Go-Adapt complements existing research on climate change adaptation that focuses mainly on climate scenarios, expected impacts, ecological, societal as well as economic vulnerabilities, and respective adaptation options to address them. Its relevance corresponds with the political salience of the governance challenges in the context of climate change adaptation. Policy makers as well as researchers acknowledge that these challenges are numerous and serious. To keep the research focused, Go-Adapt explores how selected governments deal with four governance challenges that are paramount in the context of climate change adaptation, i.e. (i) improving the horizontal and (ii) vertical integration of policies, (iii) cope with various types of uncertainty and (iv) facilitate stakeholder involvement in line with the challenge of procedural justice (see table below). The governance of climate change adaptation: challenges and approaches Governance challenges | Selected governance approaches to be analysed in Go-Adapt | (i) Climate change impacts and adaptation efforts cut across policy sectors | Better integrate sectoral policies horizontally (cross-sectoral) | Inter-ministerial coordination bodies; national strategy processes; coordination of different strategies; ‘climate-proofed’ assessments,; guidelines & checklists | (ii) Climate change impacts and adaptation efforts cut across levels of government | Better integrate policies vertically (across levels of government) | Inter-governmental coordination bodies, multi-level governance instruments such as treaties, voluntary agreements, guidelines, strategies | (iii) Uncertainty of a) climate scenarios b) impacts and vulnerabilities c) the effectiveness of adaptation measures | Improve the knowledge-base of adaptation policies and facilitate participation | Knowledge brokerage structures such as ‘boundary organisations’; risk assessment tools; ‘uncertainty/ignorance audits’; adaptive strategies; formats that facilitate reflexivity in policy making; stakeholder forums, decision support tools | (iv) Those affected most by climate change are often not well organised and therefore excluded from policy making | Facilitate ‘procedural justice’ by involving those in policy making who are affected most by climate change | Institutionalised stakeholder forums; ad-hoc participation, such as stakeholder workshops/conferences, online consultations, public consultations, etc. |
Governance approaches are mechanisms, institutions (in the sense of organisations and structures), or procedures/policy making processes that governments employ to cope with the challenges they face in the context of climate change adaptation. Governance approaches are no ends in themselves; they are means to achieve adaptation policy objectives, either by facilitating autonomous adaptation or by formulating and implementing adaptation policies. In some instances, policies and governance approaches are closely related or even intertwined. National adaptation strategies, for example, represent a policy (as far as they formulate policy objectives and measures) and governance approaches (as far as they foresee inter-ministerial coordination, implementation, participation, and/or monitoring mechanisms). |
