A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change

Abstract

A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate changeAssessing global progress on human adaptation to climate change is an urgent priority. Although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation. We systematically screened >48,000 articles using machine learning methods and a global network of 126 researchers. Our synthesis of the resulting 1,682 articles presents a systematic and comprehensive global stocktake of implemented human adaptation to climate change. Documented adaptations were largely fragmented, local and incremental, with limited evidence of transformational adaptation and negligible evidence of risk reduction outcomes. We identify eight priorities for global adaptation research: assess the effectiveness of adaptation responses, enhance the understanding of limits to adaptation, enable individuals and civil society to adapt, include missing places, scholars and scholarship, understand private sector responses, improve methods for synthesizing different forms of evidence, assess the adaptation at different temperature thresholds, and improve the inclusion of timescale and the dynamics of responses.

Risk Management and Adaptation for Extremes and Abrupt Changes in Climate and Oceans: Current Knowledge Gaps

“…The number of concrete case studies that implement transformation processes is increasing. A recent systematic global stocktake reveals evidence on human adaptation action to climate change in a broad range of examples (Berrang-Ford et al, 2021). The >48,000 articles systematically screened and 1,682 articles analysed documented that although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation.…”

“…To further advance know-how about resilience building, much greater focus will be needed on the "how" of resilience. This, in turn, will require new framings of, and approaches for, community resilience and new framings of research, knowledge and knowing (Berrang-Ford et al, 2021;Bruno et al, 2021;Fazey et al, 2021;Mallette et al, 2021;Porto de Albuquerque et al, 2021).…”

Surveying the Surveyors to Address Risk Perception and Adaptive Behaviour Cross-study Comparability

“…The reasons are manifold, including our initial focus on researchers based in Europe. However, as risk perception, behaviour and adaptation are locally embedded practices and social, institutional and cultural factors play a key role in driving or hindering adaptation behaviour (Berrang-Ford et al, 2021), more comparative research is necessary. The issue is -for example -when a study in Italy says that gender has an effect on perceptions while one in Romania says that it is not gender but age.…”

Tradeoffs and Synergies Across Global Climate Change Adaptations in the Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus

“…Numerous studies have showcased adaptation progress (Araos et al., 2016; Canosa et al., 2020; Gagnon‐Lebrun & Agrawala, 2007; Robinson, 2018), policy insights (Biesbroek & Delaney, 2020; England et al., 2018; Ulibarri et al., 2022), and best practices for climate adaptation within various regions or sectors. To strengthen this progress, the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative (GAMI) brought together a network of 126 experts in adaptation research to build the first‐ever global stocktake of adaptation responses (Berrang‐Ford et al., 2021). These scholars applied machine learning and human screening techniques to systematically screen over 48,000 articles between 2013 and 2019 in Web of Science, Scopus, and MEDLINE for documented evidence of adaptation responses by humans published in scientific literature.…”