Input to Tyndall Centre Goals

The proposed research contributes to the central objectives and research strategy of theme 3, Adapting to Climate Change by: a) undertaking transdisciplinary research; b) improving understanding of social adaptation to climate change (including both irregular and regular change); and c) addressing adaptation dynamics in a non-UK context, thereby broadening the research pool available for theoretical developments. Four of the seven research strategy questions are specifically addressed:

Who adapts, to what do they adapt and why should they adapt?
The research provides casework on adaptation by NR-reliant households, communities and institutions in the developing world. Variance in the relative capacity of adaptation, and the reason for adaptation are explicitly addressed in the range of environmental and climate change contexts, through the characteristics of flexibility, knowledge and capacity at different scales. Previous research carried out by the research team indicates the study countries provide an excellent opportunity to investigate adaptiveness and resilience in situations where current policy interventions are minimal. We therefore extend the analysis to examine the determinants of appropriate adaptation.

What influences the ability of institutions to adapt?
This question is central to the research. Adaptations by formal and informal institutions are to be investigated both in a range of scaled social contexts and range of ecological contexts across a climatic gradient.

Are there critical thresholds beyond which it is difficult to adapt is consequently addressed through the inclusion of social and ecological contexts where the magnitude of climatic changes varies.

Justice and equity issues are addressed by investigating who adapts. Previous research by the team has indicated that the capacity to adapt varies between institutions and household at the community level, notably in crowded and drought-prone locations. This is based on factors linked access to NRs and the differential impact of policy interventions, such that adaptiveness can display social and economic stratification that may be unjust. This will be specifically addressed in all three components of the project. NGO participation in the research process, provided by a policy researcher at Oxfam, provides a direct interest in the ability of the least well off to adapt, and how their adaptive ness may be better and equitably facilitated.