Transnationalization of climate adaptation by regional governments and the RegionsAdapt initiative

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change has traditionally been framed as a local problem. However, in recent years, adaptation has risen on the global policy agenda. This article contributes to the study of transnational climate adaptation through an investigation of international connectivity on climate adaptation between regional policy-makers. We examine the RegionsAdapt initiative, the first global commitment to promote and track the progress of regional adaptation. While adapting to climate change at the regional level is crucial, we suggest that transnational adaptation governance not only helps to promote adaptation measures, but also improves the process of tracking the progress of such action, its visibility and its aggregation.

Keywords

• paradiplomacy
• Paris Agreement
• RegionsAdapt initiative
• subnational climate policy
• transnational climate action