 2020 include the production of [rd] films for [rd] Indian and globally recognised clients (eg Cisco, Expedia Group and Indian Railways). This created a total revenue of [redacted text] (approximately [redacted ]), with annual revenue growth from approximately [redacted ] (in 2016) to approximately [redacted. ] (in 2020), and employment for [rd] freelance staff. The appointee reflected in 2020 that “What began in 2013 [with Kullu research]… has yielded fantastic results… [It] has been a success.” Reviews convey the added value for clients: “Their style of storytelling is… unique and different. A lot of people can shoot, but they tell stories” (Juniper Networks).