Disjointed Cosmopolitanism: Climate Change and Lived Experience in Portland, Oregon

• Main Author: Flinn, Stephen Wayne
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 2013
• Subjects: Climatic changes > Social aspects > Oregon > Portland > Case studies; Environmental justice > Social aspects > Oregon > Portland > Case studies; Cosmopolitanism > Social aspects > Oregon > Portland > Case studies; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1435; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2434&context=open_access_etds

Climate change has emerged as one of the most significant issues facing the world. This research endeavored to uncover and describe the lived experience of Portland, Oregon residents in relation to the substantive issue of climate change. The specific purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the ways that Portland residents conceive of and communicate about climate change. Utilizing semi-structured phenomenological interviews, particular attention was paid to the culture of Portland residents, their lived experience and how the issue of climate change manifests itself in their everyday experiences. In addition, this particular phenomenological inquiry incorporated elements of auto ethnography by positioning the researcher`s experiences, imagination and intellect at the center of the research endeavor. Multiple themes emerged from the in-depth, descriptive interviews that helped to reveal the structure or essence of the participant`s experience(s). A single meta-theme was identified and informed by contemporary theories such as Cosmopolitanism and the Environmental Justice Paradigm.