Framing adaptation in the Victorian context: synthesis report

This synthesis report provides a summary of the research activity and conveys the key findings arising from the 18 month ‘Framing Adaptation in the Victorian Context’ project undertaken between 2010 and 2012. Due to the complex nature of climate change adaptation, the original research program was designed to better understand the conceptual underpinnings of adaptation and then to translate this academic knowledge into ‘accessible’ content that could be more effectively used by those responsible for local adaptation planning - in essence, to ‘develop and test an operational framing of adaptation which will act as a decision-making roadmap to better inform adaptation policy and practice by Victorian authorities at the local and regional levels’.The analysis on framing was sub-divided into three discrete, though complementary and overlapping, research activities, to better understand different aspects of climate change adaptation in the Victorian context:1) The development of an overarching framework that illuminates and makes sense of the many different components that influence local adaptation processes;2) The framing of current and future climate-related impacts, and adaptation, as viewed through an economic lens; and3) A bottom-up analysis of adaptation, with a particular focus on the adaptive capacity of individuals and communities, as captured by a social narrative approach.Due to the context specific nature of adaptation (influenced by both the climate-related hazard and local vulnerability) the research activity on framing was intentionally grounded in real world situations through direct engagement with a portfolio of case studies including Greater Bendigo, City of Melbourne, Greater Geelong, and Port Fairy. Therefore whilst the research findings will be of generic interest to a wide range of end-users, the focus for this particular project was on the co-generation of new knowledge with local authorities. The economic analysis was based on climate-related events that have impacted the State in the recent past.Additional papers from the \u27Framing Adaptation in the Victorian Context\u27 project can be found here

The Significance of Adaptation Framing in Local and Regional Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives in Australia

A number of commonly used approaches have emerged in local climate change adaptation planning, which can be considered as different ways of framing the meaning and purpose of adaptation. The significance of framing in adaptation planning is to date largely unexplored in adaptation research and practice. Yet both social and institutional drivers of adaptation framing can set the course for adaption planning for local or regional governments. This chapter examines the concept and social drivers of explicit and implicit adaptation framing and also draws on the relevant findings from 20 regional and local adaptation projects and initiatives across a wide range of sectors, scales and locations in Australia. The results from this analysis confirm the significance of transparent adaptation framing for effective project scoping. In particular, they point to the likelihood of needing to adjust the project scope throughout the lifespan of an adaptation initiative as the underpinning frames change, and additional climate change implications, as well as non-climatic factors influencing the project, emerge. Building on these findings, future studies into the framing of local adaptation processes can further contribute to both adaptation theory and practice