Global Imaginaries of Climate Adaptation Governance

This research paper examines how 'imaginaries'—collective visions of desirable futures—influence governance regimes and their approaches to climate adaptation, arguing that these visions often reproduce existing power relations and business-as-usual strategies.

• The study identifies six distinct climate adaptation imaginaries that shape governance: Eco Modern State, Just Adaptation, Promethean (Green) Growth, High Tech Society, Human Stewardship, and Knowledge Society. These imaginaries are based on ethical and ontological beliefs and dictate specific adaptation strategies and stakeholders.
• The authors argue that the lack of adequate adaptation responses is partly caused by how governance actors imagine the future. They find that globally dominant adaptation imaginaries tend to reinforce business-as-usual approaches and existing power structures.
• The research utilized an abductive, qualitative content analysis of academic and grey literature to map globally-influential imaginaries and understand how desired futures are constructed, promulgated, and contested.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). Global Imaginaries of Climate Adaptation Governance. https://www.sei.org/publications/global-imaginaries-climate-adaptation-governance/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Global Imaginaries of Climate Adaptation Governance. 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/global-imaginaries-climate-adaptation-governance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Global Imaginaries of Climate Adaptation Governance |date=23 January 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/global-imaginaries-climate-adaptation-governance/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025global, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Global Imaginaries of Climate Adaptation Governance}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/global-imaginaries-climate-adaptation-governance/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }