Centring Power in Climate Adaptation Politics Through Cross‐Scale Governmentalities: A Systematic Review of High‐Income Countries

There is a clear need for a state‐of‐the‐art review of how public participation in climate change adaptation is being considered in research across academic communities: The Rio Declaration developed in 1992 at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) included explicit goals of citizen participation and engagement in climate actions (Principle 10). Nation states were given special responsibility to facilitate these by ensuring access to information and opportunities to participate in decision‐making processes. Since then the need for public participation has featured prominently in calls to climate action. Using text analysis to produce a corpus of abstracts drawn from Web of Science, a review of literature incorporating public participation and citizen engagement in climate change adaptation since 1992 reveals lexical, temporal, and spatial distribution dynamics of research on the topic. An exponential rise in research effort since the year 2000 is demonstrated, with the focus of research action on three substantial themes—risk, flood risk, and risk assessment, perception, and communication. These are critically reviewed and three substantive issues are considered: the paradox of participation, the challenge of governance transformation, and the need to incorporate psycho‐social and behavioral adaptation to climate change in policy processes. Gaps in current research include a lack of common understanding of public participation for climate adaptation across disciplines; incomplete articulation of processes involving public participation and citizen engagement; and a paucity of empirical research examining how understanding and usage of influential concepts of risk, vulnerability and adaptive capacity varies among different disciplines and stakeholders. Finally, a provisional research agenda for attending to these gaps is described.This article is categorized under:Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for AdaptationPolicy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

Climate change adaptation has become a core business for international organizations, firms, and all levels of government in almost every country. Practitioners seek to implement adaptation in the face of myriad barriers and uncertainties and so seek guidance as to what constitutes best practice. Such guidance is diffused across publications on adaptation decision making, effectiveness, evaluation, justice, governance, monitoring, pathways, and planning, which propose a mix of process‐based and normative criteria. All of these have value but taken together do not provide succinct guidance for practitioners. Here we suggest that for practitioners, best practice is a pragmatic matter of doing the best with the knowledge and resources available at any given time to initiate a process most likely to lead to a reduction in vulnerability. We propose seven elements for best practice adaptation based on common findings from these diverse literatures, suggesting that it requires processes that are: evidence‐based, intentional, well‐governed, inclusive, iterative, well‐timed, and sustained. We explain each of these elements and provide references for further information. This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

In this study, the strength of the regional changes in near-surface climate associated with a global warming of 2°C with respect to pre-industrial times is assessed, distinguishing between 26 different regions. Also, the strength of these regional climate changes is compared to the strength of the respective changes associated with a markedly stronger global warming of 4.5°C. The magnitude of the regional changes in climate is estimated by means of a normalized regional climate change index, which considers changes in the mean as well as changes in the interannual variability of both near-surface temperature and precipitation. The study is based on two sets of four ensemble simulations with the ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled climate model, each starting from different initial conditions. In one set of simulations (1860–2200), the greenhouse gas concentrations and sulphate aerosol load have been prescribed according to observations until 2000 and according to the SRES A1B scenario after 2000. In the other set of simulations (2020–2200), the greenhouse gas concentrations and sulphate aerosol load have been prescribed in such a way that the simulated global warming does not exceed 2°C with respect to pre-industrial times. The study reveals the strongest changes in near-surface climate in the same regions for both scenarios, i.e., the Sahara, Northern Australia, Southern Australia and Amazonia. The regions with the weakest changes in near-surface climate, on the other hand, vary somewhat between the two scenarios except for Western North America and Southern South America, where both scenarios show rather weak changes. The comparison between the magnitude of the regional changes in near-surface climate for the two scenarios reveals relatively strong changes in the 2°C-stabilization scenario at high northern latitudes, i.e., Northeastern Europe, Alaska and Greenland, and in Amazonia. Relatively weak regional climate changes in this scenario, on the other hand, are found for Eastern Asia, Central America, Central South America and Southern South America. The ratios between the regional changes in the near-surface climate for the two scenarios vary considerably between different regions. This illustrates a limitation of obtaining regional changes in near-surface climate associated with a particular scenario by means of scaling the regional changes obtained from a widely used “standard” scenario with the ratio of the changes in the global mean temperature projected by these two scenarios.

1. Governance Approaches for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change in Asia: An Introduction Huong Ha and Tek Nath Dhakal PART I: ISSUES AND IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN ASIA 2. Climate Change, Vanishing Ecosystems and the Challenge of Achieving Human Prosperity Amita Singh 3. The Interplay between Climate Change, Economy and Displacement: Experience from Asia A.K.M. Ahsan Ullah 4. Disaster Communication in Mitigating Climate Change in Sri Lanka: Problems and Prospects R. Lalitha S. Fernando 5. Climate Change and Global Environmental Governance: The Asian Experience Gamini Herath PART II: PRECONDITIONS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND THE ROLE OF DIFFERENT SECTORS 6. Approaches for Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study of Agriculture Initiatives in Japan Izumi Tsurita, S.V.R.K. Prabhakar and Daisuke Sano 7. How Adaptive Policies are in Japan and Can Adaptive Policies Mean Effective Policies?: Some Implications for Governing Climate Change Adaptation S.V.R.K. Prabhakar, Misa Aoki and Reina Mashimo 8. Management of Climate Induced National Security: Paradigm Shift from Geopolitics to Carbon Politics Md Shafiqul Islam 9. Deconstructing Debate on National Action Plan on Climate Change at the State Level: A Case Study of Meghalaya State, India Ashok Kumar Singha, Suvra Majumdar, Abhik Saha and Somnath Hazra 10. The Role of Government and the Private Sector in Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change Vinay Sharma PART III: GOVERNANCE APPROACHES FOR MANAGING CLIMATE CHANGE 11. Integrated Governance and Adaptation to Climate Change Ken Coghill and Ramanie Samaratunge 12. Climate Change Governance: Singapore Case Huong Ha 13. Governance Framework to Mitigate Climate Change: Challenges in Urbanising India Mahendra Sethi and Subhakanta Mohapatra 14. Unripe Fruits or Non-Raining Clouds?: Climate Change Governance and Funding Dilemma in Nepal Bimal Raj Regmi and Dinanath Bhandari 15. Environmental Legislations and Actions in Polity, Economy and Culture for Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study of Misamis Oriental Province, the Philippines Isaias S. Sealza and Huong Ha 16. Responses to Climate Change - Who is Responsible?: A Conclusion Tek Nath Dhakal and Huong Ha

In this review, we take stock of the last decade of research on climate change governance in urban areas since the 2009 conference in Copenhagen. Using a systematic evaluation of academic publications in the field, we argue that the current moment of research has been shaped by two recent waves of thought. The first, a wave of urban optimism, which started in 2011 and peaked in 2013, engaged with urban areas as alternative sites for governance in the face of the crumbling international climate regime. The second, a wave of urban pragmatism, which started in 2016, has sought to reimagine urban areas following the integration of the “sub‐national” as a meaningful category in the international climate regime after the 2015 Paris Agreement for Climate Action. Four themes dominate the debate on climate change governance in urban areas: why there is climate action, how climate action is delivered, how it is articulated in relation to internationally reaching networks, and what implications it has to understand environmental or climate justice within urban settings. Calls to understand the impacts of climate change policy have fostered research on climate change politics, issues of power and control, conflicts, and the inherently unjust nature of much climate policy. What is largely missing from the current scholarship is a sober assessment of the mundane aspects of climate change governance on the ground and a concern with what kind of cultural and socio‐economic change is taking place, beyond comparative analyses of the effectiveness of climate policies.This article is categorized under:Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

Asian cities are at the forefront of climate change impacts. Given the size of city economies, the economic losses caused by climate-induced extreme weather can be quite significant. Together, the cities of Guangzhou, Mumbai, Shenzen, Tianjin, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, and Jakarta incurred $1520 million (USD) in annual losses due to coastal flooding in 2005 alone. By 2050, the annual loss incurred as a result of coastal flooding in these cities is projected to increase to $32,079 million. In the light of the projected increase in climate-induced extreme weather events and associated loss, it is important to understand where Asian cities are in terms of climate change adaptation planning and governance. I use publicly available data and information published between 2004 and 2014 to capture urban climate change adaptation activities implemented in Asian cities, their sectoral distribution, and nature. This research finds that Asian cities are at a very early stage of climate change adaptation planning and governance. Countries with a larger number of cities implementing urban adaptation activities are the ones where central governments provide policy directives and support required for urban climate change adaptation planning and governance. There are two major flaws in the way urban climate change adaptation planning and governance is being carried out in Asian cities. First, the majority of urban climate change adaptation activities are concentrated in only one sector-disaster risk management. Second, approximately two thirds of urban climate change adaptation activities are reactive in nature. What cities in Asia need is an optimal mix of proactive and reactive adaptation. Without proactive adaptation actions, cities in Asia will not be able to address the full range of climate change hazards in strategic and cost-effective manner.

Given the persistent drought disasters, the Amathole District Municipality grapples with severe water scarcity issues, particularly affecting local municipalities such as Raymond Mhlaba and Ngqushwa. Consequently, the municipalities are challenged by severe climate change and governance-related water scarcity. Thus, investigating climate change adaptation policy formulation and governance from the perspective of local communities can provide valuable insights into effective climate change adaptation governance. Employing a mixed research approach, this study investigates stakeholders’ perceptions of the formulation process and approaches to climate change adaptation policy and governance in the water sector using narrative analysis and descriptive statistics survey data. The study revealed that policy formulation is challenged by a bureaucratic water governance system, as most of the respondents (70%) were uncertain about their roles in climate change adaptation policy formulation, compared to 30% who were able to partially articulate their roles. Thus, 66% of respondents indicated that they were not involved in climate change adaptation in water resource management. This underscores that most stakeholders are ‘locked out’ from divulging their decisions in climate change adaptation policy formulation. This study will help municipalities develop proper climate change adaptation strategies based on local knowledge to enhance their resilience against climate change disasters.

Water sprays from an open fire hydrant in Brooklyn, New York, in the midst of a July 2010 heat wave that affected much of the eastern United States.In 2007 the New York City Department of Environmental Protection first teamed up with Alianza Dominicana, a Washington Heights community organization, to educate city residents about the appropriate use of fire hydrants and other ways

Climate change is undeniably the leading challenge in the 21st century (IPCC 2022). Agriculture is simultaneously a major driver of climate change and is seriously affected by it (EEA, 2019). The adaptation efforts and the level of readiness to adapt to climate change vary between regions, countries and sectors (e.g. agriculture and environment). The overall goal of the research is to assess the level of readiness for climate change adaptation of the agricultural and environmental institutions in Bulgaria. The specific objective of the paper is to analyse their institutional setups and mandates for adapting to climate change in the Bulgarian rural areas. The research findings and results will support the identification of enabling conditions and key barriers to stronger institutional adaptation capacities of the main agricultural and environmental institutions in the country. The assessment is based on documentary analysis of the national climate adaptation strategy and the legal acts, regulating the institutions’ mandates and functions. The methodological approach is motivated by the conceptual model developed by Ford and King (2015) for assessing the climate adaptation readiness by governments at various scales. The focus is on three of their adaptation readiness factors – political leadership on adaptation, institutional organisation for adaptation and adaptation decision making. The results indicate a reactive rather than proactive political leadership on climate adaptation in Bulgaria. The institutional organisation for adaptation suffers serious understaffing in the Ministry of Environment and Water and in the relevance sectoral ministries. The Strategy on Climate Change and Adaptation stated the need for increased capacities and training in sectoral institutions and stakeholders in 2019. In 2023, there is only one environmental institution with an official mandate on climate change – the Climate Policy Department in the Ministry of Environment and Water. Its mandate is on policy development at the global, European and national level addressing both mitigation and adaptation needs; and it is the smallest unit in the ministry in terms of staff numbers. The other environmental institution with a mandate on climate change is the Executive Environmental Agency which monitors the greenhouse gas emissions and the related permits and registers, with no explicit mandate on climate adaptation. As regards the agriculture and rural development institutions, the Rural Development Directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture has a mandate to propose measures addressing climate change needs during the programming of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The identified needs (i.e. introduce climate adapted breeds and plant species) relate to the farming sector and not to the rural areas. Overall, the key weakness of the Bulgarian climate adaptation approach in rural areas is its reactive and ad-hoc basis. It either is driven by EU regulations and requirements or is implemented when project opportunities arise, without systemic planning and ownership of responsibility in the agriculture or environmental institutions. Key words: climate change governance, adaptation readiness, agriculture JEL code: Q54, Q58, Q18

Built to last? Local climate change adaptation and governance in the Caribbean – The case of an informal urban settlement in Trinidad and Tobago

Cities worldwide are grappling with increasingly complex challenges in managing urban flood risk stemming from rapid urbanization exacerbated by climate change impacts. Traditional gray infrastructure has limitations in effectively managing the growing frequency and severity of urban floods, particularly during extreme events. Nature‐based Solutions (NbS) that utilize natural processes and ecosystems to enhance urban flood resilience and provide multiple benefits to society and the economy have emerged as a promising alternative and supplement. However, the mainstream adoption of NbS is driven by various factors and faces numerous barriers, creating a complex landscape that demands thorough investigation. This research provides a systematic review of the existing literature on key barriers and drivers shaping the widespread adoption of NbS in urban flood resilience strategies. The literature reveals that while certain drivers can facilitate NbS adoption, there are also major knowledge, awareness, and technology; physical; governance and institutional; and social and cultural barriers, hindering their mainstream integration into the existing framework. This paper provides crucial insights for future urban planning and climate adaptation initiatives seeking to enhance flood resilience amid the challenges posed by climate change. Additionally, the study uncovers potential avenues for future research, emphasizing the development of strategies to overcome barriers and promoting the widespread implementation of NbS as a flood adaptation strategy. This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Learning from Cases and Analogies Climate and Development > Urbanization, Development, and Climate Change Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

While climate change adaptation research has increasingly focused on aspects of culture, a systematic treatment of the role of legal culture in how communities respond to climate risk has yet to be produced. This is despite the fact that law and legal authority are implicated in most, if not all, of the ways in which actors seek to reduce the risks posed to communities by climate change. Using a scoping review methodology, this article examines the intersection of climate change adaptation and legal culture in existing research. Overall, we find that the significance of legal culture for adaptation actions has been under‐explored. Yet, it is also clear that a focus on legal culture holds significant promise for our understanding of climate change adaptation. We set out a research agenda for the field, highlighting the ways in which a focus on legal culture may enrich existing key themes within climate change adaptation research.This article is categorized under: Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation

The rate of climate change in the Russian cold regions is nearly twice larger than the global‑mean rate. Besides climate risks, such changes lead to new possibilities, which require scientifically based regional adaptation strategies. Climate could be viewed as an inexhaustible public resource that creates opportuni‑ ties for sustainable development. Long‑term trends show that climate as a resource is becoming more read‑ ily available in the cold regions, notwithstanding the general perception that globally climate change is one of the challenges of the 21st century. Adaptation strategies are required for balancing the risks and potential benefits resulting from the changing climate. Success of such strategies depends on the public perception of climate change. This study compares the observational data on climate and environmental changes with the results of the public survey conducted in Yakutia in the period 2012–2017. The survey involved nearly 2000 respondents in several cities and 2 villages (Ust‑Maja, Saskhulakh) representing different economical, socio‑ logical, permafrost, vegetation, and climatic conditions. Results indicated that public perception of the climatic and environmental changes is not univocal, and depends on many factors. Low probability extreme events, such as unusual weather patterns or abrupt land‑ scape changes may have greater effect than the long‑term climate trends. Currently less than half of the pop‑ ulation in Yakutia consider climate change as an established fact, and are ready to take actions in this regard. Meanwhile, Yakutia is a region where observational records demonstrate the most pronounced changes in climatic regime compared to other Russian regions. The contrast between the actual changes and public per‑ ception of such changes has important implication for developing adaptation strategies. To be effective, such strategies should combine knowledge coming from instrumental‑ and model‑based analysis of the climatic and environmental changes with the public perception of such changes.

Regional organisations play a central role in coordinating regional climate change adaptation responses across small island developing states, 58 countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and its impacts. The effectiveness of these organisations in coordinating adaptation efforts is underexplored in the academic literature, and this paper helps to fill the gap. By developing the Framework for Assessing Regional Organisations Coordinating Climate Change Adaptation, it qualitatively assesses the adaptation-related inputs, projects/programmes and outputs of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. This assessment is enriched by data gathered through interviews with national and regional climate change and development officials in the Caribbean and Pacific. It finds that regional organisations are more effective with respect to their adaptation-related inputs and outputs, but are less effective in coordinating adaptation projects/programmes. It recommends that, in addition to differentiating organisational mandates, regional organisations should focus on resolving the major climate-related information deficit issues, helping countries to develop ready to finance investment projects, building national-level capacities to adapt and supporting the creation of an enabling environment for climate change adaptation.

The territorial impacts of climate change will affect millions. This will happen not only as a direct consequence of climate change, but also because of policies for mitigating it—for example, through the installation of large wind and solar farms, the conservation of land in its role as carbon sink, and the extraction of materials needed for renewable energy technologies. In this article, we offer an overview of the justice‐related issues that these impacts create. The literature on climate justice and territory is vast and spans a range of disciplines, so we limit our discussion to a specific understanding of territory and a specific understanding of injustice that arises from its loss. We understand territory as a normative concept that describes a place under some agent's jurisdiction, where the agent is a politically organized collective and where the jurisdictional rights over that place secure a relevant degree of self‐determination for that collective. Accordingly, we consider that the main injustice connected to the loss of territory due to climate change is the loss or undermining of the ability to exercise the collective right to self‐determination, which requires some control over the place. This can happen if a territorial agent literally loses the ground where to stand as a direct effect of climate change, raising issues of justice in relocation; or if their place changes due to mitigation policies, affecting their use and understanding of territory, raising issues of justice in energy transition. In concluding, we point to topics for future research.This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Climate Change and Global Justice Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Climate Change and Human Rights Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions