Natasha Chamberlain

Department: Human Geography
Research Centre/Unit: Climate Change and Sustainable Futures

Project Summary

This research project aims to contribute to understanding of the impacts of climate variability and hazards on pastoralist groups in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, and the complex interaction of factors influencing innovation and adaptation within their societies. It will look beyond climate stressors, to also examine the broader political, economic, ecological and social context and the influences of non-governmental organisations in promoting or constraining adaptive actions. Additionally, it will investigate the extent to which environmental factors themselves, or the actions taken to adapt to them - either as a result of government policy, NGO interventions, or independently through household or community innovation – have any impact on the outbreak of violent conflict in the region.

This project is funded by an AXA Doctoral Fellowship for research on environmental risk

Supervisory Team

Dr Stewart Barr

Stewart is group leader for the Climate Change and Sustainability Research Group and is also a member of the Governance, Ethics and Social Justice Research Group. His major interests are focused around sustainable development policy, environmental lifestyles and behaviour change, tourism, sustainability and mobility and innovative quantitative research methods. These are reflected in his participation in major international conferences and publication record.

Dr Sean Carter

Sean’s research interests lies at the intersection of cultural and political geography. Past research has included the investigation of the involvement of Croatian diasporic networks in the independence movement within Croatia, based on a period of research amongst Croatian-Americans residing in Pittsburgh. This work has been extended to look at the ways in which diasporic communities are involved in re-shaping formal political processes (such as voting), notions of citizenship, and ethical geographies of care and concern. Sean is a member of the department’s Governance, Ethics and Social Justice research group, and the Historical and Cultural Research Group. Sean is the Chair of the RGS/IBG Political Geography Research Group, and is on the Board of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies (EXCEPS).

Wider Research Interests

Climate change and variability; social vulnerability and adaptation; disaster risk reduction; conflict, peace and security; population migration; health impacts of climate change; indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge

Authored Publications/Reports

Chamberlain, N, Catmur, C & Barnett, J (2011) Patterns and Drivers of Migration in the Kingdom of Tonga: Multi-Directional Associations between Migration and Climate Risk, Third International Conference on Climate Change: Human Impacts and Responses, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Barnett, J & Chamberlain, N (2010) Land Tenure and Social Vulnerability to Flooding in Tonga, International Conference on Future Challenges, Ancient Solutions: What Can We Learn From the Past About Managing the Future in the Pacific, University of the South Pacific, Suva, November 29-December 3 2010

Barnett, J & Chamberlain, N (2010) Migration as Climate Change Adaptation: Implications for the Pacific, in Burson, B. (Ed.) Climate Change and Migration in the South Pacific Region: Policy Perspectives, Institute of Policy Studies, Wellington

Chamberlain, N (2006) Report on the Rock Art of Southwest Samburu District, Kenya, Azania, 41, 139 - 157