Climate change adaptation: The problem isn't technical

Policies and programs that support adaptation to climate change in developing countries are severely constrained by rigid institutional structures which hinder flexible and autonomous decision-making at the local level. The main problems in such efforts are thus not technical, but institutional and political.

This was one of the key messages emerging from a recent DIIS seminar on Social Accountability in Climate Change, where researchers and practitioners from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), CARE Denmark, Danida and DIIS presented experiences from climate change adaptation in an accountability perspective.

The seminar drew on experiences with governance of rural development initiatives, which strongly suggests that strengthening the voices of citizens to demand greater accountability and responsiveness from government is required for assistance to be effective. This is contrary to the setup of many planned climate change programs, which are only upwards accountable to central ministries and development institutions.

A number of practical methods and arrangements for addressing accountability in adaptation are currently being piloted, some of which show promising results, but also indicate the need to work at multiple levels to address the constraints.

The seminar was part of the “Alternative Perspectives on Climate Change” seminar series organized by DIIS, which seeks to draw in experiences and perspectives from other fields that relate to climate change.

The next seminar in the series is on the morning of June 12 (exact time to be announced shortly), where Professor Richard Black from SOAS in London will explore myths and realities related to Migration and Climate Change.

For more information on DIIS climate change research, please see here.