Everyday adaptation, interrupted agency and beyond: examining the interplay between formal and everyday climate change adaptations

Ecology and Society: a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability

article

Lily S. Lindegaard¹  Le T. H. Sen² 

[1] Danish Institute for International Studies;Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry

关键词: adaptation;    agency;    agriculture;    climate change;    coastal management;    everyday;    governance;    Vietnam;    water management;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ES-13610-270442

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

Climate change is increasingly widespread and intense. In response, formal adaptation efforts are gaining momentumand financing globally, while those affected address felt changes through a variety of everyday adaptations, the aggregate daily practicesarticulated in response to ongoing social-ecological change. Our research examined the interplay between formal and everydayadaptations in practice. Specifically, we sought to shed light on the tendency emerging in adaptation literature of what we term interruptedagency, where formal adaptation interventions interrupt everyday adaptation strategies—and agency—of local actors, potentiallyleading to maladaptation. We did so in North Central Vietnam, where climate change is disrupting lives and livelihoods, and numerousformal and everyday adaptation measures are being implemented in response. We examined three key climate-affected sectors,agriculture, water management, and coastal management, drawing on existing literature as well as interviews and document and policyreview. We found that differences in formal and everyday adaptations can indeed lead to interrupted agency yet, in some instances, alsosupport complementarities and even transformative change. Such outcomes required dialogue and pluralistic input to adaptationrelated policy, practice, and decision-making, underlining the importance of attention to participation, representation, and influencein decision-making in adaptation efforts. Our exploration of the concepts of everyday adaptation and interrupted agency illustratesthat these can valuably contribute to adaptation literature, particularly on the politics of adaptation.

【 授权许可】

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