Factors affecting the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation in municipal policy and practice: a systematic review

Local governments have a vital climate change adaptation role. However, major breakdowns in the ability of local governments to mainstream adaptation responses have been widely observed. Using a Systematic Quantitative Literature Review method, we assessed 131 original research articles published 2005–2020 to answer three key questions: What trends are evident in the global literature that explain adaptation mainstreaming efforts in municipal policy and practice? What factors are conceptualized as shaping adaptation mainstreaming in local government? Which elements can be considered key to advancing adaptation mainstreaming in municipal policy and practice?

We find two overarching factors affect outcomes – authority to adapt and capacity to adapt. Authority to adapt refers to the authorizing environment – or mandate – from national or sub-national government, or from local government leaders, for adaptation action by a municipal administration. Capacity to adapt refers to access to resources, professional networks, and supportive organizational systems and culture, that enable local government adaptation. We find lack of support from local government elected leaders is the most frequently identified barrier to municipal adaptation. Yet, few empirical studies offer deep insight into the factors that inform and influence leadership support for municipal adaptation. Further, we find local government capacity to adapt is largely treated as a singular capacity, held constant throughout the policy cycle. We find limited exploration of the capacities vital to each stage of the policy cycle and the configuration of factors that support adaptation outcomes. We devise a conceptual framework explaining how issues of authority and capacity can interact and influence each other and what they encompass. Such a framework has broader utility for policy development and importantly for implementation at the local level.

Key policy insights:

• Municipal adaptation can be strengthened through expanded understanding of, and attention to, the factors that inform local leaders’ decisions on adaptation, notably clustered around authority and capacity to adapt.
• Policymakers are encouraged to actively consider the differing capacities needed to progress adaptation through each stage of the policy cycle.
• Using an implementation lens to evaluate adaptation practice could support documentation of planning-to-implementation gaps and ways of bridging these gaps for enhanced municipal adaptation outcomes.