Introduction

Past climate action has demonstrated that traditional, within-the-box approaches to resolving unusual, never-before-addressed problems are holding back the creation of a common shared agenda that is inclusive and effective. The climate emergency is generating phenomena previously unknown and exposing social and ecological vulnerabilities that, if unaddressed or unaccounted for, will only worsen the existing crisis [1]. Adaptation Futures, held from October 12–17 this year in Christchurch, New Zealand, has marked the beginning of a revolution in new ways of doing, being, and knowing, in which adaptation to climate change is increasingly being recognised as not possible through technical solutions alone, but also through socio-political ones. Adaptation is materialised through relational and intersectional approaches, which cannot be imagined or realised without contextualization, openness, and experimentation [2].

This year, the Adaptation Futures conference featured more arts-based, creative, and co-created sessions than ever before. That is striking, given the theme of the conference “Accelerating Adaptation Action”, as creativity is often linked to reflection rather than rapid action. Yet, this shift reveals something important: decisive adaptation requires a clear but flexible roadmap. If we rush ahead without asking where we want to go, how we will get there, and who needs to be included, we risk stumbling into what has been referred to as maladaptation, that is, potential unintended or intentionally overlooked negative consequences of adaptation actions [3]. Imagination and arts-based approaches are proving essential for charting those roadmaps before we hit the accelerator [4,5].

We observed this first-hand at the conference. Crowded rooms exploring scenario-based gaming, a variety of arts-based methods, or participatory storytelling revealed a clear hunger for creative approaches to energising adaptation action and collective visions (see selected photos in Fig 1). Across the conference sessions and activities, there were more mentions of the need for imagination and re-imagination, for breaking down barriers, and for bringing diverse forms of knowledge and values into the decision-making process than we have ever experienced in any other conference. Early convening of diverse stakeholders and co-creation are seen as essential steps in building a shared understanding of what positive and inclusive climate-changed futures could look like, allowing communities, practitioners, and decision-makers to visualise possibilities before implemented choices produce lock-ins.

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Fig 1. Arts-based and creative sessions at Adaptation Futures. Credit: Mathilda Englund.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000822.g001

This, for us, is an awakening, and a call to scientists, practitioners, local communities, and policymakers: adaptation requires breaking through invisible social, political, and institutional barriers. As we write this piece, we have four high-level recommendations to make this possible:

Imagining with, not for, communities

Answering this call requires a good-faith invitation for diverse stakeholders, including vulnerable and marginalised communities, to reimagine the solution space beyond the confines of climate hazards and risk reduction [6]. Dominant narratives often frame co-creation as an optional expense, yet research and practice show it is foundational to effective sustainability action [7]. Rather than an added burden, genuine co-creation saves resources by preventing maladaptive or ineffective actions and by enabling inclusive learning practices [8]. Creative methods offer practical, intuitive, low- or no-barrier formats for co-creation across contexts, drawing on the universality of visual and symbolic language across cultures and regions [4].

Creating space for inclusion

Meaningful inclusion requires careful, transparent reflection on who needs to be involved, when and where participation takes place, and what resources, capacities, and power are necessary to make engagement consequential. This means recognising that people experience climate risks and adaptation processes differently and that these differences shape who can speak, be heard, and influence outcomes [9]. Participation must move beyond symbolic invitations or one-off consultations towards representative processes that genuinely and creatively account for the needs, values, and knowledge of local communities and stakeholders, particularly historically marginalised groups [10]. Such processes must also open space for different imaginaries of adaptation to surface and be treated as legitimate [2,5,8]. Thinking creatively about ways to make this possible is a first step, which requires meaningful changes to institutional processes, timelines, and decision rules so that diverse knowledge, imagination, and lived experience can truly drive grounded action [11].

Changing ourselves first

We invite adaptation researchers and practitioners to resist ruminating on what seems impossible or unfamiliar, and instead focus on the conditions that make change desirable and plausible. Transformative adaptation begins with us: it requires a willingness to engage thoughtfully with unfamiliar ways of working, embracing experimentation as a means of learning and change [12]. For researchers, this means relinquishing control over outcomes in co-creation processes and instead positioning ourselves as both subjects and agents of change [13]. For practitioners, it means questioning who is in the room and remaining humble when we do not get it right the first time [14]. For communities, it means recognising and valuing their role as co-creators of adaptation present and futures, with lived experience, knowledge, and aspirations that actively shape action and challenge extractive forms of participation. Cultivating these personal competences helps overcome fear of failure or accountability, fostering curiosity, ownership and acceptance of uncertainty when testing new methods and ways of doing.

Revolutionising through imagination

To spark an adaptation revolution, we must open spaces where imagination leads, and experimentation is welcomed. Facing new challenges demands new ideas and innovations shaped by diverse needs, creative thinking, and bold departures from the status quo. By encouraging people to rethink assumptions, test possibilities, and envision alternative futures in creative ways, we are fostering the mindset needed for transformative change from the inside out. Transformation moves at the speed of creativity and imagination, and this transition requires new methods, new tools, and new spaces to co-create, innovate, and act collectively for the common good.

Through this thinking, we are cultivating the capacity to shape a hopeful world through deliberate, informed action that draws on diverse needs, inclusive values, and creative yet flexible approaches. Hope is necessary to drive adaptation action [15]. Hope is the conviction that things can be different and that change can happen, but we believe, and we argue here, that it takes on real power only when shared collectively in inclusive spaces that inspire creativity and imagination toward climate adaptation. More and more projects, policies, and plans led by reflective, hopeful, and creative individuals and communities are open to new ways of doing things. We wholeheartedly believe that we now have the necessary evidence, energy, and spirit to collectively revolutionise this field, for good.