Towards Community-Directed Climate Adaptation Research (C-DAR)

Keywords: C-DAR, climate adaptation, community-directed reserach
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Land-based communities live in reciprocal relation with their ecosystems and possess deep local knowledge about the waters and soils that sustain their ways of life. As is often the case for those who have contributed the least to global emissions, these communities are among the most vulnerable to the accelerating impacts of climate change, forcing them to adapt to new ecohydrological realities. These land-based communities also face increasing threats to food and water security, livelihoods, and community well-being. Despite the growing recognition of the critical role that these land-based communities play in climate action research, these communities are often excluded from climate change research. In response to this exclusion and its implications for ecological justice, interest has been steadily growing towards community-engaged adaptation research.

In our paper, we explore the shift from community-engaged to community-directed research, specifically in the context of community adaptation under the climate emergency. Reflecting on emerging collaborations, and in consultation with three Indigenous community partners from Brazil, we outline the complexities, opportunities, and challenges of building Community-Directed Adaptation Research, or C-DAR. Specifically, we highlight issues for C-DAR at the interface of: Western science and Indigenous and local knowledges; the natural and social sciences; institutional (university) and community contexts; and between the Global South and the Global North. Successfully navigating these complexities and learning to translating and bridging across different knowledge positionalities will be critical for the future of action research that promotes both ecological justice and effective climate action.