IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v155y2019i4d10.1007_s10584-019-02484-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Barriers and drivers to adaptation to climate change—a field study of ten French local authorities

Author

Listed:
  • Guillaume Simonet

    (Université de Toulouse Jean Jaurès)

  • Alexia Leseur

    (Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE))

Abstract

Local authorities are intensifying efforts to design climate policy that includes effective climate change adaptation. However, the translation of policy into effective actions that transform territories faces barriers, and is proving to be a true challenge. Through the findings of 2 years of field research (ABSTRACT-colurba project), based on the study of ten French local authorities, this paper discusses the main barriers that decision-makers are confronted with, and the drivers by which they may succeed or which could trigger more efficient actions at the local level. Once again, this study confirms that barriers are mainly reported at the resource, governance, and awareness levels. Thus, the reduction of subsidies from national government, the priority given to economic criteria and the lack of awareness of climate issues are among the main barriers. Potential and successful drivers are mainly reported at the organisational level. Indeed, the necessity to reorganise the way local public institutions are working to implement climate policy is highlighted as an important lever to overcome certain obstacles. We conclude that research on barriers and drivers to climate change adaptation is essential to better understand why efforts are so slow to take into consideration the obvious acceleration of the manifestations of climate change. But we also recommend focusing on the human factors involved into the decision-making processes, at the collective (organisational) as well as the individual (perception) level, to better relate the findings to stakeholders and to find ways to integrate them into action-research projects in order to accelerate an urgent transformation of urban systems into sustainable systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillaume Simonet & Alexia Leseur, 2019. "Barriers and drivers to adaptation to climate change—a field study of ten French local authorities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 621-637, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:155:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10584-019-02484-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-019-02484-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-019-02484-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-019-02484-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Benjamin Preston & Richard Westaway & Emma Yuen, 2011. "Climate adaptation planning in practice: an evaluation of adaptation plans from three developed nations," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 407-438, April.
    2. Thomas Measham & Benjamin Preston & Timothy Smith & Cassandra Brooke & Russell Gorddard & Geoff Withycombe & Craig Morrison, 2011. "Adapting to climate change through local municipal planning: barriers and challenges," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 889-909, December.
    3. Thomas G Measham & Benjamin L Preston & Cassandra Brooke & Tim F Smith & Craig Morrison & Geoff Withycombe & Russell Gorddard, 2010. "Adapting to Climate Change Through Local Municipal Planning: Barriers and Opportunities," Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED) Working Paper Series 2010-05, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
    4. Cecilia Matasci & Sylvia Kruse & Nico Barawid & Philippe Thalmann, 2014. "Exploring barriers to climate change adaptation in the Swiss tourism sector," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 19(8), pages 1239-1254, December.
    5. Stephen R. Dovers & Adnan A. Hezri, 2010. "Institutions and policy processes: the means to the ends of adaptation," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 1(2), pages 212-231, March.
    6. Thomas Wilbanks & Jayant Sathaye, 2007. "Integrating mitigation and adaptation as responses to climate change: a synthesis," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 12(5), pages 957-962, June.
    7. Alexandra Lesnikowski & James Ford & Robbert Biesbroek & Lea Berrang-Ford & S. Jody Heymann, 2016. "National-level progress on adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(3), pages 261-264, March.
    8. Roger Pielke & Gwyn Prins & Steve Rayner & Daniel Sarewitz, 2007. "Lifting the taboo on adaptation," Nature, Nature, vol. 445(7128), pages 597-598, February.
    9. Klaus Eisenack & Susanne C. Moser & Esther Hoffmann & Richard J. T. Klein & Christoph Oberlack & Anna Pechan & Maja Rotter & Catrien J. A. M. Termeer, 2014. "Explaining and overcoming barriers to climate change adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(10), pages 867-872, October.
    10. Frans Berkhout, 2012. "Adaptation to climate change by organizations," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(1), pages 91-106, January.
    11. W Neil Adger & Jon Barnett, 2009. "Four Reasons for Concern about Adaptation to Climate Change," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(12), pages 2800-2805, December.
    12. Christoph Oberlack, 2017. "Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 805-838, June.
    13. Diana Reckien & Johannes Flacke & Marta Olazabal & Oliver Heidrich, 2015. "The Influence of Drivers and Barriers on Urban Adaptation and Mitigation Plans—An Empirical Analysis of European Cities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.
    14. Richard C. Stedman, 2004. "Risk and Climate Change: Perceptions of Key Policy Actors in Canada," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(5), pages 1395-1406, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Maria Juschten & Florian Reinwald & Roswitha Weichselbaumer & Alexandra Jiricka-Pürrer, 2021. "Developing an Integrative Theoretical Framework for Climate Proofing Spatial Planning across Sectors, Policy Levels, and Planning Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Gilles Desthieux & Florent Joerin, 2022. "Urban planning in Swiss cities has been slow to think about climate change: why and what to do?," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(4), pages 692-713, December.
    3. Sandra Fatorić & Robbert Biesbroek, 2020. "Adapting cultural heritage to climate change impacts in the Netherlands: barriers, interdependencies, and strategies for overcoming them," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 301-320, September.
    4. Christopher Nathan & Keith Hyams, 2022. "Global policymakers and catastrophic risk," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(1), pages 3-21, March.
    5. Evan Mallen & Heather A. Joseph & Megan McLaughlin & Dorette Quintana English & Carmen Olmedo & Matt Roach & Carmen Tirdea & Jason Vargo & Matt Wolff & Emily York, 2022. "Overcoming Barriers to Successful Climate and Health Adaptation Practice: Notes from the Field," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-19, June.
    6. Lan Mu & Lan Fang & Yuhong Liu & Chencheng Wang, 2020. "Identifying Barriers and Enablers for Climate Change Adaptation of Farmers in Semi-Arid North-Western China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anthony Charles Milordis & William Hale Butler & Tisha Joseph Holmes, 2023. "What is slowing progress on climate change adaptation? Evaluating barriers to planning for sea level rise in Florida," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 28(8), pages 1-26, December.
    2. James Ford & Diana King, 2015. "A framework for examining adaptation readiness," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 505-526, April.
    3. Stephanie L. Barr & Christopher J. Lemieux, 2021. "Assessing organizational readiness to adapt to climate change in a regional protected areas context: lessons learned from Canada," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Stephanie E. Austin & Robbert Biesbroek & Lea Berrang-Ford & James D. Ford & Stephen Parker & Manon D. Fleury, 2016. "Public Health Adaptation to Climate Change in OECD Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-20, September.
    5. Qiao Hu & Zhenghong Tang & Lei Zhang & Yuanyuan Xu & Xiaolin Wu & Ligang Zhang, 2018. "Evaluating climate change adaptation efforts on the US 50 states’ hazard mitigation plans," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 92(2), pages 783-804, June.
    6. Saatvika Rai, 2020. "Policy Adoption and Policy Intensity: Emergence of Climate Adaptation Planning in U.S. States," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(4), pages 444-463, July.
    7. Schneider, Philipp & Walz, Ariane & Albert, Christian & Lipp, Torsten, 2021. "Ecosystem-based adaptation in cities: Use of formal and informal planning instruments," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    8. Gül Aktürk & Ahmadreza Shirvani Dastgerdi, 2021. "Cultural Landscapes under the Threat of Climate Change: A Systematic Study of Barriers to Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    9. Leonardo Zea-Reyes & Veronica Olivotto & Sylvia I. Bergh, 2021. "Understanding institutional barriers in the climate change adaptation planning process of the city of Beirut: vicious cycles and opportunities," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 1-24, August.
    10. Heuson, Clemens & Gawel, Erik & Gebhardt, Oliver & Hansjürgens, Bernd & Lehmann, Paul & Meyer, Volker & Schwarze, Reimund, 2012. "Ökonomische Grundfragen der Klimaanpassung: Umrisse eines neuen Forschungsprogramms," UFZ Reports 02/2012, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ).
    11. Heuson, Clemens & Gawel, Erik & Gebhardt, Oliver & Hansjürgens, Bernd & Lehmann, Paul & Meyer, Volker & Schwarze, Reimund, 2012. "Fundamental questions on the economics of climate adaptation: Outlines of a new research programme," UFZ Reports 05/2012, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ).
    12. S. H. A. Koop & L. Koetsier & A. Doornhof & O. Reinstra & C. J. Van Leeuwen & S. Brouwer & C. Dieperink & P. P. J. Driessen, 2017. "Assessing the Governance Capacity of Cities to Address Challenges of Water, Waste, and Climate Change," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(11), pages 3427-3443, September.
    13. Alexandra Lesnikowski & James Ford & Lea Berrang-Ford & Magda Barrera & Jody Heymann, 2015. "How are we adapting to climate change? A global assessment," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 277-293, February.
    14. Ashma Vaidya & Audrey L. Mayer, 2016. "Critical Review of the Millennium Project in Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-23, October.
    15. James D Ford & Jolène Labbé & Melanie Flynn & Malcolm Araos, 2017. "Readiness for climate change adaptation in the Arctic: a case study from Nunavut, Canada," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 85-100, November.
    16. Jo-Ting Huang-Lachmann & Edeltraud Guenther, 2020. "From Dichotomy to an Integrated Approach: Cities’ Benefits of Integrating Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-17, September.
    17. Thomas Bausch & Karin Koziol, 2020. "New Policy Approaches for Increasing Response to Climate Change in Small Rural Municipalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, March.
    18. Xinyu Fu & Bowen Sun & Kathryn Frank & Zhong-Ren Peng, 2019. "Evaluating sea-level rise vulnerability assessments in the USA," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 393-415, August.
    19. Sandra Fatorić & Robbert Biesbroek, 2020. "Adapting cultural heritage to climate change impacts in the Netherlands: barriers, interdependencies, and strategies for overcoming them," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 301-320, September.
    20. Steven Koop & Fabian Monteiro Gomes & Laura Schoot & Carel Dieperink & Peter Driessen & Kees Van Leeuwen, 2018. "Assessing the Capacity to Govern Flood Risk in Cities and the Role of Contextual Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:155:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10584-019-02484-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.