ABSTRACT

For effective adaptation to climate change, the complexities inherent in vulnerability must be understood and its fundamental driving forces dealt with (Watts and Bohle 1993; Ribot 1995; O'Brien et al. 2007; Eriksen et al. 2011; O'Brien 2011). An important aspect of these complexities is the fact that the causes of vulnerability vary between individuals, groups, areas and over time, and cannot easily be related to simple climatic characteristics (Handmer et al. 1999; Cannon et al. 2003; Huq et al. 2004; O'Brien et al. 2004; Ribot 2010). These insights have emerged against the backdrop of development and food-security interventions that have often focused on agricultural production, food distribution, and material assets in the face of climate-triggered events – although, under some conditions, these interventions may even exacerbate vulnerability (Barrett and Maxwell 2004; Sperling et al. 2004; Adhikari 2008). A major question emerging in climate change research is what is required if adaptation is to address the vulnerability context, and transform – rather than perpetuate – the developmental patterns that have created vulnerability in the first place (O'Brien 2011).