Achieving fair and collective adaptation to sea-level rise

Description

Adaptation to climate change needs to be perceived as fair by local communities if it is to be accepted. Climate adaptation also requires collective action among individuals, groups and institutions if it is to be achieved and sustained. There is recognition that government policies can discourage community-based collective action, and that collective action is not always equitable; yet, there is little research that explains how fair collective action can be achieved over the long timeframes of adaptation.

This project aims to advance theory and practice about fair and collective climate adaptation through three sea-level rise adaption case studies in Spain, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Identify the diverse forms of collective action used by local communities and governments in adapting to sea-level rise
• Determine the fairness principles used by communities and governments to evaluate adaptation
• Evaluate the fairness of existing and potential collective adaptations
• Build theory on collective action for the provision of fair climate change adaptation

This project holds the potential to advance theories about climate justice and collective action. Results from the project also have the potential to improve local capacities to respond to climate change and bridge differences between community-led and government-led approaches.

Publications