Barriers to the implementation of climate change adaptation policies: the case of Switzerland
This article asserts that the implementation of policies for adaptation to climate change is a rare occurrence in developed countries. It examines the extent to which the perceptions of political actors may hinder the development of adaptation policies. The authors examine the case of Switzerland with the help of computer-aided textual analysis. Their research findings show that adaptation is still not perceived as an important aspect of climate change policy. Decision-makers fail to see any links between adaptation, the Swiss economy and the country’s energy supply. Adaptation is mainly considered as an issue for developing countries and not as a means of reducing the impacts of climate change in Switzerland. Right-wing parties tend to consider adaptation as a secondary issue and are more likely to object to the formulation or implementation of public measures for adaptation to climate change than their counterparts on the left.
This is the English translation of : Dupuis J., Knoepfel P. (2011) « Les barrières à la mise en oeuvre des politiques d’adaptation au changement climatique: le cas de la Suisse », Revue Suisse de science politique 17(1) p. 1-32; doi:10.1111/j.1662-6370.2011.02011