Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Experience across many countries indicates that there are neither perfect nor superior institutional arrangements for successful climate change adaptation. In many instances, their dynamics are poorly understood and documented. Small island developing states (SIDS), which are 58 countries spread across three main geographic regions, are acknowledged as being disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As a result, successful adaptation is a critical component of sustainable development in these countries as are the successful design, implementation and management of the institutional arrangements for adaptation. In this paper, we use six case study countries in the Atlantic, Indian Oceans, Mediterranean and South China Seas region – Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Singapore – to investigate the dynamics of these arrangements at the national level. We qualitatively analyse relevant academic studies, representative adaptation policies, and semi-structured interviews with 12 national and international climate change officials and practitioners across the region. We find that there are a few strategic actors involved in multiple, mutually-reinforcing and sometimes conflicting arrangements, which are simultaneously being shaped and reshaped at the subnational, national, regional and international scales. We also find varying patterns of power, politics and participation that act as both drivers of and barriers to adaptation in these countries. By presenting lessons for cross-regional learning, this paper contributes to a broader understanding of the complexities of environmental governance, and promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the human dimensions of global environmental change.