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There are quite a few people in New York and New Jersey who want the government to do something. They want to make sure that the horrendous effects of Hurricane Sandy are not repeated in the years ahead. In the Northeast, the unusual "superstorm" resulted in extensive property loss and more than 100 deaths. Current estimates are that the storm caused more than $60 billion in damage in New York and New Jersey alone.

Abstract. Although research on the impacts of climate change on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their adaptation to climate change risks has recently received more attention, the focus on micro-businesses and household businesses is still very limited. Micro-businesses and household businesses are adversely affected by compound flooding events – a situation that will become more acute in the future – but there is little attention in the scientific literature to their adaptation options and actual implementation. Against this background, the paper analyzes the following research questions. How are micro-businesses already responding to flooding? Are micro-businesses willing to collectively invest in future proactive adaptation efforts in their neighborhoods? What are the key drivers of and barriers to adaptation? Based on scenario-based field experiments in Ho Chi Minh City, our results show that micro-businesses could play a much larger role in collective adaptation. Often overlooked in adaptation research, their willingness to engage in collective action under severe constraints is surprising. The conceptual framework presented in this paper helps us to understand the key drivers of and barriers to micro-business willingness to participate in collective adaptation activities. The most important key barriers for micro-businesses are limited financial capacity and lack of support from local authorities. However, micro-businesses are willing to contribute depending on the concrete adaptation measure and financing options. If no financial contribution is expected, almost 70 % are willing to participate in awareness-raising campaigns. And although their financial capacity is very limited, 39 % of micro-businesses would contribute financially if the costs were shared with other businesses in their neighborhood and with local authorities. In this context, micro-businesses should be much more involved in adaptation plans and measures. Through their local embeddedness, they can be important multipliers in strengthening adaptive capacity at the local level.

Abstract
Research on adaptive capacity often focuses on economics and technology, despite evidence from the social sciences finding that socially shared beliefs, norms, and networks are critical in increasing individuals' and communities' adaptive capacity. Drawing upon social cognitive theory, this paper builds on the first author's Ph.D. dissertation and examines the role of collective efficacy—people's shared beliefs about their group's capabilities to accomplish collective tasks—in influencing Indians' capacity to adapt to drinking water scarcity, a condition likely to be exacerbated by future climate change. Using data from a national survey (N = 4031), individuals with robust collective efficacy beliefs were found to be more likely to participate in community activities intended to ensure the adequacy of water supplies, and this relationship was found to be stronger in communities with high levels of community collective efficacy compared to communities with low levels of community collective efficacy. In addition, community collective efficacy was positively associated with self-reported community adaptation responses. Public education campaigns aimed at increasing collective efficacy beliefs are likely to increase adaptive capacity.

Full-text available at SSRN. See link in this record. ; The buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the likely growth in future emissions due to increased energy consumption in developing nations have convinced many scientists and policymakers of the need to develop policies that will allow adaptation to minimize the adverse effects of climate change. Climate change adaptation is designed to increase the resilience of natural and human ecosystems to the threats posed by a changing environment. Although an extensive literature concerning the federalism implications of climate change mitigation policy has developed, less has been written about the federalism issues arising from climate change adaptation policy. This article provides a framework for determining how to structure a policy to facilitate adaptation to climate change that assigns appropriate roles to all levels of government. In particular, the article addresses three questions. First, when is participation by the federal government in directing climate change adaptation policy appropriate? Second, should the federal government set a floor that requires participation by, or at least conformance with federal requirements, by states and localities? Third, should the federal government ever displace state and local adaptation responses based on the threats they pose to federal interests? Collective action principles can assist in answering these questions and determining the proper institutional arrangements for dealing with climate change adaptation. It is inevitable that clashes of interest will develop between jurisdictions when desired resources are scarce or efforts by one jurisdiction to avoid the undesirable aspects of climate change shift the burden of those changes to other jurisdictions. These conflicts are likely to arise both when states and localities fail to do enough to anticipate and react to climate change and when they do "too much." In these instances, federal intervention is desirable. The presence of transboundary ...

Collective learning across project teams and organisational levels enables project-oriented organisations in infrastructure planning to adapt to changing contexts. This paper aims to deliver insight in the conditions and arrangements for collective learning in such organisations and the role that programmes and communities of practice (CoPs) as different types of hubs can play in interaction for adaptation. As part of a case study of a project-oriented public infrastructure administrator, we conducted a cross-study analysis, interviews with board members and directors, and focus groups with professionals from the studied organisation and other infrastructure administrators. Although programmes and CoPs as hubs appear to facilitate interaction with a wider context differently, interaction through these hubs can lead to the broadening of views and a shared understanding about organisational adaptations and the accompanying decisions and actions in the fragmented landscape of project-oriented organisations.

"This book serves as a guide for local governments and private enterprises as they navigate the unchartered waters of investing in climate change adaptation and resilience. This book serves not only as a resource guide for identifying potential funding sources but also as a roadmap for asset management and public finance processes. It highlights practical synergies between funding mechanisms, as well as the conflicts that may arise between varying interests and strategies. While the main focus of this work is on the State of California, this book offers broader insights for how states, local governments and private enterprises can take those critical first steps in investing in society's collective adaptation to climate change"--

This book serves as a guide for local governments and private enterprises as they navigate the unchartered waters of investing in climate change adaptation and resilience. This book serves not only as a resource guide for identifying potential funding sources but also as a roadmap for asset management and public finance processes. It highlights practical synergies between funding mechanisms, as well as the conflicts that may arise between varying interests and strategies. While the main focus of this work is on the State of California, this book offers broader insights for how states, local governments and private enterprises can take those critical first steps in investing in society's collective adaptation to climate change.