Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation
Description:
The SUSADAPT Special Collection is about the relationships between the goal of sustainable development and the concept of climate change adaptation (CCA). Papers in the collection investigate to what extent and in what ways the goal of a sustainable development may influence - positive or negative - the way society should adapt to climate change.
The specific discourse on sustainable climate change adaptation started less than 10 years ago, and still has few contributions – many of which focus on the need for CCA actions taking place in countries in the global south. In this special collection we focus on the consequences of applying the goal of sustainable development on CCA efforts and strategies in global north countries, but we also want to address the consequences for CCA actions in the global north while at the same time taking into account perspectives on global justice embedded in the goal of sustainable development. One aspect of the latter is to address the common destiny of climate change vulnerabilities in global north and global south created by the ever-increasing and pervasive internationalization of the global economy – referred to as transnational climate risks and vulnerabilities. Collection papers include trans- as well as multi- and monodisciplinary contributions, and can include both theoretical as well as empirical oriented contributions.
An overview of the collection is provided by ‘"I'm Fixing a Hole Where the Rain Gets in, and Stops My Mind from Wandering": Approaching Sustainable Climate Change Adaptations’ (Aal et al.). This article reviews the history of the term ‘sustainable climate change adaptation’ and reflects on the relationship between sustainable development and climate change adaptation. It ends by proposing a framework for distinguishing between conventional and sustainable adaptation.
Lead organizer:
Professor Carlo Aall, Western Norway Research Institute, caa@vestforsk.no
Organizers:
Dr Mari Hanssen Korsbrekke, Western Norway Research Institute, mhk@vestforsk.no
Professor Grete Hovelsrud, Nordlandsforskning, helene.amundsen@cicero.oslo.no
Dr Marte Lange Vik, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Marte.Lange.Vik@hvl.no
Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation
Abstract
In recent decades there has been a surge in the scholarship on climate change adaptation (CCA) terminology, and diverging interpretations of the term have emerged. Given the crucial role of local governments in building societywide adaptive capacity, understanding how municipalities understand and interpret CCA is important. In this study, we analyze 12 large-scale questionnaires from 2007 to 2020 distributed to all Norwegian municipalities. Using a combination of directed and conventional content analysis of the questions and answers, we summarize and map the progress of adaptation work over the 14 years and assess the consistency and the scope of the surveys in light of the current research on climate adaptation. We find diverging views on what adaptation entails, both from the researchers, in the phrasing of questions, and from the respondents. The empirical evidence suggests an overall imbalanced interpretation of CCA, in terms of the risks and consequences we may face, the climate to which adapting is needed, and adequate adaptation strategies. We go on to discuss the implications of these findings, highlighting the need for a shared and well-communicated framework for local CCA and a closer monitoring of the actual efforts of the municipalities. If instead left unchecked, this confusion might lead to unsustainable maladaptation at the local government level throughout Norway and beyond.
Abstract
In recent decades there has been a surge in the scholarship on climate change adaptation (CCA) terminology, and diverging interpretations of the term have emerged. Given the crucial role of local governments in building societywide adaptive capacity, understanding how municipalities understand and interpret CCA is important. In this study, we analyze 12 large-scale questionnaires from 2007 to 2020 distributed to all Norwegian municipalities. Using a combination of directed and conventional content analysis of the questions and answers, we summarize and map the progress of adaptation work over the 14 years and assess the consistency and the scope of the surveys in light of the current research on climate adaptation. We find diverging views on what adaptation entails, both from the researchers, in the phrasing of questions, and from the respondents. The empirical evidence suggests an overall imbalanced interpretation of CCA, in terms of the risks and consequences we may face, the climate to which adapting is needed, and adequate adaptation strategies. We go on to discuss the implications of these findings, highlighting the need for a shared and well-communicated framework for local CCA and a closer monitoring of the actual efforts of the municipalities. If instead left unchecked, this confusion might lead to unsustainable maladaptation at the local government level throughout Norway and beyond.
Abstract
Drawing on case studies in 12 Norwegian municipalities, this paper investigates how local context matters for developing national climate adaptation policies that are applicable at the municipal level. Moreover, it explicates which factors constitute this context and how these factors vary across the case municipalities. National climate adaptation policy in Norway can currently be characterized as top down, providing standardized requirements and advice to municipalities. However, Norwegian municipalities vary greatly with respect to physical conditions, organizational resources, and societal needs. They are autonomous to a great extent and are almost solely responsible for developing climate policy and planning within their own territories. Therefore, municipalities adapt national policies to their own context, reflecting local physiographic, organizational, and resource challenges, but these local translations are not fully recognized by national and sectoral actors. This paper underscores that the significant variation in contextual factors between municipalities is not sufficiently addressed and understood by national and sectoral governmental authorities. With the identified variation of the contextual factors across the case municipalities, an adaptive comanagement strategy within a multilevel governance system is suggested as a suitable framework to ensure a proactive approach to local adaptation, that is, mutual understanding and better cooperation between the national and local levels.
Abstract
Drawing on case studies in 12 Norwegian municipalities, this paper investigates how local context matters for developing national climate adaptation policies that are applicable at the municipal level. Moreover, it explicates which factors constitute this context and how these factors vary across the case municipalities. National climate adaptation policy in Norway can currently be characterized as top down, providing standardized requirements and advice to municipalities. However, Norwegian municipalities vary greatly with respect to physical conditions, organizational resources, and societal needs. They are autonomous to a great extent and are almost solely responsible for developing climate policy and planning within their own territories. Therefore, municipalities adapt national policies to their own context, reflecting local physiographic, organizational, and resource challenges, but these local translations are not fully recognized by national and sectoral actors. This paper underscores that the significant variation in contextual factors between municipalities is not sufficiently addressed and understood by national and sectoral governmental authorities. With the identified variation of the contextual factors across the case municipalities, an adaptive comanagement strategy within a multilevel governance system is suggested as a suitable framework to ensure a proactive approach to local adaptation, that is, mutual understanding and better cooperation between the national and local levels.
