The politics of climate change adaptation: taking stock of academic and practitioner experiences

This report summarizes key outputs from the two-day conference “The politics of climate change adaptation: Taking stock of academic and practitioner experiences” held at the University of Life Sciences in Ås, in October 2014. It outlines key messages emerged from the conference, relevant to academics as well as practitioners working within the field of climate change adaptation.

The conference aimed at examining findings from a recent research project (“The politics of climate change adaptation: Exploring the interactions of climate and development interventions in Mongolia and Nepal”, 2011-2014) in a broader empirical, theoretical and policy context, and convened a mixed group of academics, practitioners and students from a wide variety of countries to share knowledge and experiences about the political facets of climate change adaptation.

Discussions drawing on empirical findings from Mexico, Nepal, Mongolia, Mali and Norway as well as a panel debate with practitioners shed light on the multifaceted nature of adaptation processes. The presentations and discussions illustrated how adaptation is influenced by political dynamics related to particular development interests, power struggles and inequities at global, national and local levels.