Adaptive capacity relates to the capacity of

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

s, institutions, humans and other organisms to adjust to potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities, or to respond to consequences. In the context of

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

s, adaptive capacity is determined by

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

of particular ecosystems in specific

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

s or

biome A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Tansley added the ...

regions. In the context of coupled socio-ecological social systems, adaptive capacity is commonly associated with the following characteristics: Firstly, the ability of

institutions An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

and

networks Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

learn Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and ...

, and store

knowledge Knowledge is an Declarative knowledge, awareness of facts, a Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with individuals and situations, or a Procedural knowledge, practical skill. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is oft ...

and experience. Secondly, the creative flexibility in

decision making In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either ra ...

, transitioning and

problem solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

. And thirdly, the existence of power structures that are responsive and consider the

need A need is a deficiency at a point of time and in a given context. Needs are distinguished from wants. In the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a ...

s of all stakeholders. In the context of

climate change adaptation Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change, both current and anticipated.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary resilience to perturbation, giving ecological and human social systems the ability to reconfigure themselves with minimum loss of function. In ecological systems, this resilience shows as net primary productivity and maintenance of biomass">pr.html" ;"title="Function (biology)">function. In ecological systems, this resilience shows as primary production">net primary productivity and maintenance of biomass and

, and the stability of hydrological cycles. In human social systems it is demonstrated by the stability of hydrology">hydrological cycles. In human social systems it is demonstrated by the stability of

social relations">hydrology">hydrological cycles. In human social systems it is demonstrated by the stability of social relations, the maintenance of social capital and economics">economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

prosperity. Building adaptive capacity is particular important in the context of climate change, where it refers to a latent capacity - in terms of resources and assets - from which adaptations can be made as required depending on future circumstances. Since future climate is likely to be different from the present climate, developing adaptive capacity is a prerequisite for the

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

that can reduce the potential negative effects of exposure to climate change. In climate change, adaptive capacity, along with hazard, exposure and vulnerability, is a key component that contributes to risk, or the potential for harm or impact.

Characteristics

Adaptive capacity can be enhanced in a number of different ways. A report by the

Overseas Development Institute ODI Global (formerly Overseas Development Institute) is a global affairs think tank, founded in 1960. Its mission is "to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality through collaborative research and ideas that matter for people and the ...

introduces the local adaptive capacity framework (LAC), featuring five core characteristics of adaptive capacity. These include: * Asset base: the availability of a diverse range of key livelihood assets that allow households or communities to respond to evolving circumstances * Institutions and entitlements: the existence of an appropriate and evolving institutional environment that allows for access and entitlement to key assets and capitals * Knowledge and information: the ability households and communities have to generate, receive, assess and disseminate knowledge and information in support of appropriate adaptation options * Innovation: the system creates an enabling environment to foster innovation, experimentation and the ability to explore niche solutions in order to take advantage of new opportunities * Flexible forward-looking decision-making and governance: the system is able to anticipate, incorporate and respond to changes with regards to its governance structures and future planning. Many development interventions - such as

social protection Social protection, as defined by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, is concerned with preventing, managing, and overcoming situations that adversely affect people's well-being. Social protection consists of policies and ...

programmes and efforts to promote

social safety net A social safety net (SSN) consists of non-contributory assistance existing to improve lives of vulnerable families and individuals experiencing poverty and destitution. Examples of SSNs are previously-contributory social pensions, in-kind and foo ...

s - can play important roles in promoting aspects of adaptive capacity.

Relationship between adaptive capacity, states and strategies

Adaptive capacity is associated with r and K selection strategies in ecology and with a movement from explosive

positive feedback Positive feedback (exacerbating feedback, self-reinforcing feedback) is a process that occurs in a feedback loop where the outcome of a process reinforces the inciting process to build momentum. As such, these forces can exacerbate the effects ...

to sustainable

negative feedback Negative feedback (or balancing feedback) occurs when some function (Mathematics), function of the output of a system, process, or mechanism is feedback, fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output, whether caused ...

loops in social systems and technologies. The Resilience Alliance shows how the

logistic curve A logistic function or logistic curve is a common S-shaped curve (sigmoid function, sigmoid curve) with the equation f(x) = \frac where The logistic function has domain the real numbers, the limit as x \to -\infty is 0, and the limit as x \ ...

of the r phase positive feedback, becoming replaced by the K negative feedback strategy is an important part of adaptive capacity. The r strategy is associated with situations of low complexity, high resilience, and growing potential. K strategies are associated with situations of high complexity, high potential and high resilience, but if the perturbations exceed certain limits, adaptive capacity may be exceeded and the system collapses into another so-called Omega state, of low potential, low complexity and low resilience.

In the context of climate change

Common enablers of adaptive capacity

An enabler, also known as a promoter or driver, represents a set of factors and conditions which can help to build and develop resilience. In a 2001

IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World M ...

report focusing on impacts,

, and

vulnerability Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally." The understanding of social and environmental vulnerability, as a methodological approach, involves ...

, six factors were identified as promoters of adaptive capacity. These characteristics contribute to the development and strengthening of adaptive capacity. For instance, a stable and prosperous economy is crucial, as it enables better management of the costs associated with adaptation. Generally, developed and wealthier nations are more prepared to face the impacts of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. Access to technology at various levels (local, regional, and national) and in all sectors is essential for staying informed about resource distribution,

land use Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...

, and extraction practices. Additionally, clearly delineating roles and responsibilities for executing adaptation strategies is important at national, regional, and local levels. Discussion forums and consultations are established to disseminate climate information, ensuring clear communication and collaboration. Social institutions aim to distribute resources equitably, recognizing that power imbalances can hinder adaptive capacity. It's vital to protect existing systems with high adaptive capacity, such as traditional societies, from potential compromises resulting from modern development trajectories.

Common barriers of adaptive capacity

A barrier is an obstacle surmounted through collective efforts, creative management, mindset shifts, and adjustments in resource distribution,

s, and

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

s. Barriers are often confused with limits however, the distinguishing feature between the two is that limits cannot be overcome. Barriers are crucial to consider when assessing the level of adaptive capacity within a group, community, and organization, as they block or hinder adaptation actions. Various types of barriers including historical, political, financial, and natural can be identified. They can be either internal or external and can block or hinder the implementation of an adaptation action and consequently lower adaptive capacity. An external barrier is a factor that falls outside an organization/community/individual's control. For example, a common external barrier is the absence of land available for individuals or enterprises to relocate while faced with a major climatic event such as

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

ing or

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s. An internal barrier is typically affected by an organization/community/individual beliefs and perceptions concerning

. For example, a common internal barrier is people's reluctance to relocate from flood-prone regions (owing to their livelihood dependence), the costs of land or property, or insufficient awareness regarding the potential

ing risks amid projected climate alterations. Common organizational barriers include a disconnect between government recommendations/policies and concrete actions made by actors and organizations. Scholars point to other significant barriers that may impede adaptation action, like the lack of resources, financial incentives for long-term planning, and a lack of knowledge related to

climate change adaptation Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change, both current and anticipated.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary Another common barrier is öller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger ...

. Another common barrier is skepticism regarding the severity and urgency of climate impacts. Local knowledge of technical, climate-adapted solutions is instrumental for organizational adaptation">Climate Impacts Research Centre">climate impacts. Local knowledge of technical, climate-adapted solutions is instrumental for organizational adaptation, but opportunities to harness this knowledge can be missed due to skeptical beliefs.

Darwinian natural selection

The evolutionary emergence of living systems likely included early replication of an RNA molecule, as described in the article RNA world. Such an emerging RNA molecule may have been capable of the three mechanisms of Darwinian selection: heritability, variation of type, and differential reproductive output. The fitness of such an RNA replicator (its per capita rate of increase) likely would have been a function of its intrinsic adaptive capacities determined by its

nucleotide sequence A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the nu ...

, and the availability of resources.Bernstein H, Byerly HC, Hopf FA, Michod RA, Vemulapalli GK. (1983) The Darwinian Dynamic. Quarterly Review of Biology 56, 185-187. JSTOR 2828805.Michod, R. E. (2006). Darwininian dynamics: evolutionary transitions in fitness and individuality. Princeton University Press. The three primary adaptive capacities may have been: (1) replication with moderate fidelity, giving rise to heritability while allowing variation of type, (2) resistance to decay, and (3) acquisition of, and ability to process, resources. These adaptive capacities would have functioned by means of the folded configurations of the RNA replicators determined by their nucleotide sequences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adaptive Capacity Environmental economics Social concepts