Uncertain futures : adapting development to a changing climate.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ensor, Jonathan, 1974-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Climatic changes--Economic aspects.

Climatic changes.

Climatic changes--Government policy.

Physical Description:

x, 108 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Bourton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, UK : Practical Action Pub., [2011]

Summary:

Adaptation to climate change is a new challenge for development policy makers and practitioners. As future weather patterns become increasingly uncertain, communities in the-developing world need to be able to respond and adapt. Uncertain Futures turns the focus of development onto adaptive capacity, through which communities are able to make changes to their lives and livelihoods in response to climate change. The book reflects on unfolding understandings of adaptive capacity and asks: how can local communities access the assets and knowledge they need to cope with climate change? How do their relationships, characterized by power and gender inequalities, prevent them controlling the resources needed for adaptation? How can interventions move beyond the local and specific to promote networks and governance that support vulnerable communities?

The author argues that as greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate, a 'business as usual' approach to development practice is increasingly inadequate and the importance of securing adaptive capacity becomes more urgent. Uncertain Futures examines this challenge, and invites development actors to rethink development policy and practice in terms of how adaptive capacity can be best supported. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Community-based adaptation and development practice 1

Uncertain futures 2

Adaptation unpacked 3

Adaptive capacity and development practice 8

Adapting development 10

2 Understanding adaptive capacity 13

Resilience and adaptation 13

Defining adaptive capacity 15

Resilience thinking 18

Complexity 18

Thresholds and slow variables 19

Adaptive cycles 20

Resilience thinking for adaptive capacity 23

Dealing with complexity 25

Key messages from resilience thinking 28

3 Unpacking adaptive capacity 31

Supporting processes of change 31

Three dimensions of support for adaptive capacity 33

The three dimensions - unpacked 36

Power sharing 36

Knowledge and information 43

Experimentation and testing 46

Supporting adaptive capacity 48

4 Adapting development - in practice 51

Rights-based approaches: lessons for adaptive capacity 51

Lesson 1 participation should be transforming 52

Lesson 2 adaptive capacity is a political issue 54

Lesson 3 the state must be accountable 55

Lesson 4 the law may be a tool for adaptive capacity 56

Consensus building: sharing power and knowledge 58

Participatory Action Plan Development (PAPD) 58

Case study: PAPD in the Bangladesh charlands 63

Pathways to power sharing 68

Participatory technology development: experimentation and testing in practice 74

Case study: participatory technology development in Zimbabwe 76

Power-sharing approaches and PTD 79

Adapting development practice 81

5 Uncertain futures 85

Livelihood transitions and transformations 87

Living in the future 89

Adapting development 95.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [97]-103) and index.

ISBN:

1853397202

9781853397202

OCLC:

698332248