Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance
Physical tipping points have gained a lot of attention in global and climate change research to understand the conditions for system transitions when it comes to the atmosphere and the biosphere. Social tipping points have been framed as mechanisms in socio-environmental systems, where a small chang...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Climate |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.1009234/full |
| _version_ | 1811272153091276800 |
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| author | Sirkku Juhola Tatiana Filatova Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler Reinhard Mechler Jürgen Scheffran Pia-Johanna Schweizer |
| author_facet | Sirkku Juhola Tatiana Filatova Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler Reinhard Mechler Jürgen Scheffran Pia-Johanna Schweizer |
| author_sort | Sirkku Juhola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Physical tipping points have gained a lot of attention in global and climate change research to understand the conditions for system transitions when it comes to the atmosphere and the biosphere. Social tipping points have been framed as mechanisms in socio-environmental systems, where a small change in the underlying elements or behavior of actors triggers a large non-linear response in the social system. With climate change becoming more acute, it is important to know whether and how societies can adapt. While social tipping points related to climate change have been associated with positive or negative outcomes, overstepping adaptation limits has been linked to adverse outcomes where actors' values and objectives are strongly compromised. Currently, the evidence base is limited, and most of the discussion on social tipping points in climate change adaptation and risk research is conceptual or anecdotal. This paper brings together three strands of literature - social tipping points, climate adaptation limits and systemic risks, which so far have been separate. Furthermore, we discuss methods and models used to illustrate the dynamics of social and adaptation tipping points in the context of cascading risks at different scales beyond adaptation limits. We end with suggesting that further evidence is needed to identify tipping points in social systems, which is crucial for developing appropriate governance approaches. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:35:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9dbbd56969e148558576de6c0ded51bd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:35:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-9dbbd56969e148558576de6c0ded51bd2022-12-22T03:13:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532022-09-01410.3389/fclim.2022.10092341009234Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governanceSirkku Juhola0Tatiana Filatova1Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler2Reinhard Mechler3Jürgen Scheffran4Pia-Johanna Schweizer5Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandFaculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Delft, NetherlandsSystemic Risk and Resilience Research Group, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, AustriaSystemic Risk and Resilience Research Group, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, AustriaInstitute of Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanySystemic Risks Research Group, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, GermanyPhysical tipping points have gained a lot of attention in global and climate change research to understand the conditions for system transitions when it comes to the atmosphere and the biosphere. Social tipping points have been framed as mechanisms in socio-environmental systems, where a small change in the underlying elements or behavior of actors triggers a large non-linear response in the social system. With climate change becoming more acute, it is important to know whether and how societies can adapt. While social tipping points related to climate change have been associated with positive or negative outcomes, overstepping adaptation limits has been linked to adverse outcomes where actors' values and objectives are strongly compromised. Currently, the evidence base is limited, and most of the discussion on social tipping points in climate change adaptation and risk research is conceptual or anecdotal. This paper brings together three strands of literature - social tipping points, climate adaptation limits and systemic risks, which so far have been separate. Furthermore, we discuss methods and models used to illustrate the dynamics of social and adaptation tipping points in the context of cascading risks at different scales beyond adaptation limits. We end with suggesting that further evidence is needed to identify tipping points in social systems, which is crucial for developing appropriate governance approaches.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.1009234/fulladaptation limitssocial tipping pointsnon-linear changesystemic riskgovernance |
| spellingShingle | Sirkku Juhola Tatiana Filatova Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler Reinhard Mechler Jürgen Scheffran Pia-Johanna Schweizer Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance Frontiers in Climate adaptation limits social tipping points non-linear change systemic risk governance |
| title | Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance |
| title_full | Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance |
| title_fullStr | Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance |
| title_short | Social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk: Concepts, models and governance |
| title_sort | social tipping points and adaptation limits in the context of systemic risk concepts models and governance |
| topic | adaptation limits social tipping points non-linear change systemic risk governance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.1009234/full |
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