The Risk of Cascading Climate Change Shocks and Stressors - Science for Adaptation Policy Brief #5

This policy brief examines how climate change produces cascading shocks and stressors that propagate across physical, social, and economic systems, amplifying human vulnerabilities and undermining sustainable development. Drawing on published literature and two empirical case studies — the 2011 Thailand floods and the 2021 Madagascar famine — the brief illustrates how climate-related events trigger transboundary consequences across supply chains, food security, migration, and public health, with disproportionate impacts on women, children, the elderly, and marginalized groups. It identifies key constraints to effective response, including inadequate financing, weak institutional coordination, poor baseline data, and inequitable access to adaptive resources. The brief concludes that building adaptive capacity and resilience requires transdisciplinary collaboration, cross-sectoral governance, and the integration of emerging technologies into adaptation planning and monitoring.