“Mainstreaming”

The document examines the tension between 'mainstreaming' climate change adaptation—integrating it into development, business, and other policy sectors—and treating it as a specialized 'silo' of expertise. Drawing on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, it argues that neither approach is inherently superior; rather, the choice depends on the specific purpose and context. While mainstreaming promotes resource efficiency and policy coherence (particularly regarding poverty reduction), the author notes that it can make adaptation progress invisible, complicating monitoring, evaluation, and the tracking of earmarked finance. The brief highlights the expansion of mainstreaming into business operations and city planning, while recommending a pragmatic approach that recognizes the value of both integrated and stand-alone adaptation efforts.

• The definition of 'mainstreaming' adaptation has expanded from its original focus on integrating adaptation into development policy to include other policy areas and the business sector.
• There is a functional tension between the 'adaptation silo'—which provides the specialized knowledge needed for complex problems—and 'mainstreaming', which allows for interdisciplinary implementation and resource efficiency.
• Mainstreaming is critical for achieving synergies between climate adaptation and poverty reduction, although maintaining separate budget lines for development and adaptation finance remains a practical challenge due to equity concerns.
• Mainstreaming adaptation into business involves a variety of interpretations, ranging from treating 'climate proofing' as an added cost to viewing the anticipation of future impacts as a way to avoid future costs.
• A significant risk of mainstreaming is that it can render adaptation efforts invisible, which hinders accountability in financing and the ability to monitor and evaluate results.
• The document identifies specific examples of mainstreaming in practice, including the World Bank's International Development Association screening projects for climate risk and the 'rainproof' flood management collaboration between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
• Failure to implement early mainstreaming can lead to uncoordinated efforts; for example, Samoa experienced parallel, uncoordinated climate projects, leading to the creation of a Climate Resilience Investment Coordination Unit via the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

APA

Siebert, C. K. (2017). “Mainstreaming”. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/AF-DB-2017-Mainstreaming-adaptation.pdf

Chicago

Siebert, Clarisse Kehler. “Mainstreaming”. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/AF-DB-2017-Mainstreaming-adaptation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Siebert |first1=Clarisse Kehler |title=“Mainstreaming” |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2017 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/AF-DB-2017-Mainstreaming-adaptation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{siebert2017mainstreaming, author = {Siebert, Clarisse Kehler}, title = {{“Mainstreaming”}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/AF-DB-2017-Mainstreaming-adaptation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }