A new study published in the scientific journal, Nature Climate Change, provides the first global analysis of actors engaged in climate adaptation and their roles. The study reveals a critical issue, that systematic networking of various actor groups has generally been insufficient.

An international team of scientists assessed more than 1,400 scientific studies on climate change adaptation. The team included Professor of Environmental Geography at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Donovan Campbell, who is named as a co-author of the published paper.  

The results show that, across the globe, there are many gaps in the distribution of roles and responsibilities for adaptation. Spotlighted above all—the lack of adaptation that profoundly transforms societies, lack of infrastructure, lack of risk management to address the massive impacts of climate change, and the lack of comprehensive collaborations between various state and non-state actors.

According to Professor Campbell, “The findings underscore a deeply concerning global trend: despite the clear and present dangers of the escalating climate crisis, adaptation efforts remain fragmented and largely uncoordinated. This disjointed approach is particularly worrisome given the undue burden placed on affected individuals and households, especially in regions like the Caribbean, to shoulder the primary responsibility of adaptation. The study emphasies the urgency for a shift towards more integrated, collaborative, and inclusive adaptation strategies that leave no one behind.”

The journal article drives home the realisation that climate change adaptation is urgent, and points out that the recent Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the need to identify “who needs to take what actions and when in order that transformations unfold at sufficient speed and scale to meet the Paris, SDG and other policy goals.”

Photo caption: Donovan Campbell, Professor of Environmental Geography, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, Mona.

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