Understanding the adaptation paradox: can global climate change adaptation policy be locally inclusive?

Using a detailed case study of the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in Nepal and Bangladesh, this PhD thesis focuses on local vulnerability within global climate change risk. It is hypothesized that the ‘paradox’ of local risk at the global scale gives rise to a globalized discourse that restricts local perspectives and knowledge on how risks are experienced. Calling on environmental governance to integrate local perspectives of climate risk, it focuses on three dimensions of inclusive policy-making, namely participation, expertise and deliberation. The author concludes that Nepal took a more inclusive approach to NAP preparation than Bangladesh which was influenced by historical and political context.