Changing aspirations and the realities of climate change adaptation for young people in Ethiopia and Kenya

The role of aspirations in shaping adaptation choices is seldom discussed in climate change studies, but understanding aspirations can give insights into why people are adapting or not. ASSAR considered the choices young people are making about their futures in semi-arid Ethiopia and Kenya, the reasons behind them, and whether their choices are being affected by climate change. In semi-arid regions, access to key resources such as land and water can be altered by climate variability and this leads to trade-offs that affect each generation differently. As described by Jennifer Leavy in her photo essay, what ASSAR found was that climate uncertainty is driving changes in young people’s aspirations and that adaptation and resilience methods need to support them.