Identifying constraints and limits to adaptation to climate-related risks in the Peruvian Andes

Hagen I.; Schnyder S.; Yanac León I.; Juhola S.; Muñoz R.; Muccione V.; Huggel C. · Climate and Development (2026) · DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2026.2655966

Resumen

Constraints within socio-ecological systems provide formidable challenges to address climate change through adaptation and risk management, and have the potential to drive a system to an adaptation limit. Understanding adaptation limits is crucial for assessing society's capacity to adapt and avoiding significant losses and damages. However, there is limited empirical research on limits to adaptation. We present a practical approach on how to identify constraints, and draw links to when constraints have obstructed adaptation action to the point of reaching limits. This exploratory study is based on in-depth interviews with residents and practitioners in two regions in the Peruvian Andes, utilizing a conceptual framework. Our findings highlight how interconnected constraints across various domains have obstructed adaptation action to the point of reaching limits, including a community dismantling an early warning system and the failure to relocate residents after a flood, with adverse impacts on various aspects of residents’ basic needs and wellbeing. Our findings contribute to the empirical understanding of adaptation limits, underscore the need to focus on multiple interconnected constraints and provide directives on how to avoid reaching certain limits. The study aims to provide a framework for assessing limits to adaptation also in regions beyond the Andes.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle