Adapting to climate change – local challenges and constraints

The research presented in this article was carried out in order to identify the potentials, challenges and limitations of the local government units (JST) included in the Szczecin Metropolitan Area Association (SSOM) in the area of climate change adaptation Design/methodology/approach: The realization of the objective of the study was possible thanks to the use of the method of analysis of literature, legal acts and documents of the European Union, as well as information from representatives of JST obtained by the method of in-depth interviews.Findings: The survey found that the constraints to climate change adaptation processes are the financial limitations of JST, legal and procedural difficulties, as well as the reluctance of local communities, the low level of environmental awareness of residents and insufficient digital competence.High availability of funds for adaptation activities, growing interest of residents in environmental topics, and above all strong EU support were identified as opportunities.Research limitations/implications: The most significant limitation of the conducted research was the limited time for conducting the interviews, due to the fact that the interviews were conducted during the work of the officials.Practical implications: The research presented here can be used by representatives of JST to assess their climate change adaptation activities and to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with this process.The results of the survey can provide a voice in the discussion on the creation of good practices in JST cooperation on adaptation concepts. Social implications:The results of the study provide an overview of JST's climate change adaptation efforts.Originality/value: This study is an independent analysis of JST's activities in the field of climate change adaptation.The conducted study fills the research gap and complements the body of work on the analyzed topic mainly through the applied research method, thanks to which information was obtained from representatives of JSTs affiliated with SSOM, which can M. Bera, M. piewak-Szyjka, A. Oleczuk-Paszel, M. Jankowska provide a basis for developing good practices at the local level related to the studied phenomenon.