Climate change adaptation and development: exploring the linkages

Tyndall Centre working paper no. 107, July 2007

Successful human societies are characterised by their adaptability, evidenced throughout human existence. However, climate change introduces a new challenge, not only because of the expected rise in temperature and sea-levels, but also due to the current context of failure to address the causes of poverty adequately. As a result, policy supporting adaptation has been cast as a necessary strategy for responding to both climate change and supporting development, making adaptation the focus of much recent scholarly and policy research. This paper addresses this new adaptation discourse, arguing that work on adaptation so far has focused on responding to the impacts of climate change, rather than sufficiently addressing the underlying factors that cause vulnerability. While there is a significant push all around for adaptation to be better placed in development planning, the paper finds this to be putting the cart before the horse. A successful adaptation process will require adequately addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability: this is the role that development has to play. This work results from research aimed at exploring the international discourse on adaptation to climate change and the meaning of adaptation to climate change in the context of development.