Rethinking the Limits of Climate Change Adaptation

This paper considers the potential extent of adaptation to sea level rise by examining the adaptation of communities in low-lying Philippine islands that flood during spring tides. Sea level rise poses a serious threat to small island developing states. Although communities at risk are already implementing various strategies to address it, a lack of case studies prevents them from understanding the potential extent of adaptation. This paper tackles this gap by examining the case of low-lying islands in the Philippines that become flooded during spring tides as a result of earthquake-induced land subsidence. Its findings show that, while development problems constrain communities’ adaptive capacity, people’s outlook on their future may ultimately determine the limits of adaptation

Dam(n) seawalls: a case of climate change maladaptation in Fiji

Coastal communities in Pacific Island Countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, tidal inundation, and the intensification of storm surge activity. In response, adaptation projects across the region have attempted to reduce exposure and overall vulnerability to these coastal pressures. This paper explores what happens once these projects reach communities: are effective and sustainable outcomes achieved, or can the implementation of adaptation projects lead to unintended negative outcomes and result in maladaptation? This paper investigates this issue in relation to two seawall projects implemented in communities on Vanua Levu Island, Fiji. We found that the seawalls have not been successful in achieving their primary aim of safeguarding communities against coastal pressures and have instead resulted in unanticipated negative outcomes for land and livelihood security. Of primary concern is the way that seawalls trap water along their landward sides—acting more like a dam—because of the ineffective design and construction of the seawalls and associated infrastructure. This paper concludes with a call to think more long-term about site-specific adaptation measures that actively involve and are driven by local perspectives in the planning, implementation, and maintenance process