sei-db-2013-adaptation-without-borders-23fb5fbd26b85803.pdf

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the concept of indirect climate change impacts—risks that originate outside a country's borders but are transmitted through biophysical, trade, finance, and human pathways. It highlights a systemic lack of attention to these international dimensions in national adaptation planning and proposes the 'Adaptation Without Borders' project to improve conceptual frameworks and evidence bases for decision-makers.

• Indirect climate change impacts are defined as effects observed or expected in one location that are caused by climate change or extreme events in another location. These impacts are transmitted via five primary pathways: biophysical (e.g., transboundary rivers), trade (e.g., supply chain disruptions), finance (e.g., overseas investments), people (e.g., migration and tourism), and the global security context (e.g., conflict in sensitive regions).
• An analysis of National Communications from 25 countries to the UNFCCC reveals that indirect climate impacts are rarely addressed in climate policy discussions. While keywords related to trade and people appeared frequently, they were typically used to describe a country's general economic context rather than its specific climate risk profile, and no specific adaptation measures in response to indirect impacts were mentioned.
• The private sector, particularly multinational companies, is often better equipped to manage transboundary climate risks than the public sector. Data from the CDP Global 500 Climate Change Report 2013 indicates that 83% of 389 respondents report physical risks from climate change, with precipitation extremes and droughts cited as the largest risks. However, a gap exists in supplier awareness; while 90% of respondents identified physical risks, only 45% of their suppliers did.
• A case study of the United Kingdom shows that while the country is a leader in adaptation, its first formal national Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) failed to consider the international dimension of climate risk. A subsequent PwC report found that for certain thematic areas, indirect impacts could be "an order of magnitude" larger than domestic effects, yet the resulting National Adaptation Programme (NAP) only addressed international issues within the business section.
• The 'Adaptation Without Borders' project aims to support decision-makers by introducing a conceptual framework for identifying impacts, reviewing non-conventional assessment methodologies—such as general computable equilibrium modelling and scenario analysis—and analyzing how responsibility for managing indirect impacts should be shared between governments and the private sector.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). sei-db-2013-adaptation-without-borders-23fb5fbd26b85803.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2013-Adaptation-Without-Borders.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. sei-db-2013-adaptation-without-borders-23fb5fbd26b85803.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2013-Adaptation-Without-Borders.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=sei-db-2013-adaptation-without-borders-23fb5fbd26b85803.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2013-Adaptation-Without-Borders.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendseidb2013adaptationwithoutborders23fb5fbd26b85803pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{sei-db-2013-adaptation-without-borders-23fb5fbd26b85803.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2013-Adaptation-Without-Borders.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }