A global assessment of policy tools to support climate adaptation
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Governments, businesses, and civil society organizations have diverse policy tools to
incentivize adaptation. Policy tools can shape the type and extent of adaptation, and
therefore, function either as barriers or enablers for reducing risk and vulnerability.
Using data from a systematic review of academic literature on global adaptation
responses to climate change (n = 1549 peer-reviewed articles), we categorize the types
of policy tools used to shape climate adaptation. We apply qualitative and
quantitative analyses to assess the contexts where particular tools are used, along
with equity implications for groups targeted by the tools, and the tools’ relationships
with transformational adaptation indicators such as the depth, scope, and speed of
adaptation. We find diverse types of tools documented across sectors and geographic
regions. We also identify a mismatch between the tools that consider equity and
those that yield more transformational adaptations. Direct regulations, plans, and
capacity building are associated with higher depth and scope of adaptation (thus
transformational adaptation), while economic instruments, information provisioning,
and networks are not; the latter tools, however, are more likely to target marginalized
groups in their design and implementation. We identify multiple research gaps,
including a need to assess instrument mixes rather than single tools and to assess
adaptations that result from policy implementation.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Climate change adaptation, policy instruments, systematic review, Adaptation Mapping Initiative (GAMI), transformational adaptation, equity