Transformational adaptation when incremental adaptations to climate change are insufficient

被引:739
作者
Kates, Robert W.
Travis, William R. [1 ,2 ]
Wilbanks, Thomas J. [3 ,4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Colorado, Ctr Sci & Technol Policy Res, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
[2] Univ Colorado, Dept Geog, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
[3] Oak Ridge Natl Lab, Div Environm Sci, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 USA
[4] Oak Ridge Natl Lab, Climate Change Sci Inst, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 USA
关键词
RESPONSES; RISK;
D O I
10.1073/pnas.1115521109
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
All human-environment systems adapt to climate and its natural variation. Adaptation to human-induced change in climate has largely been envisioned as increments of these adaptations intended to avoid disruptions of systems at their current locations. In some places, for some systems, however, vulnerabilities and risks may be so sizeable that they require transformational rather than incremental adaptations. Three classes of transformational adaptations are those that are adopted at a much larger scale, that are truly new to a particular region or resource system, and that transform places and shift locations. We illustrate these with examples drawn from Africa, Europe, and North America. Two conditions set the stage for transformational adaptation to climate change: large vulnerability in certain regions, populations, or resource systems; and severe climate change that overwhelms even robust human use systems. However, anticipatory transformational adaptation may be difficult to implement because of uncertainties about climate change risks and adaptation benefits, the high costs of transformational actions, and institutional and behavioral actions that tend to maintain existing resource systems and policies. Implementing transformational adaptation requires effort to initiate it and then to sustain the effort over time. In initiating transformational adaptation focusing events and multiple stresses are important, combined with local leadership. In sustaining transformational adaptation, it seems likely that supportive social contexts and the availability of acceptable options and resources for actions are key enabling factors. Early steps would include incorporating transformation adaptation into risk management and initiating research to expand the menu of innovative transformational adaptations.
引用
收藏
页码:7156 / 7161
页数:6
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