The jobs of climate adaptation

As climate change impacts human systems, associated adaptation efforts are beginning to shape the quality of life in cities and other places. How the work of climate change adaptation is being undertaken, by whom, where and for whose benefit, has important justice and equity outcomes. Increasingly, adaptation work is being formalised into paid jobs. This emerging field of work has been rarely studied, but it is important to understand because the disciplinary backgrounds, organisational positions, roles, responsibilities and spatial locations involved are likely to have a disproportionate influence on wider approaches to climate change risk and adaptation, including societal understandings of what actually is climate change adaptation. This paper commences the investigation into paid adaptation work by analysing Australian job advertisements for adaptation roles, and interviewing associated hiring managers. It identifies three biases in the jobs of adaptation on offer towards: well-resourced and urban-based positions; professional services; and a climate risk management interpretation of adaptation. These biases indicate that urban adaptation has the potential to ossify, if not exacerbate, unjust urban geographies. To help moderate this risk of maladaptation, investment is required into other forms of adaptation work, particularly within the public sector.