A meta-study by researchers from the University of Hamburg's Center for Climate Change Research (CLICS) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München shows that globally, individuals and households are the main entities adapting to climate change, with a clear lack of systematic cooperation among affected groups.
Lack of coordination in global climate adaptation
A meta-study shows that individuals and households rarely collaborate systematically to lead climate change adaptation efforts. The study highlights the need to develop comprehensive, stakeholder-engaged strategies that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
From a global perspective, individuals and households are first struggling to adapt to the impacts of climate change; there is a lack of systematic network connections among the various affected groups. This is the conclusion reached by an international team of experts from the Center of Excellence for Climate Research (CLICS) at the University of Hamburg and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU). Their meta-research report was just published today (October 12) in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Different actors in climate adaptation
In the meta-study, 30 authors analyzed more than 1,400 academic studies on climate change adaptation. Through their analysis, they provide the first global overview of which groups of actors are adapting and how. Their findings suggest that global task distribution lacks cohesion. Most importantly, there are few concepts aimed at making society, infrastructure and risk management better prepared for the impacts of climate change. There is also a lack of extensive cooperation among various governmental and non-governmental actors.
In 2023, farmers in Namibia tested the resistance of different varieties, in this case soybeans, to growing water shortages. Image source: UHH/CLICCS/K.Jantke
"Our study shows that adaptation to climate change remains largely isolated and uncoordinated," said co-author Dr. Kerstin Jantke, an environmental researcher at the CLICCS Center of Excellence at the University of Hamburg. "This is disproportionate to the urgency and importance of this challenge."
the need for cooperation
Dr. Jan Petzold, lead author of the study, believes that action is necessary: "Comprehensive, impartial and forward-thinking adaptation action can only be considered successful if there is broad participation not only from official organizations but also from various groups at all levels." Peter Zold is currently a geographer at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, where he is a member of the CLICCS Center of Excellence until autumn 2021.
To date, it has mainly been individuals and households taking steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change, especially in the global South; only a handful of these have been integrated into institutional frameworks. However, there are also gaps between urban and rural areas: individual households are mainly active in rural areas, while government actors tend to coordinate urban adaptation efforts. In many cases, the role of global, national and regional governments is to approve, plan and fund adaptation measures, while small households undertake much of the technology implementation. According to the study, the involvement of the scientific community in adaptation measures is limited, while that of the private economy is almost non-existent.
Sustainability and integrated approach
"If globally it is mainly individuals such as farmers and smallholders who do the heavy lifting, this also shows us the lack of cooperation between different groups of actors, which is a prerequisite for sustainable adaptation projects," says Jan Petzold. "The concept of coordination is indispensable for far-reaching measures such as adapting forest structures to climate awareness, converting farmland into floodplains, planning new urban infrastructure and relocating coastal communities."
"Involving a diverse group of actors also helps avoid unnecessary impacts of adaptation measures," says Kerstin Jantke. "If I design a measure only to solve a single, urgent problem, it may change the situation in other areas." Even worse. For example, dykes designed to prevent flooding can damage coastlines and wetlands, reducing biodiversity or natural sinks of carbon dioxide. Therefore, integrated measures are best guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help ensure that solutions are viable in the long term."