"......This paper addresses two vital concerns in the debate on adaptation to climate change.  First, how can countries prepare to manage the impact of climate-change induced natural  disasters?  Second, how can countries ensure that they have the governmental institutions required to manage the phenomenal challenge of adaptation to climate change? A range of economic and institutional measures are tested for their potential effects on natural disaster resilience and the quality of environmental governance.  The findings suggest an important role is played by social and political institutions in determining the ability of countries to adapt to climate change and respond to natural disasters, in particular in the degree to which countries have succeeded in gender empowerment and the development of a robust civil society and nonprofit sector.  As the climate change challenge moves from that of "proving the facts" to that of  "implementing change," the authors suggest that international policymakers, donors, and activists must increasingly focus on building domestic policy environments that are conducive to the delivery of more effective environmental legislation, for example through implementation of gender quotas and provision of support to civil society groups...."

Responding to a changing climate: Exploring how disaster risk reduction, social protection and livelihoods approaches promote features of adaptive capacity

ODI Working Paper

This paper reviews how aspects of disaster risk reduction, social protection and livelihoods approaches may act in contributing to the various features of adaptive capacity. It provides part of the theoretical basis for a project led by Oxfam and supported by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI): the Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA), which also includes Save the Children UK, World Vision International and CARE. The paper does not seek to expand on the conceptual underpinnings of adaptive capacity; rather, it aims to find out what aspects of disaster risk reduction, social protection and livelihoods approaches can contribute to adaptive capacity, as well as to understand how such approaches can better respond to climate change and facilitate adaptation.

Lindsey Jones, Susanne Jaspars, Sara Pavanello, Eva Ludi, Rachel Slater, Alex Arnall, Natasha Grist and Sobona Mtisi

This Background Note explores the influence of social barriers to adaptation to climate change, using insights drawn from field work in rural subsistence communities in western Nepal, and findings from a related ODI project in rural India. It explores the role of social institutions in determining how individuals adapt to climate stress and shock, and examines how restrictive cultural environments can limit successful adaptation. It concludes by providing recommendations for adaptation policy interventions that seek to recognise, address and overcome social barriers to adaptation.