Reframing adaptation: The political nature of climate change adaptation. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Eriksen, Siri H.; Nightingale, Andrea J.; Eakin, Hallie
• Is Part Of: Global environmental change. Volume 35(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 523
• Page End: 533
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Politics -- Climate change adaptation -- Power -- Authority -- Subjectivity -- Knowledges; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; Homme -- Influence sur la nature -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Human ecology; Nature -- Effect of human beings on; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.09.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3780

Abstract

Highlights: A managerial approach to adaptation belies its nature as a socio-political process. Adaptation can constitute as well as contest, authority, subjectivity and knowledges. These struggles can open up or close down space for transformational adaptation Subjectivities inherent to problem understandings need to be questioned. Focus is needed on multiple adaptation knowledges and emancipatory subjectivities Abstract: This paper is motivated by a concern that adaptation and vulnerability research suffer from an under-theorization of the political mechanisms of social change and the processes that serve to reproduce vulnerability over time and space. We argue that adaptation is a socio-political process that mediates how individuals and collectives deal with multiple and concurrent environmental and social changes. We propose that applying concepts of subjectivity, knowledges and authority to the analysis of adaptation focuses attention on this socio-political process. Drawing from vulnerability, adaptation, political ecology and social theory literatures, we explain how power is reproduced or contested in adaptation practice through these three concepts. We assert that climate change adaptation processes have the potential to constitute as well as contest authority, subjectivity and knowledge, thereby opening up or closing down space for transformational adaptation. We expand on this assertion through four key propositions about how adaptation processes can be understood and outline an emergent empirical research agenda, which aims to explicitly examine these propositions in specific social and environmental contexts. We describe how the articles in this special issue are contributing to this nascent research agenda, providing an empirical basis from which to theorize the politics of adaptation. The final section concludes by describing the need for a reframing of adaptation policy, practice and analysis to engage with multiple adaptation knowledges, to question subjectivities inherent in discourses and problem understandings, and to identify how emancipatory subjectivities – and thus the potential for transformational adaptation – can be supported.