Mainstreaming Climate Change into Community Development Strategies and Plans: A Case Study in Thailand

Summary

Climate change adaptation planning in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia has focused primarily on minimizing the impact of future climate change. The resulting preoccupation with the uncertainty of climate change predictions has hindered the implementation of adaptation policies. A paradigm shift toward mainstreaming climate change into development planning, and away from addressing adaptation separately from development, can reduce the inaction of policy makers. By taking into consideration the range of possible risks and vulnerabilities that may arise from future climate and socioeconomic change scenarios, mainstreaming can reduce the reliance on certainty in predictions when developing plans for a community. The subsequent increase in a community’s resilience in the face of change is likely to lead to development that is more sustainable. A case study of the Lao-oi district in Thailand illustrates such a paradigm shift in planning, and proposes a framework for mainstreaming climate change into community development plans.

• Download full report