Translating the ‘adaptation to climate change’ paradigm: the politics of a travelling idea in Africa

Abstract

In the past few years, adaptation to climate change has emerged as a dominant new theme in development politics, to an extent that it can almost be considered as a new development paradigm. Yet, this new paradigm and its effects are not unproblematic, as the empirical research in three East African countries presented in this article indicates. The article argues that the current transformation of environmental governance reflects not only climate change as such, but also – and perhaps even more so – the discourse of a changing climate and its effect on development politics. The empirical evidence shows that African farmers, politicians and government officials often respond to the new ‘adaptation paradigm’ more readily than to directly felt phenomena caused by a changing climate. We therefore argue that the ontology of the concept of adaptation to climate change needs to be readjusted. Epistemologically, our concern is to trace the discourse of adaptation to climate change across multiple sites, i.e. how it ‘travels’ between global epistemic communities and adaptation projects in developing countries. Drawing on actor‐network theory and its concept of translation, we provide an alternative view of adaptation to climate change by highlighting the contested and multi‐sited narratives and practices that bring adaptation into being.

Beyond dichotomies: Gender and intersecting inequalities in climate change studies

“…While recognizing that the vulnerability and adaptation framework is helpful in portraying differential impacts of climate change, several authors argue that the concept may generate a restricted idea of vulnerability as a passive, innocent victimhood (Cannon 2008; Weisser et al 2014). In this context, we argue that highlighting the importance of agency and emancipatory transformational pathways in the adaptation process can address some of those issues that are foremost in the debate on vulnerability and adaptation.…”

The national and local politics of climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe

“…the Green Climate Fund). However, there are also institutional and discursive links which mean that local responses to climate change cannot be isolated from global discussions (Olwig, 2012, p. 112;Rodima-Taylor, Olwig, & Chhetri, 2012;) -actors in Africa have been shown to respond not only to changes in climate, but also to the "idea" of adaptation as promulgated by international actors (Weisser, Bollig, Doevenspeck, & Muller-Mahn, 2013). Despite various international sanctions (largely against individual government officials), Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans are well connected in many international agendas, including those around climate change.…”

Politicizing vulnerability and adaptation: on the need to democratize local responses to climate impacts in developing countries

“…This approach separates the social and natural worlds ontologically and consequently considers them independent of each other (Schlosberg, 2012;Taylor, 2014;Weisser, Bollig, Doevenspeck, & Müller-Mahn, 2014). It is the interaction between these two discrete realms, and more specifically the forces of the latter acting on the former, that can result in negative outcomes for local people (Bassett & Fogelman, 2013;Shuhrke, 2013).…”