EVALUATING ADAPTATION: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY PROGRESS IN COASTAL CITIES AND REGIONS

The document analyzes adaptation planning across 136 large coastal cities, finding that over 50% lack formal plans and most existing policies fail to align with actual climate risks. It introduces the ARPA and APC frameworks to measure policy alignment and credibility, noting a significant gap between planning and implementation. Furthermore, it highlights a critical lack of outcome-based monitoring and evaluation, with 95% of indicators focusing on outputs. The brief argues for the integration of 'subaltern' knowledge to improve the social legitimacy and effectiveness of urban adaptation.

• A study of the 136 largest coastal cities worldwide revealed that more than 50% do not have adaptation plans in place, with only 59 cities having such policies.
• Analysis of existing adaptation policies indicates that in 50% of cases there was no evidence of implementation, and in nearly 85% of cases, planned actions were not driven by present or future climatic risks.
• The Adaptation Policy Credibility (APC) framework, applied to 59 cities, suggests that urban adaptation planning is generally unlikely to be effective due to deficiencies in financing, regulatory contexts, legitimacy, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of adaptation is severely lacking; of the 59 cities with plans, only 11 listed indicators and metrics, and 95% of those focused on outputs (what is implemented) rather than outcomes (objectives achieved).
• There is a persistent gap between climate science and practical implementation, leading to a recommendation to incorporate 'subaltern' knowledge—including local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge—to enhance the effectiveness and social legitimacy of adaptation actions.
• The ARPA framework was piloted in Copenhagen, Durban, Quito, and Vancouver, demonstrating that while risk issues are often incorporated into planning, a gap remains between that planning and actual implementation.

APA

Olazabal, M., Lewis, W., Venner, K., Aramburu, M. R. D. G., de Murieta, E. S., Goonesekera, S. M., & Galarraga, I. (2023). EVALUATING ADAPTATION: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY PROGRESS IN COASTAL CITIES AND REGIONS. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20230615125423902139299.pdf

Chicago

Olazabal, Marta, William Lewis, Kayin Venner, María Ruiz de Gopegui Aramburu, Elisa Sainz de Murieta, Sascha Mahawelatanne Goonesekera, and Ibon Galarraga. EVALUATING ADAPTATION: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY PROGRESS IN COASTAL CITIES AND REGIONS. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2023. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20230615125423902139299.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{olazabal2023evaluating, author = {Olazabal, Marta and Lewis, William and Venner, Kayin and Aramburu, María Ruiz de Gopegui and de Murieta, Elisa Sainz and Goonesekera, Sascha Mahawelatanne and Galarraga, Ibon}, title = {{EVALUATING ADAPTATION: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY PROGRESS IN COASTAL CITIES AND REGIONS}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20230615125423902139299.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }