Climate change adaptation: How short-term political priorities trample public well-being

Abstract

Climate change looms, with many communities already suffering from worsening impacts. Despite ample research into how to adapt, attempts have been slow and often inadequate in practice. As exposure to climate impacts magnifies, we ask: Why are communities underprepared? Adaptations often consist of fractured, reactionary attempts to address physical exposure through hard infrastructure measures. While these measures do advance short-term economic political priorities, they fall short of addressing the interwoven origins of climate change vulnerability. Unfortunately, climate vulnerability is not solely a physical process, but a social one as well, requiring planning through a long-term holistic approach. Yet, planners, ethically obligated to promote public well-being, are denied the authority to act – enabling existing infrastructure and governance systems to justify inequality for profit. The socio-political status quo, through defensive discretion and public coercion, enables political leadership to evade responsibility for safeguarding public well-being and, instead, prioritize short-term economic goals. By exploring the impact of short-term political priorities on adaptation policy, we find that a complex system of justification disregards public well-being, preventing effective adaptation. Future research on climate policy needs to explore how socio-political forces impact adaptation, and, in this way, equitably protect the well-being of communities.