A clear difference between enabling conditions and catalysing conditions is emerging in the climate mitigation literature , with some examples in the adaptation literature as well . Though enabling conditions are necessary pre-conditions that allow response options to be formulated and implemented, their presence alone does not guarantee that these response options will occur in a timely fashion or at a scale commensurate with the risk, or even that they will occur at all. Catalysing conditions address this deficit in advancing action. They serve to overcome the inertia that often operates as a barrier to action and motivate individuals and organisations to initiate or accelerate action. Different forms of catalysing conditions, described below, lead individuals and organisations to weigh more seriously the costs of delaying action or keeping action at low levels. Catalysing conditions focus the attention of individuals and organisations on particular risks, leading actors to augment their decision-making processes and to allocate financial and social resources to respond to those risks. This attention and deliberation can lead to more frequent and potentially substantial adaptations, whether through more extensive action on existing forms of adaptation or through the adoption of entirely new adaptations .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report