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The World Climate Research Program Strategy and Priorities: Next Decade Read chapter Read first chapter

2013 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Less Developed Countries

Authors : Maria Carmen Lemos, Arun Agrawal, Hallie Eakin, Don R. Nelson, Nathan L. Engle, Owen Johns

Published in: Climate Science for Serving Society

Publisher: Springer Netherlands

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Abstract

This paper focuses on the relevance of adaptive capacity in the context of the increasing certainty that climate change impacts will affect human populations and different social groups substantially and differentially. Developing and building adaptive capacity requires a combination of interventions that address not only climate-related risks (specific capacities) but also the structural deficits (lack of income, education, health, political power, etc.—generic capacities) that shape vulnerability. We argue that bolstering both generic and specific adaptive capacities, with careful attention to minimizing the potential tensions between these two types of capacities, can help vulnerable groups maintain their ability to address risks in the long run at the same time as they respond effectively to short term climate impacts. We examine the relationship between generic and specific capacities, taking into consideration that they are not always positively related. We then propose a conceptual model describing positive and negative feedbacks between the two.

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Metadata
Title
Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Less Developed Countries
Authors
Maria Carmen Lemos
Arun Agrawal
Hallie Eakin
Don R. Nelson
Nathan L. Engle
Owen Johns
Copyright Year
2013
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Book
Climate Science for Serving Society

Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6691-4

Electronic ISBN: 978-94-007-6692-1

Copyright Year: 2013

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6692-1_16