“Sometimes, I just want to scream”: Institutional barriers limiting adaptive capacity and resilience to extreme events

Abstract

Climate change is increasing atmospheric river risk, requiring communities to build resilience and implement adaptation strategies. Effective infrastructure and emergency management are two adaptations required for communities to cope with, and respond to, acute impacts of climate-related extreme events. In 2021, Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada experienced an unprecedented, yet anticipated, atmospheric river that exceeded risk-mitigation infrastructure and emergency management capacity. We ask: if they knew, why were they not prepared? Through a review of strategic planning documents and a qualitative analysis of semi-structured, key actor interviews, we analyze the impact of adaptive capacity on adaptation implementation. Our findings demonstrate that institutional barriers limited adaptive capacity, stagnated adaptation implementation and, in consequence, existing infrastructure and emergency management were insufficient to prevent acute impacts during the event. Further discussion identified formal and informal institutions preventing adaptation implementation: Formally, hierarchical governance decreased community adaptive capacity and led to infrastructure deficit, while informally, development-driven decision-making overshadowed infrastructure mitigation and preparedness priorities. Historical anthropocentric decisions persisted through path dependencies, preventing resilient decision-making during a time of rapid change. Recommendations are made to address these barriers and empower communities to prepare for climate change. This research offers understanding on institutional barriers limiting adaptive capacity and, more generally, contributes to a growing body of research that elucidates why communities face climate change underprepared.