A participatory framework to evaluate coherence between climate change adaptation and sustainable development policies

Abstract

Adapting to climate change involves taking a series of actions that reduce and/or avoid the effect of climate risks while ultimately increasing development opportunities in affected environments. Therefore, adaptation to climate change must become an integral part of a sustainable development process, in which it maintains the same priority as other development goals and strategies. Aiming to address the conceptual gap in coherent policy research in the fields of climate change and sustainable development, we performed coherence analysis research, categorized the different approaches, and defined methodology. The methodological framework was tested during the Living Lab based on a deliberative participatory process, making it easily applicable to diverse targets and contexts. The methodological framework developed in this study represents an unprecedented experience at the national (Italy) and regional level (Sardinia), projected to address global current/future environmental issues and problems through local knowledge, peculiarities, and resources.