Climate Change Adaptation through Renewable Energy: The Cases of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom

In recent years, climate change has escalated significantly, with forecasts indicating that this trend will further accelerate in the future. Renewable energy systems play a crucial role in global efforts to mitigate climate change due to their minimal greenhouse gas emissions. These systems also have the potential to facilitate the energy sector’s adaptation to climate change, given their decentralized nature, which enhances the resilience of energy infrastructure to extreme climate events. Nevertheless, existing literature predominantly focuses on their role in global mitigation efforts, often overlooking their significant adaptation capacity, particularly as reflected in national policies. This study seeks to bridge this gap through a qualitative examination of how renewable energy is incorporated into climate change adaptation policies in three countries: Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It highlights a growing awareness of the role of renewable energy within these countries’ adaptation policies. However, while there is consensus on the importance of policy factors such as local focus, research initiatives, and risk assessment in utilizing renewable energy for adaptation, this study reveals that the actual deployment of renewable energy remains largely centered on mitigation efforts, partly neglecting crucial adaptation needs in the energy sector, such as geographical and technological diversification.