Imagine a small coastal village where rising sea levels threaten homes and livelihoods. Traditionally, external experts have devised solutions without fully understanding the community’s unique needs and strengths. However, with Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), the villagers now have the power to decide how to protect their homes, drawing on their deep knowledge of the local environment and ensuring that the solutions truly work for them. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the importance of LLA which can promote suitable strategies for it's advancement.
Importance of LLA
LLA differs from consultative, participatory, and community-based approaches because it grants local actors real decision-making power over adaptation, rather than just involving them in the process. It's crucial to adopt LLA to ensure that those most impacted by climate change have control over decisions regarding adaptation finance and programming that directly affect them. Additionally, LLA has the potential to:
Address structural inequalities faced by women, youth, children, people with disabilities, displaced individuals, Indigenous Peoples, and ethnic groups.
Mobilize more climate finance by enhancing the quality of funding, and by adjusting governance and decision-making processes to ensure local actors have control in adaptation planning and implementation.
Act as a catalyst to integrate social equity into standard processes and decisions, and by investing in mechanisms specifically designed to support groups experiencing disproportionate vulnerabilities.
Recommended Strategies for Advancing LLA
Scale Up LLA Efforts: Increase the allocation of climate finance to LLA, enhance the quality of funding by making it more accessible and flexible, and adjust governance and decision-making processes to ensure local actors have a significant role in adaptation planning and implementation.
Holistic Approach to LLA Principles: Address the Principles for LLA comprehensively to ensure that adaptation investments, policies, and interventions simultaneously enable and scale LLA in various ways.
Promote Active Learning and Research: Encourage ongoing learning and research on LLA processes, outcomes, and impacts to fill knowledge and evidence gaps, thereby improving our collective understanding of best practices for equitable and effective LLA.
Integrate Social Equity: Ensure social equity is a core component of LLA efforts by incorporating equity considerations into standard processes and decisions, and investing in mechanisms specifically designed to support groups that face disproportionate vulnerabilities.
Embracing Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) is essential to address structural inequalities and ensure those most impacted by climate change have control over adaptation strategies. By scaling up LLA efforts, adopting a comprehensive approach to LLA principles, promoting active learning, and integrating social equity, we can enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of climate adaptation for vulnerable groups.
References
Coger, T., Dinshaw, A., Tye, S., Kratzer, B., Thazin Aung, M., Cunningham, E., Ramkissoon, C., Gupta, S., Bodrud-Doza, Md., Karamallis, A., Mbewe, S., Granderson, A., Dolcemascolo, G., Tewary, A., Mirza, A., & Carthy, A. (2022). Locally Led Adaptation: From Principles to Practice. World Resources Institute. https://doi.org/10.46830/wriwp.21.00142
Danish Instritute For International Studies. (2024, April 9). Locally-led climate change adaptation works: Here are eight ways to support it. https://www.diis.dk/en/research/locally-led-climate-change-adaptation-works-here-are-eight-ways-to-support-it
Global Center on Adaptation. (n.d.). Locally Led Adaptation. Global Center on Adaptation. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://gca.org/programs/locally-led-adaptation/
International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). (n.d.). Locally Led-Adaptation (LLA) Programme. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://www.icccad.net/programmes/lla-programme/
Mirza, A. B., Rozario, S. R., & Zahin, C. A. (2023, May). Scaling up locally led adaptation in Bangladesh: Three action areas. IIED. https://www.iied.org/21456iied
Principles for Locally Led Adaptation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://www.wri.org/initiatives/locally-led-adaptation/principles-locally-led-adaptation
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