Limits to Adaptation

The commentary argues that while biophysical limits to adaptation are well-documented in ecological systems, there is a critical lack of knowledge regarding limits within social systems. It asserts that if adaptation capacities are finite for households, businesses, or governments, breaching these limits will lead to escalating losses or necessitate transformational change, thereby reinforcing the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• While adaptation limits are clearly identified for ecological systems, such as species extinctions, there is limited understanding of social limits to adaptation, including their likelihood, location, affected parties, and consequences.
• The capacity for social actors—including governments, businesses, and individual households—to adapt may be finite; exceeding these limits results in either transformational change or increasing losses.
• The existence of adaptation limits serves as a key rationale for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as unlimited adaptation capacity would shift the focus primarily toward equity and cost-benefit analyses.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). Limits to Adaptation. https://www.sei.org/publications/limits-to-adaptation/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Limits to Adaptation. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/limits-to-adaptation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Limits to Adaptation |date=26 March 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/limits-to-adaptation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013limits, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Limits to Adaptation}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/limits-to-adaptation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }