Adaptation-related responses are frequently motivated by a combination of climatic and non-climatic drivers, and interact with other transitions to affect risk. For societal responses, it is difficult to say whether they are triggered by observed or anticipated changes in climate, by non-climatic drivers, or by a combination of all three. In the case of observed impacts, assessment typically focuses on detection and attribution vis à vis a counterfactual of no climate change. While there has been some effort to attribute reduced climate risk to adaptation-related responses , in many cases this has not been feasible given difficulties in defining adaptation and empirically disentangling the contribution of intersecting social transitions and changing risks. Literature on adaptation-related response frequently draws on theories of change to assess the likely contribution of adaptations to changes in risk, including maladaptation and co- benefits.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report