Adapting to climate change is necessary, but planning adaptation is an exercise in uncertainty which builds on imperfect information. Many adaptation strategies fail, and some go even create conditions that actually worsen the situation – this is called maladaptation. Aside from wasting time and money, maladaptation is a process through which people become even more vulnerable to climate change. Poor planning is the primary cause of maladaptation, yet the diverse manifestations are complex, and identifying maladaptation in advance with certainty is difficult. Nevertheless, there is now sufficient experience to give an indication of how maladaptation can take place, the contexts that may be more prone to such an outcome, and the design flaws in strategies that need to be avoided. Read more.
Blog » Maladaptation: When Adaptation to Climate Change Goes Very Wrong (2020)
Maladaptation: When Adaptation to Climate Change Goes Very Wrong (2020)
Adapting to climate change is necessary, but planning adaptation is an exercise in uncertainty which builds on imperfect information. Many adaptation strategies fail, and some go even create conditions that actually worsen the situation – this is called maladaptation. Aside from wasting time and money, maladaptation is a process through which people become even more vulnerable to climate change. Poor planning is the primary cause of maladaptation, yet the diverse manifestations are complex, and identifying maladaptation in advance with certainty is difficult. Nevertheless, there is now sufficient experience to give an indication of how maladaptation can take place, the contexts that may be more prone to such an outcome, and the design flaws in strategies that need to be avoided. Read more.