摘要：The term adaptive capacity has often been used to indicate therole that various factors may play in determining the extent towhich adaptation to climate change - different actions to dealwith the consequences of climate change - is possible. Whilethe focus on adaptive capacity has been pronounced withinclimate change literature, this literature strongly acknowledgesthat adaptation will not take place with regard to climatechange alone. Adaption to climate change should rather beseen in the context of adaption to all other coexisting stressors,or what has been called double or multiple impacts (O'Brienand Leichenko 2000). The social, economic and politicalsituation thus plays a part in determining whetherenvironmental impact or exposure will result in vulnerabilityand in consequences on the ground (Smit and Wandel 2006).For instance, a flood will only become a disaster if thepreparedness needed to deal with the consequences of floodingdoes not exist. The adaptive capacity or resources to deal withthe risk of flooding, such as the existence of emergency plansand the existence of funding and personnel, are crucial
