To effectively adapt and keep pace with the rising impacts of climate change we cannot maintain business-as-usual. However, a range of barriers, path dependencies and self-reinforcing ‘lock-in’ dynamics are impeding efforts to adapt and are proving difficult to change. While ‘carbon lock-ins’ have increasingly been studied in climate mitigation, this conference turns the spotlight towards the lock-ins restricting climate adaptation and seeks to understand how these play out across different policy sectors and countries. Only by understanding these can we identify strategies for ‘unlocking’ opportunities for transformative change.

The conference will bridge the gap between research and practice as we collectively try to accelerate adaptation to climate change. This will be a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, experiences and best practices across countries and policy sectors, such as flood & coastal erosion risk management, biodiversity, forestry, water and health. Our speakers have been invited based on their established expertise in these areas.

Themes

• Examining the adaptation gap through the lens of lock-ins

• Adapting our coastlines – barriers, lock-in dynamics and opportunities for transformative change

• Human health under extremes

• Confronting the ‘jaws of death’ in water resource management

• Addressing the nature crisis – Adapting for nature and adapting with nature

• Closing the adaptation gap – Next steps and unlocking opportunities

The conference will take place over 2 days but you are free to come in and out of the sessions of your choice. An overview of the conference programme is available HERE.

Attendees – The conference will bring together academics, practitioners and policymakers across countries. Diversity is at the heart of this conference as we strive to represent different policy sectors, types of expertise and experiences across countries, to facilitate knowledge exchange and accelerate adaptation action.

Desired outcome and impact – Through interactive discussions and critical debates we will co-produce a series of actions and recommendations for overcoming the barriers and lock-in dynamics that continue to hinder adaptation efforts, while highlighting opportunities for transformative change. These recommendations will be published in a short policy brief that will be made available to all. Collectively, we will contribute to the growing international conversation and calls for action emerging from, among others, the IPCC, the Climate Adaptation Summit, the Global Commission on Adaptation and UNFCCC COP26.

Closing the Climate Adaptation Gap and Unlocking Transformative Change