Synergies and trade-offs between adaptation, mitigation and development

Thornton, Thomas F.; Comberti, Claudia

doi:10.1007/s10584-013-0884-3

Cited by 66 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Yet synergies and tradeoffs between agri-food systems, climate change responses and development are interconnected and complex. Detailed knowledge of local social-ecological contexts and transformational processes (Thornton & Comberti, 2013) affecting the implementation of adaptation and mitigation practices within agrarian societies is limited. Studies emphasized that the context and scale of synergies and trade-offs affect the outcomes of CSA.…”

Section: What Are Climate-smart Practices and Technologies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-smart agriculture: perspectives and framings

2017

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This paper offers a systematic analysis of the concepts and contexts that frame the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) discourse in the academic and policy literature. Documents (n = 113) related to CSA and published in peer-reviewed journals, books, working papers, and scientific reports from 2004 to 2016 were reviewed. Three key trends emerged from the analysis: studies are biased towards global policy agendas; research focuses on scientific and technical issues; and the integration of mitigation, adaptation, and food security (the three pillars of CSA) is becoming a popular scholarly solution. Findings suggest that CSA is a fairly new concept used to describe a range of adaptation and mitigation practices without a specific set of criteria. Although CSA is often framed around the three pillars, the underlying issues constructing the discourse differ at global, developing, and developed country scales. Although there is increasing research on developing countries, particularly in relation to how CSA can transform smallholder agriculture, there is a paucity of research documenting the experiences from developed countries. The findings suggest that research on CSA needs to move beyond solely focussing on scientific approaches and only in certain geographical contexts. If CSA is to be applicable for farmers across the globe, then cross-disciplinary research that is underpinned by broad socio-economic and political contexts is essential to understand how differences in narratives might affect implementation on-theground in both developing and developed countries. Policy relevanceAlthough policy makers are increasingly supportive of the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach, the rhetoric has largely been developed on the basis of scientific and technical arguments. The political implications of varying perspectives have resulted in a growing divide between how developing and developed countries frame solutions to the impacts of climate change on agriculture under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Different framings are part of the explanation for why the scope of CSA is being rethought, with the scientific community redirecting attention to seeking a separate work programme under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The current policy framing of CSA will give no new policy direction unless it grounds itself in the smallholder farmer and civil society contexts. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: What Are Climate-smart Practices and Technologies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-smart agriculture: perspectives and framings

2017

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“…This approach may also be appropriate for remote central Australia where strategies to 'close the gap' between Indigenous disadvantage and mainstream Australians could complement strategies for improved energy affordability and efficiency. While access to an adequate supply of energy has been identified as a requirement to alleviate poverty and foster development for developing countries (UNDP, 2007), some authors also argue the need to synchronise adaptation, mitigation and development strategies to ensure sustainable 'green' growth (Thornton & Comberti, 2013). Understanding the demographic heterogeneity of communities living in remote towns and small settlements of central Australia is important (e.g.…”

Section: Discussion: Sustainable Adaptation To Hot Periods In Centralmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This 'mitigation-adaptation disconnect', as termed by Thornton and Comberti (2013), can result from an unplanned, reactive and opportunistic response to climate change. The vulnerabilities of remote Aboriginal communities may lead to path dependency or create 'lock-in' effects that can severely constrain the choice of adaptation options (see Wilson, 2014), with this likely to be a risk for communities in 'very remote' locations in the absence of thoughtful planning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Australian Aboriginal Communities Adapting to a Warmer Climate? A Study of Communities Living in Semi-Arid Australia

Race¹,

Mathew²,

Campbell³

et al. 2016

JSD

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Communities around the world adapt to warming climates in a number of ways. Adaptations can often be energy intensive or dependent on expensive infrastructure to cope with harsh weather, so the use of renewable energy and energy efficient housing is becoming an increasing feature in conversations about climate change adaptation. The cost of energy for households continues to increase, with this cost adding considerable financial pressure on low-income households in both developed and developing countries. The concept of 'energy poverty' is gaining utility around the world to highlight the prevalent dilemma faced by low-income households that they cannot afford the level of energy use to maintain their desired livelihood. In regions of the world with extended periods of extreme weather, households can allocate as much as 20 per cent of their budget on energy consumption to maintain comfortable housing. Research by the authors indicates that effective adaptation must not add to the financial burden on low-income households, if the liveability of Australia's semi-arid region is to be sustained.

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“…Following a definition of Thornton and Comberti (2013), adaptation consists of set of processes unfolding in response to a host of social and environmental forces operating over local, regional, national, international and planetary scales. Based on this, adaptive capacity is "the ability for human groups to successfully adjust to actual or expected environmental changes (especially climate change impacts) and their effects.…”

Section: Defining Mitigation and Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thornton and Comberti (2013) define these as situations where "proactive mitigation policies at one level fail to connect or synergise with adaptation processes at another, and may even work at cross-purposes to planned or autonomous processes of adaptation that are working at other levels and scales." As a strong body of literature shows, there are added benefits when mitigation and adaptation are considered jointly (∫(M,A)) rather than as an afterthought (M → A and A → M).…”

Section: An Adaptation-mitigation Disconnectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigation & Adaptation Synergies in the NDCs

2017

TemaNord

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Synergies and trade-offs between adaptation, mitigation and development

Cited by 66 publications

References 35 publications

Climate-smart agriculture: perspectives and framings

Climate-smart agriculture: perspectives and framings

Are Australian Aboriginal Communities Adapting to a Warmer Climate? A Study of Communities Living in Semi-Arid Australia

Mitigation & Adaptation Synergies in the NDCs

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