Brink, Wessel (2026) Towards Just Adaptation: Lessons from Rotterdam for Climate Justice in Groningen's Adaptation Policy. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Climate Adaptation Governance (CAG).
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Abstract
Climate change adaptation planning is increasingly recognised as a critical tool for addressing the climate crisis. However, adaptation strategies often remain biased towards technocratic approaches that overlook questions of equity and justice. This can unintentionally exacerbate existing or create new inequities. This thesis examines how the municipality of Groningen can improve its climate change adaptation policy (CCAP) to better align with the principles of climate justice (CJ), with the municipality of Rotterdam serving as a potential example. It aims to answer the following research question: How can the municipality of Groningen improve their climate change adaptation policy to better align with the principles of climate justice? Lessons from Rotterdam. Using the Adaptation Justice Index (AJI), the most recent CCAPs of both municipalities were analysed through a deductive qualitative content analysis across four dimensions of CJ: recognitional, distributive, procedural, and restorative justice. The analysis reveals that Groningen’s AJI score (35%) is overall significantly lower than Rotterdam’s (67%). The gap is most pronounced in recognitional justice, the foundational dimension of CJ. Groningen's policy mainly reflects the technocratic bias in adaptation planning, with justice considerations largely absent or implicit. Rotterdam's relatively advanced score can largely be attributed to the institutional anchoring of CJ through a dedicated municipal department. Based on these findings, four transferable lessons are drawn for Groningen from Rotterdam: 1) institutionally anchoring CJ; 2) reframing adaptation as a social as well as a physical challenge; 3) embedding equity across the policy cycle; and 4) ensuring policy continuity. This study contributes to the existing CJ literature by examining how local governments operationalise justice in their CCA planning, and it contributes to the underexplored literature on adaptation governance in medium-sized cities. The study concludes that with a new CCAP on the horizon, Groningen has a unique opportunity to become a reference for just adaptation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Muldoon, M.L. |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Jul 2026 07:40 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Jul 2026 07:40 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/867 |
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