Transformational Adaptation: A Critical Analysis

Transformational adaptation (TA) is an approach to adaptation that calls for a larger systemic change to cope with the impacts of climate change.

- AKRITI SHARMA The author is a doctral scholar at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

It advocates for a change in the status quo of the social, economic, political, and environmental systems/structures along with values and worldviews, undertaking radical reforms to cope with climate impacts.

The literature typically contrasts this with incremental adaptation (IA) where technological and managerial alterations are undertaken step by step to cope with climate impacts considering the respective capabilities of the countries.

Ardent advocates of TA include developed countries like the US, Canada, and Europe, which are among the highest historical emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG). These countries have done little to address climate change despite being financially, structurally and technologically in a much better position to do so. Developing countries on the other hand have conveyed serious reservations about these qualifiers being applied to adaptation before any serious progress on adaptation has even begun. In Baku, the UNFCCC secretariat tabled a technical paper on TA. Developed countries including the US, Canada, Australia and Japan called for a discussion of this technical paper. However, the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC), the Arab Group, the Africa Group, and the Least Developed Countries (LDC) opposed any discussion. Eventually, the official GGA text recognised that "both" incremental and transformational adaptation approaches are essential to implement the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience. The discussion on the paper was scheduled for a later meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies in 2025.