Challenges of Built Environment’s Stakeholders in Climate Change Adaptation

Implementing effective climate change adaptation policies and strategies in the built environment can help mitigate the primary consequences of climate change. The built environment contributes heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, and because of its increased population density and economic activity, it is always extremely susceptible to climate change. However, the built environment is complicated and involves a variety of stakeholders, making it difficult to adopt effective climate change adaptation policies and plans. Identifying the challenges stakeholders face in the built environment regarding climate change adaptation is critical to accelerate the implementation process. Therefore, this study aims to identify the challenges of stakeholders’-built environments in climate change adaptation, focusing on the following stakeholder categories: national and local governments, communities, the private sector, academic and research organisations, civil organisations, and professional bodies. The study examined five cases: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Malta. The country-level investigations began following the initial scoping review and development of the analytical framework. The primary results show that all stakeholders struggle with financial resources and capacities. Every country still has substantially limited coordination between national and local governments and other stakeholders. On the other hand, community and civil organisations have insufficient chances and capacities to participate in decision-making, although they operate at the grassroots level. Even though the UK, Sweden, Malta and Spain have adequate knowledge and resources, these countries are facing significant challenges with mainstreaming climate change adaptation with other sectors at the implementation level. In Sri Lanka, research organisations are dealing with a lack of financing opportunities, communication, and coordination, resulting in a significant information and knowledge gap among other stakeholders, limiting their actions on climate change adaptation. It is critical to identify solutions to reduce stakeholders’ challenges and prevent the severe consequences of climate change in the short and long term. Consequently, the study’s findings are noteworthy and can be used to develop successful implementation mechanisms for climate change adaptation while embracing inclusive decision-making.