Adaptation and Resilience to Planetary Change

Abstract

Adaptation and Resilience to Planetary Change Adaptation and Resilience: Companion ConceptsMany of the dramatic changes across the planet during the Anthropocene Epoch cannot be reversed within our lifespans, so it becomes imperative to adapt to change as far as possible. According to the IPCC, adaptation is 'the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects' (1, p. SPM 5). While this definition refers only to climate, the context in which adaptation has been most thoroughly considered, the concept of adaptation is applicable to the full range of planetary changes. As implied by the IPCC definition, an adaptation action might be taken proactively, to reduce harm in advance of an impact, or reactively, in response to a perceived or real health risk.Resilience is closely allied to adaptation. The word derives from the Latin resilire, meaning to 'leap back' or 'recoil'. As a physical concept, resilience is the ability of an object to recover its original form after being bent, compressed, or stretched. In psychological terms, resilience refers to a person's ability to 'bounce back' from adversity or trauma. And in the context of planetary change, resilience is the ability of a system to respond to stresses, shocks, or perturbations while preserving its identity and function (2). In general, resilient systems are able to absorb shocks and stresses, to self-organize, and to learn and adapt (2, 3). Examples of resilient systems might include a coastal city (that can recover following a severe storm), a forest (that can recover following a fire), or a more complex 'socio-ecological' system that includes social and natural elements (4, 5).So adaptation and resilience are closely relatedadaptation as a set of deliberate actions in response to a stimulus or stress, resilience as a system condition, one of whose features is the capacity to adapt. From this perspective, resilience becomes a useful framework to identify effective adaptation responses to planetary changes, and to assess how they fit in to a wider system that aims to maintainand where possible enhanceessential functions under changing conditions (6, 7).Spatial scale is relevant to understanding adaptation and resilience. While our focus in this book is on planetary changes, many of these, from climate change to pollution, play out on a local to regional scale, and many key responses are implemented at that smaller scale 148