James D. Ford

Navigating the tensions of co-producing climate adaptation research

Calls to co-produce climate adaptation research with communities are multiplying, yet engagement often remains shallow: communities are consulted, not granted shared authority over how problems are framed, findings are interpreted, and outputs are used. This Perspective distinguishes instrumental engagement from epistemic partnership, and argues that the main barrier to meaningful co-production is institutional rather than methodological. It offers insights for participation that is rigorous, ethical, and institutionally workable, structured around three stages of shared authority.