My research uses interviews and site observations to explore how the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Adaptation Fund projects in Nicaragua and Samoa align or diverge with the local level adaptation efforts in the country to assess the extent to which these international efforts contribute to effective adaptation on the ground.

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Nicaragua

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During my 2017 field season, I spent days alongside community leaders in northwestern

Nicaragua who made it clear that, for them, climate change is not a distant threat, but a present reality. In this region, climate change impacts are felt via prolonged droughts, flooding, and shifting seasons.

 

Thus, Nicaraguan community groups have turned to climate change adaptation measures—steps to adjust ways of life, economies, and infrastructure—to deal with these experienced and anticipated impacts. Examples of adaptations include planting drought resistant seeds and storing rainwater for the dry season.

 

Some of these adaptation projects are grassroots efforts, but the Nicaraguan government also seeks international funding for projects. The UNFCCC Adaptation Fund is one such large fund that provides support to developing country governments for adaptation projects. This intersection of adaptation efforts stemming from different levels of governance represents the focus of my research. 

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Samoa

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During my 2018 field season, I traveled to Samoa, a small island state in the South Pacific, to learn about adaptation implementation in a different geographic and political context. I spent two weeks interviewing government officials and observing the final evaluation of their Adaptation Fund project, Enhancing resilience of coastal communities of Samoa to Climate Change. 

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Samoa is an interesting case because these adaptation projects are taking place in a country that has made climate change a national priority. Thus, their work could be indicative of the leading edge of adaptation efforts. Some of the major focus areas I observed during my time in Samoa include their long-term plan for inland relocation and the overlapping climate change adaptation and development agendas.