Adaptation, Governance and Civil Society

This briefing argues that effective climate change adaptation requires a governance approach that prioritizes community-based strategies and the active participation of vulnerable populations. It highlights the role of civil society in mediating interests, communicating climate information, and holding both national governments and developed countries accountable for their responsibilities in supporting adaptation efforts.

• Civil society plays a critical role in adaptation governance by acting as a mediator between conflicting political, economic, cultural, social, and environmental interests, and by providing perspectives from those most directly impacted by climate change.
• To effectively support the most vulnerable populations, adaptation must be community-based and involve the active participation of these groups in the prioritization, design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of activities to avoid ineffective top-down designs.
• National adaptation strategies should be centralized and integrated across government sectors to prevent conflicts between policy areas, such as agriculture and environment, and should be incorporated into existing development plans.
• Civil society is responsible for maintaining pressure on developed nations to fulfill their historic responsibility and capability to provide financial and technical support for adaptation in developing countries.

APA

Ramos, A. (2010). Adaptation, Governance and Civil Society. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-9-response-2.pdf

Chicago

Ramos, Adriana. Adaptation, Governance and Civil Society. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-9-response-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ramos |first1=Adriana |title=Adaptation, Governance and Civil Society |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-9-response-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ramos2010adaptation, author = {Ramos, Adriana}, title = {{Adaptation, Governance and Civil Society}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-9-response-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }