The Impact of Climate Change on the Population in Rural Areas of Bulgaria: Perceptions, Impact and Adaptation Strategies

Kliment Naydenov, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Nadezhda Zhechkova, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

The main aim of the article is to comprehensively explore how rural communities in Bulgaria perceive climate change, the impacts they experience or expect, and the adaptation strategies they use and may adopt to adapt to these changes. This understanding is critical to creating the necessary scientific basis for the development of effective and locally applicable policies, interventions and support mechanisms that can increase the resilience of these communities to the impacts of climate change. The article presents how rural residents perceive climate change, including their awareness, beliefs and attitudes about its existence, causes and consequences. Factors that shape these perceptions such as education, personal experience, traditional beliefs and access to information are explored. Specific local climate-related extreme events (drought and fires, floods, extreme temperatures) that have affected communities and the degree of impact and presence/absence of traumatic memory and possible impact on built adaptation strategies are identified. The paper also analyzes socio-economic and demographic factors (such as income, education, gender and occupation) and their influence on perceptions, impacts and adaptation strategies. Based on this, the adaptation strategies currently used or considered by rural residents to cope with the impacts of climate change are identified.

Keywords: Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Population and Development, Population Policies

See extended abstract.