How SMEs address climate risks: Perceptions and adaptations

This project aims to increase understanding of how manufacturing SMEs perceive climate risks and to identify the factors that influence this perception and the way it informs decision-making processes.

Project details

Scientific program

Programmation 2020-2028

Theme(s) and priority(s)

Economy

Start and duration

January 2026 • September 2027

Project Status

In progress

Principal(s) investigator(s)

Josée St-Pierre

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Context

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in Quebec’s economic vitality. Like all types of organizations, they are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which may compromise their operations or even their survival. The scientific and grey literature shows that some SMEs are aware of this and are very committed to adaptation actions, while others are well informed but not very engaged, and a certain percentage are neither aware nor informed nor active in taking real action.

In addition, based on the observation that SMEs are a very heterogeneous group, it is normal to see a diversity of perceptions and actions on climate risks. However, the reasons for this have yet to be clarified with a view to increasing the capacity of SMEs to address these risks and develop their resilience for business continuity.

Objective(s)

The general objective of this project is to obtain a nuanced understanding of SMEs’ perception of climate risks, their knowledge of the issues arising from them, and their ways of adapting to them. The study focuses on the manufacturing sector, both because of its economic importance in Quebec and because of the research team’s expertise in this sector.

It is divided into several specific objectives:

To learn how Quebec SMEs in the manufacturing sector perceive the climate risks related to their activities
To identify the factors influencing the perception of climate risks in these companies, including the profiles and roles of owners/managers (CEOs) of SMEs in the manufacturing sector
To identify the similarities and differences between the perception of climate risks and of other types of risks that the companies face
To understand how the perception of climate risks affects decisions within companies as well as their ability to overcome critical events related to climate change (resilience)
To make recommendations based on the results obtained in order to raise awareness among SMEs of the risks arising from climate change
To establish avenues for further research

Methodology

To meet the research objectives, a major review of the prior work will be carried out, covering several fields of knowledge. This will help to establish a conceptual framework identifying different links and influences among the dimensions studied (attitudes, behaviours, sensitivity, actions, etc.), and to develop precise, appropriate data collection methods.

Subsequently, data will be collected from experts and a diversity of SMEs in the manufacturing sector, reflecting their heterogeneity and the multiplicity of their perceptions, attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge regarding climate risks.

A qualitative approach is preferred for understanding the attitudes and behaviours of SMEs in their contexts and identifying new information that is not documented or is poorly documented in the literature. This approach will be used to develop precise, appropriate data collection methods, and then to enrich the quantitative analysis by delving deeper into the situations it has revealed.
A quantitative method will make it possible to identify recurrences in the data on the SMEs surveyed and to highlight the complex relationships between the different variables under study in order to identify behavioural or attitudinal profiles and the influence of certain determinants.

Expected results

A systematic analysis on SMEs’ perception of climate risks and their adaptation to them
Presentation of the nuanced behaviours of SMEs, revealing their heterogeneity and the different contingencies that explain and justify their behaviour
Articles and conference texts to disseminate these results within the scientific community
An educational workshop and seminars for advisors, SME coaches and entrepreneurs describing the plural reality of SMEs and the diversity of their behaviours
An easy-to-understand report for SME owners/managers
Testimonials from entrepreneurs in the form of podcasts or short videos

Benefits for adaptation

A better understanding of the various behaviours and attitudes of SME owners/managers with regard to climate risks will allow support organisations (public, parapublic, community or private) to provide resources that are as effective as possible.