LIST OF PANELS

This panel seeks to stimulate discussion on adaptation policy research by addressing and updating epistemological and methodological issues surrounding adaptation policy effectiveness. How do we know we are producing effective adaptation policy? What are the risks that adaptation initiatives produce promising policy outputs but which fail to translate into effective policy outcomes? Significantly, this panel is co-chaired by political scientists as well as climate science researchers at Ouranos, a consortium on regional climatology and adaptation based in Montreal, who are particularly interested in bringing together research addressing adaptation policy from a science-policy nexus perspective.

The issue of adaptation policy effectiveness looms large. Despite rising on the climate change political agenda, adaptation policy research continues to struggle with what adaptation is, how it can be measured and hence insights into how adaptation can be scaled-up—referred to as the “dependent variable problem” (Dupuis and Biesbroek, 2013; Howlett and Cashore, 2009; Purdon and Thornton, In Press). While the adaptation literature has developed important analytical tools for understanding different facets of adaptation—including concepts such as sensitivity, adaptive capacity/resilience and vulnerability (Burton et al., 2002; Holling, 1973; Keim, 2008)—daunting questions emerge about what this means in practical terms of preparing for future climate change. Without improving our understanding about constitutes adaptation, it is difficult to differentiate effective adaptation initiatives from those that are maladaptation or merely greenwashing (Ayers and Dodman, 2010).

Almost ten years ago, Dessai et al. (2009) argued, however, that an exclusive focus on climate modeling was flawed and urged a focus on developing adaptation policy in the face of deep uncertainty and a lack of predictive power. Arguably, the current consensus is that a focus on policy outputs is a more promising research strategy than a focus on policy outcomes (Bernstein and Cashore, 2012; Biesbroek et al., 2018). For example, in a widely used definition, adaptation is described as “[t]he process leading to the production of outputs in forms of activities and decisions taken by purposeful public and private actors at different administrative levels and in different sectors, which deals intentionally with climate change impacts, and whose outcomes attempt to substantially impact actor groups, sectors, or geographical areas that are vulnerable to climate change” (Dupuis and Biesbroek, 2013: 1480, emphasis added).

Yet sophisticated climate science modeling efforts at various scales might be expected to inform the allocation of resources and planning for adaptation, especially as modeling capacity improves (Hertel and Lobell, 2014; Kahil et al., 2015). Research organizations such as Ouranos as well as CGIAR  have pioneered such research in adaptation and food security (Hannart and Naveau, 2018; Mapfumo et al., 2017; Nelson et al., 2009; Thornton et al., 2018). New organizational forms such as “boundary organizations” also attempt to bring together scientists and policy-makers in order to improve the exchange of information, policy learning and decision-making processes (Lemos et al., 2014; O'Mahony and Bechky, 2008). What impact might recent developments in public policy, organizational management and climate science have for the prospect of crafting more effective adaptation policy?

We cordially invite papers for an ICPP4 panel entitled Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Climate Science: Re-examining Policy Outputs, Policy Outcomes and Policy Effectiveness. This panel seeks to stimulate discussion on adaptation policy research by addressing and updating epistemological and methodological issues surrounding adaptation policy effectiveness. How do we know we are producing effective adaptation policy? What are the risks that adaptation initiatives produce promising policy outputs but which fail to translate into effective policy outcomes? What impact might recent developments in public policy, organizational management and climate science have for the prospect of crafting more effective adaptation policy?

Despite rising increasingly higher in the climate change political agenda, adaptation policy research continues to struggle with what adaptation is, how it can be measured and hence insights into how adaptation can be scaled-up —referred to as the “dependent variable problem” in the policy studies literature. Yet sophisticated climate science modeling efforts at various scales might be expected to inform the allocation of resources and planning for adaptation, especially as modeling capacity improves. Research organizations such as Ouranos as well as CGIAR have pioneered such research in adaptation and food security. New organizational forms such as “boundary organizations” also attempt to bring together scientists and policy-makers in order to improve the exchange of information, policy learning and decision-making processes.

We invite scholars working on issues of climate science, adaptation and public policy from theoretical, empirical or normative perspectives to submit an abstract. Policy practitioners from international organisations, national and subnational governments as well as non-state actors are also encouraged to share their experiences. Special emphasis will also be paid to comparative approaches as well as research and researchers coming from developing countries, where climate adaptation needs are arguably most urgent.

Significantly, this panel is co-chaired by political scientists as well as climate science researchers at Ouranos, a consortium on regional climatology and adaptation based in Montreal, who are particularly interested in bringing together research addressing adaptation policy from a science-policy nexus perspective.

Panel Co-Chairs

• Mark Purdon (Professor, Département de stratégie, responsabilité sociale et environnementale, École des sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal)
• Maya Jegen (Professor, Département de science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal)
• Caroline Larrivée (Scientific Program Director and Team Leader Vulnerabilities, Impacts and Adaptation Group at Ouranos)