Driving System Shifts for Climate Resilience: Case Studies of Transformative Adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica

This working paper analyzes transformative climate adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica, focusing on water scarcity, landscape degradation, and agricultural shifts. It identifies that while some communities are initiating autonomous system shifts, they lack the technical and financial support needed for scalability. Key recommendations include investing in automated monitoring, mobilizing community change agents, and providing targeted financial credit for farmers transitioning to climate-resilient livelihoods.

• Communities facing climate change may not perceive long-term, irreversible changes as distinct from short-term fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. Many lack the technical or financial support required to plan for system-wide shifts or determine the necessary direction of change. While some communities have begun transforming systems autonomously, the lack of external guidance and consideration of long-term resource impacts limits the scalability and sustainability of these efforts.
• Success in transformative adaptation is driven by community-led planning, the mobilization of change agents, and the alignment of funding with sequenced planning. Conversely, the sustainability of these system shifts is hindered by a lack of national or international support for market incentives, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) infrastructure, and the availability of systems data and assessments.
• In Tsirang Toed, Bhutan, a National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) II project addresses water scarcity. WRI recommends focusing on sustainable measures like creating reservoirs and replacing invasive plants with native species, investing in automated climate and water monitoring stations, and improving the integration of local knowledge and collaboration between government, technical experts, and the community.
• In Tigray, Ethiopia, the focus is on landscape restoration. To achieve climate-resilient restoration at scale, WRI suggests improving coordination between community members, government, and experts; mobilizing community change agents in struggling areas; and investing in diverse data (socioeconomic, climate, and natural resources) beyond simple tree cover to ensure equitable outcomes.
• In Guanacaste, Costa Rica, smallholder farmers are autonomously transitioning from coffee to citrus cultivation, though those with more resources are better equipped to do so. WRI recommends conducting regional impact assessments on the long-term viability of citrus and other alternative crops, providing targeted loans for farmers at climate-induced tipping points, and creating public-private surveillance platforms for climate-exacerbated citrus diseases.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Driving System Shifts for Climate Resilience: Case Studies of Transformative Adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica. https://www.wri.org/research/driving-system-shifts-climate-resilience-case-studies-transformative-adaptation-bhutan

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Driving System Shifts for Climate Resilience: Case Studies of Transformative Adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/driving-system-shifts-climate-resilience-case-studies-transformative-adaptation-bhutan.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Driving System Shifts for Climate Resilience: Case Studies of Transformative Adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica |url=https://www.wri.org/research/driving-system-shifts-climate-resilience-case-studies-transformative-adaptation-bhutan |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutenddriving, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Driving System Shifts for Climate Resilience: Case Studies of Transformative Adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/driving-system-shifts-climate-resilience-case-studies-transformative-adaptation-bhutan}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }