The long and winding road of climate-resilient development: a case study–driven analysis of shocks, policy strategies, and individual reactions in Austria

Winkler, C., Seebauer, S., Dreisiebner-Lanz, S., Thaler, T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3869-3722, Mitter, H., Posch, E., Gorbach, T., Steiger, R., & Kropf, B. (2026). The long and winding road of climate-resilient development: a case study–driven analysis of shocks, policy strategies, and individual reactions in Austria. Regional Environmental Change 26 (1) e36. 10.1007/s10113-025-02473-y.

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Abstract

Ongoing and future climate change impacts call for climate-resilient development that integrates adaptive and mitigative approaches. Climatic and non-climatic shocks, which are rare and disruptive events, might promote transformative changes and effectively improve climate resilience. Following the IPCC’s concept of Climate Resilient Development Pathways (CRDPs), we use document analysis and semi-structured interviews with n = 41 stakeholders and n = 46 affected individuals to analyse three case studies in Austria: residential relocation after a flood, agricultural water management during a multi-seasonal drought, and tourism investments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case studies track policy strategies and individual reactions across three distinct phases: strategy development prior to the shock, strategy application during the shock, and strategy impact following the shock. The shocks revealed that the existing policy strategies may fix or at least alleviate the policy problems in the short term but do not catalyse the entry into CRDPs. Several policy strategies were adapted and implemented to support affected individuals but are not transformed by the shocks. The policy strategies mostly fail to promote climate resilience because of disconnected governance levels, fragmented sectoral perspectives, and a lack of horizontal policy coordination. If individuals realise measures that are effective for both climate change adaptation and mitigation, they do so on their own accord and are not triggered by specific policy instruments. Shocks do not emerge as distinct milestones on CRDPs. Future climate-resilient policy strategies should include binding regulations, regional differentiation, and flexibility for individual needs.

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