Characterising resilience: unpacking the concept for tackling climate change and development

The term 'resilience' is increasingly used in the context of discussion, policies and programming around climate change adaptationFootnote1 ('adaptation') and disaster risk reductionFootnote2. It has become particularly popular to describe the intersection between these two fields and those of poverty and development, and 'climate resilient development' is rapidly becoming a catch-all for tackling climate change impacts in a development context. This paper reviews academic use of the concept of 'resilience' in social, ecological and socio-ecological systems and its application to the climate, disaster and development nexus. From this review, we distil 10 key characteristics of resilience: high diversity; effective governance and institutions; the ability to work with uncertainty and change; community involvement and the inclusion of local knowledge; preparedness and planning for disturbances; high social and economic equity; robust social values and structures, acknowledging non-equilibrium dynamics, continual and effective learning and the adoption of a cross-scalar perspective. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps and suggest directions for further research.