Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation: The Importance of Framing

Abstract

In the Australian policy context, there has recently been a discernible shift in the discourse used when considering responses to the impacts of current weather extremes and future climate change. Commonly used terminology, such as climate change impacts and vulnerability, is now being increasingly replaced by a preference for language with more positive connotations as represented by resilience and a focus on the ‘strengthening’ of local communities. However, although this contemporary shift in emphasis has largely political roots, the scientific conceptual underpinning for resilience, and its relationship with climate change action, remains contested. To contribute to this debate, the authors argue that how adaptation is framed—in this case by the notion of resilience—can have an important influence on agenda setting, on the subsequent adaptation pathways that are pursued and on eventual adaptation outcomes. Drawing from multi-disciplinary adaptation research carried out in three urban case studies in the State of Victoria, Australia (‘Framing multi-level and multi-actor adaptation responses in the Victorian context’, funded by the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research (2010–2012)), this article is structured according to three main discussion points. Firstly, the importance of being explicit when framing adaptation; secondly, this study reflects on how resilience is emerging as part of adaptation discourse and narratives in different scientific, research and policy-making communities; and finally, the authors reflect on the implications of resilience framing for evolving adaptation policy and practice.

Keywords:

• climate change
• adaptation planning
• framing
• narratives
• institutions

Notes

¹ In addition to Rittel and Weber's (1973) characteristics of wicked problems, ‘super-wicked problems’ are characterized by the fact that time for action is running out that there is no central governing authority to solve the problem and that those seeking to solve the problem are also causing it.

² One illustration of this psyche is provided by the analysis of drought and the future of rural communities in the State of Victoria (Kiem et al., 2010).