Glossary of key terms

Capability: capability in an adaptation context refers to the ability of organisations, and the people within then, to act wisely in the face of complex problems like climate change adaptation, and the ability of the systems they work within to enable them to act in this way.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.01.007

Climate change adaptation: climate change adaptation means changing our environment, society, or economy to respond to the effects and impacts of climate change that are already happening, or are predicted to happen in future.
Source: https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/what-do-adaptation-to-climate-change-and-climate-resilience-mean

Competence: in a climate change adaptation context, competence can refer to either the power and responsibility that governments at different levels have to create and enforce laws and regulations relating to adaptation; or the skills and knowledges that organisations and the people working within them have that enable them to address complex adaptation challenges.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102248

Equity: environmental equity means equal and fair protection from environmental hazards, as well as access to environmental benefits, for all, regardless of income, race, and other characteristics. Equity is closely linked to justice.
Source: https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/environmental-equity/climate-equity/;https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343521000294)

Financing: adaptation financing refers to sources of money that support efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Adaptation financing may come from a diverse range of sources, including both public and private sectors, and may be provided across many different levels, from local up to international.
Source: https://www.wri.org/insights/difficulty-defining-adaptation-finance

Governance: governance of climate change adaptation refers to how different groups of people, across government, industry, communities, academia, and societal organisations, work together to address the problems associated with adapting.
Source: http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08797-210337

Justice: Justice is concerned with setting out the moral or legal principles of fairness and equity in the way people are treated, often based on the ethics and values of society. Social justice comprises just or fair relations within society that seek to address the distribution of wealth, access to resources, opportunity and support according to principles of justice and fairness. Climate justice comprises justice that links development and human rights to achieve a rights-based approach to addressing climate change. The term climate justice generally includes three principles: distributive justice which refers to the allocation of burdens and benefits among individuals, nations and generations; procedural justice which refers to who decides and participates in decision-making; and recognition which entails basic respect and robust engagement with and fair consideration of diverse cultures and perspectives.
Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/

Legislation: legislation sets out the law, and therefore the procedures or standards that organisations and individuals have to follow. In an adaptation context, adaptation legislation refers to laws or parliamentary acts that commit the government, organisations and individuals to implement specific actions or reach specific targets for climate change adaptation. Legislation can be used to enforce actions set out within policies.
Source: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/An-introduction-to-policymaking-in-the-UK.pdf

National adaptation plan (NAP): NAPs are plans developed by countries that identify what they will need in the medium- to long-term (i.e. over the coming years and decades) to adapt to climate change, and set out the strategies and programmes countries will use to meet these adaptation challenges.
Source: https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/workstreams/national-adaptation-plans

Policy: a policy is a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual. Policies tend to evolve over time, and can be a means of implementing actions set out in legislation.
Source: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/An-introduction-to-policymaking-in-the-UK.pdf

Resilience: resilience is the ability of societies, economies and environments to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance, and to be able to respond in ways that sustains their essential functions, identities and structures and also maintains their capacity to adapt, learn and transform
Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/glossary/

Transformation refers to a change in the fundamental attributes of natural and human systems
Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf

Vulnerability: the propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected and encompasses a variety of concepts and elements, including sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt. Vulnerability is widely understood to differ within communities and across societies, regions and countries, also changing through time.
Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf