Social Justice and Adaptation in the UK

The paper examines how climate vulnerability in the UK is concentrated among disadvantaged and socially marginalized groups, such as those on low incomes, particularly regarding high temperatures and flooding. It warns that adaptation efforts relying on market forces or ignoring social vulnerability may lead to maladaptation, reinforcing existing inequalities.

• Vulnerability to high temperatures as well as fluvial and coastal flooding—specifically regarding sensitivity, exposure, and the ability to anticipate, respond, and recover—is concentrated among socially marginalized and disadvantaged groups, including low-income individuals.
• Both planned and autonomous adaptation may fail to protect the most vulnerable or may cause maladaptation by reinforcing existing vulnerability patterns, particularly when these strategies depend on unmediated market forces or ignore social vulnerability during design and implementation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). Social Justice and Adaptation in the UK. https://www.sei.org/publications/social-justice-and-adaptation-in-the-uk/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Social Justice and Adaptation in the UK. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/social-justice-and-adaptation-in-the-uk/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Social Justice and Adaptation in the UK |date=17 March 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/social-justice-and-adaptation-in-the-uk/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014social, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Social Justice and Adaptation in the UK}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/social-justice-and-adaptation-in-the-uk/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }