I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak on lessons learned in municipal climate adaptation planning in Alberta. The terms, “step-by-step” or “baby steps” always come up. I like to say, “science shows that the time for incremental change is over, AND…we have to start somewhere.” Having now reflected more deeply on the incremental versus transformative adaptation debate, I feel better equipped to elaborate about where to start. Decision-makers need to implement incremental climate adaptation strategies in the near-term, but only if these strategies:
- are recognized as a short-term solution and there is commitment to create the corresponding transformative adaptation strategies;
- are cost-effective allowing substantial resources to be allocated to transformative adaptation strategies; and
- recognize that the risk of climate change continues to increase until we address the root causes.
Incremental adaptation strategies are needed to address immediate human needs. Examples include the provision of misting tents so the houseless can cool down during a heat wave, or constructing a seawall to reduce flooding of homes. These strategies are flexible and “incrementally can open scope for experiments in decision-making enhancing broader governance objectives” (Maytayas and Pelling (2015) as cited in Pelling et al., 2014, p. 117). The cooling mats and misters should be announced as short-term solutions along with the commitment to develop a longer-term houselessness reduction strategy. The seawall should be built at the same time plans are made to move residents inland, because “…without considering transformative adaptation as a response to climate change, we may not only fail to reduce the vulnerabilities of both ecological and social systems, but also increase the costs and delay the implementation of sustainable and long-term solutions (Adger and Jordan, 2009; Pelling et al., 2015; Rickards and Howden, 2012, as cited in Fedele et al., 2019, p. 117).
Incremental adaptations need to be cost-effective to ensure funding is available for more transformative solutions. For example, we cannot continue to fund increasingly more cooling tents every summer without directing funds to find a longer-term solution to homelessness. These types of system changes will require sustained funding, must include input from all affected stakeholders, and will take time. The traditional cost-benefit analyses on incremental adaptation solutions must also be paired with information on the longer-term human and ecological costs of climate change.
Climate impact will continue to worsen if solutions are solely incremental because they do not get to the root of the problem. With Western values aimed toward development, growth and capitalism, it is inevitable that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise. When implementing short-term solutions, leaders must acknowledge that the risk of climate impacts is still going up. They have to ask the hard questions about why the problem exists in the first place and “‘what is really going on” (Thexton, 2022).
Transformative adaptation “aims to reduce the root causes of vulnerability to climate change in the long-term by shifting systems away from unsustainable or undesirable trajectories (O’Brien, 2012; Olsson et al., 2014, as cited in Fedele et al, 2019, p. 118). Transformational adaptation is ultimately the solution to sustaining social and ecological systems into the future.
I recommend three incremental strategies to move toward transformational adaptation.
- Be more deliberate about integrating Indigenous worldview in climate risk and vulnerability assessments.
The climate planning sector has made progress on how climate risk assessments are conducted. For example, it is now best practice to consider the vulnerability of populations when ranking the likelihood and consequences of climate impacts. Climate service providers need to expand their criteria even further to explicitly consider the transformational potential of proposed strategies. Their criteria should include the characteristics outlined by Fedele et al., (2019) including “restructuring, path-shifting, innovative, multiscale, systemwide, and persistent” (p. 119) as well as a checklist of Indigenous decision-making principles including Seventh Generation, Honoring Earth, connection to Spirit, among others.
2. Find opportunities to get humans outdoors to put more value on nature.
When we ask ourselves about the real problem, we have to acknowledge the core values behind climate decisions. In a Western culture, the value we put on nature is simply not high enough. As I blogged about in my Dollars vs. Sense post, we need to recognize that our well-being is dependent on a healthy natural environment. We should consider how to raise the respect and dignity of the natural world (Thexton, 2022). This can be done with more outdoor classrooms, holding more gatherings outdoors and listening to more Indigenous storytelling because it is a way to change how people see the problems (Lickers, M., Personal Communication, 15 December 2021).
3. Continue to enlighten our leaders and promote more women into leadership positions.
Politicians and others in climate adaptation decision-making roles need to be empowered to make decisions based on values, their feminist qualities of care and their spirituality. Within the range of plausible climate scenarios, there is still deep uncertainty on the future. This will require that leaders show courage by prioritizing resources based on the values of caring for others and for nature. They need to spend more time understanding Indigenous ways of knowing and honoring spiritual leaders. Leaders need to feel safe to refer to spirituality when communicating the “right thing to do.”
Ultimately, the world needs transformative adaptation to survive the climate crisis. In order to get there, we should start with incremental solutions that are a stepping-stone towards transformational strategies, that are cost-effective, and that encourage a discussion of the root causes of the climate crisis.
What do you think of my recommended incremental adaptation strategies? I would love to hear your feedback. Feel free to contact me at kerra.chomlak@royalroads.ca or on social media.
References
Fedele, G., Donatti, C. I., Harvey, C. A., Hannah, L., & Hole, D. G. (2019). Transformative adaptation to climate change for sustainable social-ecological systems. Environmental Science and Policy, 101, 116–125. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901119305337?via%3Dihub
Pelling, M., O’Brien, K., & Matyas, D. (2015). Adaptation and transformation. Climatic Change, 133, 113- 127. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10584-014-1303-0.pdf
Rev.com. (2021). Barack Obama COP26 Climate Speech Transcript. https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/barack-obama-cop26-climate-speech-transcript
Thexton, T. (2022). CALS504 – Modelling the business case for climate action. May 30 Zoom session. Video. Royal Roads University. Moodle.