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Adaptation, Adaptation Science, and the Status of Adaptation in Mountain Regions

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Climate Change Adaptation Strategies – An Upstream-downstream Perspective

Abstract

This chapter introduces the conceptual foundations of, and core themes within, the climate change adaptation scholarship; outlines common approaches to adaptation science; presents key critiques of how adaptation is conceptualized and examined; and discusses the status of adaptation in upstream-downstream environments. The chapter draws out linkages between adaptation scholarship and mountain-specific socio-economic and environmental conditions. It also addressed an important gap in the broader adaptation scholarship, where there have been few studies characterizing and examining adaptation in mountain regions. Topics covered clarify key conceptual and analytical aspects of climate change adaptation and strengthen rationale for efforts to increase understanding of adaptation in upstream-downstream systems. The chapter also facilitates more informed engagement with subsequent chapters in Climate Change Adaptation Strategies – An Upstream-downstream Perspective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 429 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Graham McDowell

  2. Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC, H3A 0B9, Canada

    Eleanor Stephenson & James Ford

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  1. Graham McDowell
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  2. Eleanor Stephenson
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  3. James Ford
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Correspondence to Graham McDowell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Nadine Salzmann

  2. Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Christian Huggel

  3. Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Samuel U. Nussbaumer

  4. Department of Environmental & Geographical Science and African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Gina Ziervogel

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McDowell, G., Stephenson, E., Ford, J. (2016). Adaptation, Adaptation Science, and the Status of Adaptation in Mountain Regions. In: Salzmann, N., Huggel, C., Nussbaumer, S., Ziervogel, G. (eds) Climate Change Adaptation Strategies – An Upstream-downstream Perspective. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40773-9_2

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