This module provides participants with a detailed understanding of the constantly evolving and often bewildering array of terms and concepts relating to adaptation. By the end of the module, participants will have a clear understanding of what these different terms and concepts mean and how they relate to each other. They will be able to deploy these concepts in practical ways to understand climate change risks and impacts in a way that addresses the role of both physical hazards and socially-mediated vulnerabilities.

Key questions addressed in this module include:

• What is adaptation and how is it related to concepts such as sustainability and resilience?
• What is the difference between ‘incremental’, ‘transformational’ and ‘transformative adaptation?
• What is maladaptation, what drives it, and why is there so much of it?
• How do physical hazards interact with socially constructed vulnerabilities to create risk?
• How can we use risk frameworks to understand and guide adaptation?
• Why are so many activities that are labelled as adaptation not delivering?

This module consists of two sessions and one exercise, each of around 90 minutes duration, depending on the level of tailoring for specific audiences. with around 60-90 minutes allocated for each, depending on the level of tailoring for specific audiences. It is the second module in our Adaptation Literacy and Adapting to Climate Change courses. For the former, an additional session is included with summary content on climate risk assessment, adaptation decision making, and assessing the success of adaptation (essentially a taster of the more detailed content in the latter course).