maladaptationmeasures
Maladaptation measures are adaptation actions that fail to reduce vulnerability and may even increase it. They arise when policies or projects overlook system interactions, misprice risk, or incentivize behavior that raises future exposure. Maladaptation can occur at local, national, or sectoral scales and may result from short planning horizons, fragmented governance, or data gaps.
Common mechanisms include hardening infrastructure to defend assets in hazard-prone areas, which can encourage development and
Assessment and detection rely on evaluating net harms, distributional effects, cross-border spillovers, and long-term costs. Ex-ante
Policy relevance: Maladaptation can undermine sustainable development goals, waste resources, and entrench vulnerability. Avoiding maladaptive measures
See also: maladaptation, resilience, climate adaptation, risk management.