Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities

The document outlines the transition of climate adaptation research from descriptive impact assessments to a fourth generation focused on acceleration and implementation. Drawing on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, it proposes research priorities across five key messages: managing interconnected risks, fostering diverse partnerships, engaging the private sector, reinforcing the link between research 'on' and 'for' adaptation, and shifting monitoring from process to progress.

• Adaptation research has evolved through four distinct generations: first-generation focused on 'resistance and description', second-generation on 'acceptance and norms', third-generation on 'progress and policy', and the current fourth-generation on 'acceleration and implementation'.
• There is an urgent need for adaptation to be more radical and experimental because risks are being created faster than they are being reduced, necessitating research into transboundary solutions and the limits of adaptation.
• Effective adaptation requires breaking down 'silos' between adaptation experts, other policy domains (such as poverty eradication and disaster risk reduction), and the practitioners who implement actions on the ground.
• The private sector is a critical but underutilized actor in adaptation; research is needed to create a 'business case' for adaptation and to develop metrics that express results in terms of costs, risks, and benefits.
• A reinforcing dynamic is needed between 'research for adaptation' (decision-driven engagement with decision-makers) and 'research on adaptation' (studying the processes and outcomes of adaptation decisions).
• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks must shift from measuring process (monitoring and reporting) to measuring progress (monitoring and learning), with a specific focus on avoiding maladaptation.
• Survey results from adaptation 'champions' indicate that cities and infrastructure are the highest research priorities, while institutions, governance, and public health are perceived as underemphasized gaps.

APA

Klein, R. J., Adams, K. M., Dzebo, A., Davis, M., & Siebert, C. K. (2017). Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/klein-et-al-2017-adaptation-research-priorities.pdf

Chicago

Klein, Richard J.T., Kevin M. Adams, Adis Dzebo, Marion Davis, and Clarisse Kehler Siebert. Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/klein-et-al-2017-adaptation-research-priorities.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Klein |first1=Richard J.T. |last2=Adams |first2=Kevin M. |last3=Dzebo |first3=Adis |last4=Davis |first4=Marion |last5=Siebert |first5=Clarisse Kehler |title=Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2017 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/klein-et-al-2017-adaptation-research-priorities.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{klein2017advancing, author = {Klein, Richard J.T. and Adams, Kevin M. and Dzebo, Adis and Davis, Marion and Siebert, Clarisse Kehler}, title = {{Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/klein-et-al-2017-adaptation-research-priorities.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }