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Research article2023Peer reviewedOpen access

Adapting climate change - how government authorities in Sweden make sense of adaptation through a network practice

Kanarp, G. C. S.; Westberg, Lotten

Abstract

Calls for transformational adaptation are increasing. Government authorities, expected to lead adaptation, are in the difficult situation of changing a governance system from within. This demands a capacity for critical reflection among civil servants involved. Adopting a Social Practice Theory approach, we argue this capacity must be understood as emerging in practice, not simply held by individuals. Empirically, we focus on a central network of government authorities in Sweden's adaptation governance, and identify assumptions and routines guiding their meaning making process. We focus on how situations of contestation are dealt with to explore the practice's capacity to facilitate critical reflection. We show how a focus on efficient information transmission and an assumption of incremental adaptation as sufficient leads their practice to play down the consequences of the climate crisis. A practice approach suggests interventions to the group level in order to create joint critical reflection, necessary for enabling transformational adaptation.

Keywords

climate change adaptation; logic of practice; performativity; transformational adaptation; critical reflection

Published in

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
2023,
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
      Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Public Administration Studies
      Climate Research

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2023.2171278

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/121380