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Section 2
Section 1
Section 2
ﬁre-adapted ecosystems, or hard defences against ﬂooding) and human 
settlements (e.g. stranded assets and vulnerable communities that 
cannot afford to shift away or adapt and require an increase in social 
safety nets). Maladaptation especially affects marginalised and vulnerable 
groups adversely (e.g., Indigenous Peoples, ethnic minorities, low-income 
households, people living in informal settlements), reinforcing and 
entrenching existing inequities. Maladaptation can be avoided by ﬂexible, 
multi-sectoral, inclusive and long-term planning and implementation of 
adaptation actions with beneﬁts to many sectors and systems. (high 
conﬁdence) {WGII SPM C.4, WGII SPM C.4.3, WGII TS.D.3.1}
Systemic barriers constrain the implementation of adaptation 
options in vulnerable sectors, regions and social groups (high 
conﬁdence). Key barriers include limited resources, lack of private-sector 
and civic engagement, insufﬁcient mobilisation of ﬁnance, lack of political 
commitment, limited research and/or slow and low uptake of adaptation 
science and a low sense of urgency. Inequity and poverty also constrain 
adaptation, leading to soft limits and resulting in disproportionate 
exposure and impacts for most vulnerable groups (high conﬁdence). The 
largest adaptation gaps exist among lower income population groups 
(high conﬁdence). As adaptation options often have long implementation 
times, long-term planning and accelerated implementation, particularly 
in this decade, is important to close adaptation gaps, recognising that 
constraints remain for some regions (high conﬁdence). Prioritisation of 
options and transitions from incremental to transformational adaptation 
are limited due to vested interests, economic lock-ins, institutional 
path dependencies and prevalent practices, cultures, norms and belief 
systems (high conﬁdence).