Thwarting adaptation’s potential? A critique of resilience and climate-resilient development

Abstract

Over the last two decades, resilience has steadily gained traction in discussions on the theory and practice of adaptation to climate change. The concept is widely considered useful for explaining how coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) resist climate-related stressors or undergo change. At the same time, however, there has been an upswell of critique on resilience and climate-resilient development, stemming most prominently from the quarters of political ecology and geography. This article seeks to contribute to this literature by using the analytical lens of post-politics to critically evaluate resilience and climate-resilient development in a local adaptation context. Four major critiques are lodged against resilience:(1) its inability to sufficiently recognize the large-scale political, economic, and social forces affecting and effecting change, (2) its oversight of the analyzed systems' internal dynamics, (3) the depoliticized, techno-managerial nature of resilience-centered solutions, and (4) the theoretical vagueness of resilience as applied by development actors. The paper presents a grounded critique of the term based on empirical evidence collected through a quasiethnography of a climate change adaptation project implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the national government in São Tomé and Príncipe. It is argued that resilience, despite its theoretical attractiveness and growing popularity among donors, continues to dehumanize development and renders adaptation post-political. The article also discusses alternative, more human-centered approaches rooted in vulnerability and climate justice, which offer a more nuanced understanding of climate impacts and the associated challenges that they pose at the local level.

A systemic approach to resilience and ecological sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic: Human, societal, and ecological health as a system-wide emergent property in the Anthropocene

“…Ecological resilience is defined as the persistence of relationships within a system and the ability of these systems to absorb changes and return to an equilibrium state after a temporary disturbance [ 15 ]. Resilience to climate change disasters refers to the adaptation and recovery from hazards; accordingly, it starts with disaster risk assessment, planning, and reduction [ 16 ].…”

From Multidisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity and from Local to Global Foci: Integrative Approaches to Systemic Resilience Based upon the Value of Life in the Context of Environmental and Gender Vulnerabilities with a Special Focus upon the Brazilian Amazon Biome

“…Resilience to climate change disasters of individuals, communities, organizations, and countries refers to the adaptation and recovering from hazards, and it starts with disaster risk reduction. The concept is widely coupled with the social-ecological systems and their resistance to climate-change adversities and is gaining attention in discussions on the adaptation theory and practice [90]. Resilience is defined as "the adaptability of the individual, who can handle and overcome adversity" in positive psychology [91].…”

Addressing power and scale in resilience programming: A call to engage across funding, delivery and evaluation

“…Resilience's popularity as a buzzword means that it is often used neutrally or apolitically, presented as a normative good, and is thus easily incorporated into funding proposals. Yet, as geographers have long argued, resilience is highly political, and the term has numerous potential meanings (Carr, 2019; Mikulewicz, 2019; Wilson, 2018). Indeed, the ambiguous nature of resilience can obfuscate the ethical dynamics at play in resilience funding and programming (Brown, 2015).…”