Overcoming social barriers to climate change adaptation

This Background Note explores the influence of social barriers to adaptation to climate change, using insights drawn from field work in rural subsistence communities in western Nepal, and findings from a related ODI project in rural India. It explores the role of social institutions in determining how individuals adapt to climate stress and shock, and examines how restrictive cultural environments can limit successful adaptation. It concludes by providing recommendations for adaptation policy interventions that seek to recognise, address and overcome social barriers to adaptation.