Defining and conceptualizing equity and justice in climate adaptation

Abstract

Diverse disciplines are contributing to the growing body of evidence exploring the interaction between climate adaptation and justice and/or equity. As a result, the literature lacks consistency in how the terms equity and justice are applied and defined, challenging efforts to synthesize evidence and translate it into policy and practice. This scoping review aims to investigate the diversity of ways in which climate adaptation researchers conceptualize equity and justice and synthesize common frameworks to lend insight into emerging practices and future research needs. Our results synthesize 316 articles and highlight several gaps in the literature with respect to specific climate hazards and social identity groups. The results also indicate that very few scholars define and differentiate between equity and justice, but when they do, issues of scale, affected actors, pathways and normative principles are key components in such definitions. We expand on these themes, arguing that there is little utility in adaptation scholars and practitioners coming to complete consensus on best approaches for studying and evaluating equity and justice. Rather, research needs to address the plurality of approaches by being explicit in their definitions and conceptual grounding. We provide guidance for achieving such clarity in both the study and practice of climate adaptation. Finally, we compare common equity and justice frameworks according to their specific utility and most relevant contexts. We conclude by underscoring the importance of pluralism in how equity and justice are measured and defined as it parallels the diverse contexts in which climate adaptation occurs. The results of our review call for more nuanced investigation and communication of the ways in which equity and justice intersect with climate adaptation.