The inclusion of social actors is widely acknowledged as a precondition for just and sustainable adaptation strategies to climate change. The integration of diverse types of scientific and local knowledge contributes to a better understanding of problems and increases the relevance of science at the local scale. In this study, we - an interdisciplinary team of scientists - employed a transdisciplinary methodology to enable the discussion of collaborative action the Salvadoran coffee sector needs to adapt to current and future impacts of climate change. Through a stakeholder encounter we elicited knowledge exchange among stakeholders to generate (i) a collective awareness of the experiences of climate impacts and (ii) outline a research agenda to facilitate a transdisciplinary climate change adaptation strategy. We used a suite of standard and participatory data-gathering methods, including desk research, in-depth informal conversations, questionnaires, field visits, small-group discussions, and a one-day workshop. In this paper, we present the methodological approach and the outcomes of the transdisciplinary research process. We ultimately outline a collectively generated research agenda using the input of stakeholders who partook in the workshop. ... Read more

To adapt to a changing climate, decision-makers design, evaluate, and implement measures that have an implication of justice on citizens in the present and well into the future. Decision-makers are often required to make decisions without certainty of the consequences and understanding their effects on intergenerational justice. Thus, managing the impacts of climate change requires novel decision-aiding approaches that consider climate impacts’ temporal and spatial heterogeneity and the uncertainty in climate predictions, preferences, and values. We reviewed the literature on the extent to which principles of intergenerational justice—conservation of options and resources for future generations—have been integrated to traditional approaches in climate resilience decision-making. We explore the extent to which flexibility, i.e., the conservation and expansion of options in subsequent decision periods, can contribute to upholding the principles of intergenerational justice under uncertainty. We illustrate the approach in the case of the Delta Programme in the Netherlands, a complex system designed to protect against sea-level rise (SLR). Designing adaptation strategies to SLR with flexibility as a core concept brings significant advantages in circumstances of uncertainty. The conservation of options in flexible pathways, in this case, contributes to the principles of intergenerational justice. Our civilization’s long-term sustainability and survival may depend on the extent to which individuals can see beyond their gains and toward the gains of the collective society at an intergenerational scale. ... Read more

Farmer peer networks have been identified as a key way to increase adoption of beneficial management practices to minimize negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture. We studied the social processes that contribute to beneficial management practice adoption. We administered two questionnaires to participants of a farmer community of practice, the Ontario Soil Network in Ontario, Canada, prior to participation (Period 1) and at the conclusion of the program, 1 year later (Period 2). All three measured networks, based on communication frequency, sharing and seeking advice, and production system changes, expanded from Period 1 to Period 2 and around 80% of participants adopted or expanded their use of beneficial management practices. Our findings indicate that communication in multiple forms was related to beneficial management practice adoption and expansion. These findings support the focus on farmer peer networks as a valuable policy tool to enhance agricultural environmental sustainability. ... Read more

Stakeholder participation is increasingly seen as beneficial for short and long term responses to climate change risks. Past research highlights the role social networks play as both a key outcome of participation, as well as an important step towards other environmental governance goals. This paper focuses on the social relation of mutual understanding, which is often discussed in the environmental governance literature, but has yet to be studied as an empirical social network in its own right. Our paper builds and tests a conceptual framework linking participation to mutual understanding and social learning. We analyze three waves of network and perceptions data gathered on stakeholders participating in the Integrated Coastal Resiliency Assessment (ICRA) project, a 2.5 year-long project aimed at developing a collaborative research assessment on the vulnerabilities to climate change experienced by an island community located in the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Our findings suggest that participation (measured as co-attendance in project events) leads to the formation of mutual understanding ties among stakeholders, but these ties do not necessarily lead to more similarity in stakeholders’ perceptions on climate change. We reflect on these findings, and the project more broadly, noting that our study lends support to scholars arguing that feelings of mutual understanding are potentially more important for certain forms of collective action, as opposed to whether or not stakeholders increase their shared beliefs or perceptions about the environmental problem in question. ... Read more