Political Science and Severe Climate Change: A Case for Transformational Research Into Adaptation

The failure of governments to mandate the greenhouse gas emissions cuts necessary to avoid serious climate change means that adaptation strategies will be essential. The more serious the climate change, the more robust adaptation will have to be. Political scientists should strive to understand and anticipate the likely political and policy challenges of climate change and the necessary adaptation measures. This article identifies avenues by which political science research can contribute to understanding what can and should be done as global climate disruption intensifies. It briefly reviews changing official conceptions of adaptation, describes the likely level of adaptation required, and highlights additional contributions that political scientists could make to understanding obstacles and opportunities for adaptation to severe climate disruption. Because of potential catastrophic impacts from climate change, the politics of adaptation is among the most important problems that political scientists can address. Critical analyses may be essential.