The Role of Knowledge and Governance in Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability and Change: A Comparative Study of Water Systems in Brazil

这项研究由科学与社会计划的政策，科学，工程和技术组成部分的研究资助，旨在了解知识在建设水系统适应能力方面的作用，以适应巴西十八个河流流域的气候变异和变化。虽然气候多变性的负面影响已经困扰着世界各地的许多穷人，但预计气候状况的未来变化将对全球南方人口产生更大的影响。虽然知识系统被广泛地理论化为适应能力的决定因素，但专门侧重于知识在适应气候方面的作用的实证研究相对较少。知识，特别是科学产生的知识（或科学技术知识），在过去适应气候压力方面发挥了什么作用？它在建设适应未来气候变化的能力方面可以发挥什么作用？这项研究结合了定性和定量的方法，探讨两个假说的知识使用模式跨流域理事会和科技知识和治理在这些流域的适应能力建设的作用。本研究旨在为气候适应和全球气候变化的人的方面的文献作出贡献，并为社会和经济规划作出贡献，以减轻与气候有关的破坏性影响（干旱、洪水）和与不公平的资源分配、掠夺性用水和排斥性决策过程有关的社会问题。

This study, funded by the Studies of Policy, Science, Engineering and Technology component of the Science and Society Program, seeks to understand the role of knowledge in building adaptive capacity of water systems to climate variability and change across eighteen river basins in Brazil. While the negative effects of climate variability already distress a large number of the poor around the world, it is expected that future changes in the climate regime will affect populations in the global south even more disproportionately. Although knowledge systems have been extensively theorized as a determinant of adaptive capacity, there has been relatively little empirical research specifically focusing on the role of knowledge in adapting to climate. What role has knowledge, in particular science generated knowledge (or technoscientific knowledge), played in past adaptations to climate stress? What role can it play to build adaptive capacity to future climate change? The study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore hypotheses both about patterns of knowledge use across river basin councils and about the role of technoscientific knowledge and governance in building adaptive capacity in these basins. This study aims to contribute to the literature on climate adaptation and human dimensions of global climate change as well as to social and economic planning for the mitigation of both destructive climate-related impact (drought, flooding) and social problems related to inequitable resource distribution, predatory water use and exclusionary decision-making processes.