Vulnerability of indigenous health to climate change : a case study of Uganda’s Batwa Pygmies
Date
2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
The potential impacts of climate change on human health in sub-Saharan Africa are wide-ranging,
complex, and largely adverse. The region’s Indigenous peoples are considered to be at heightened risk
given their relatively poor health outcomes, marginal social status, and resource-based livelihoods;
however, little attention has been given to these most vulnerable of the vulnerable. This paper
contributes to addressing this gap by taking a bottom-up approach to assessing health vulnerabilities to
climate change in two Batwa Pygmy communities in rural Uganda. Rapid Rural Appraisal and PhotoVoice
field methods complemented by qualitative data analysis were used to identify key climate-sensitive,
community-identified health outcomes, describe determinants of sensitivity at multiple scales, and
characterize adaptive capacity of Batwa health systems. The findings stress the importance of human
drivers of vulnerability and adaptive capacity and the need to address social determinants of health in
order to reduce the potential disease burden of climate change.
Description
item.page.type
Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
item.page.format
Text
Keywords
UGANDA, CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, VULNERABILITY, ADAPTATION, BATWA, PHOTOVOICE, SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS
Citation
Berrang-Ford, L., Dingle, K., Ford, J.D., Lee, C., Lwasa, S., Namanya, D.B., et al. (2012). Vulnerability of indigenous health to climate change: A case study of Uganda’s Batwa Pygmies. Social Science & Medicine, 75, 1067-1077.doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.016