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Short answer
Climate resilience is the capacity of a system, such as a community, a facility or an ecosystem, to cope with a climate-related hazard, trend or disturbance and to respond or reorganise so that it keeps its essential function, identity and structure. That is the wording of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Working Group II glossary, and it is the reference definition used on this page.
Definition and scope: the IPCC wording, phrase by phrase
The IPCC AR6 Working Group II glossary (Annex II) defines resilience as “the capacity of interconnected social, economic and ecological systems to cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance, responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity and structure.” The glossary adds that “resilience is a positive attribute when it maintains capacity for adaptation, learning and/or transformation.”
Reading the definition in parts shows what it does and does not claim:
- “Interconnected social, economic and ecological systems”: the unit is a linked system, not a single building, species or budget line.
- “Cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance”: the definition covers a one-off event (a flood), a trend (gradual change) and a disturbance, so it is wider than disaster recovery.
- “Responding or reorganising”: a resilient system may change in order to persist; staying exactly as it was is not required.
- “Essential function, identity and structure”: what has to be maintained is the essential core, not every detail.
- “A positive attribute when…”: resilience is not automatically good. The glossary qualifies it as positive when it keeps the capacity to adapt, learn or transform.
Resilience, adaptation, mitigation and climate resilient development
These terms are often used interchangeably in grant calls and planning documents. The AR6 Working Group II glossary defines each separately.
| Term | IPCC AR6 WGII glossary definition (abridged) |
|---|---|
| Resilience | The capacity of interconnected social, economic and ecological systems to cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance, responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity and structure. |
| Adaptation (human systems) | The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. |
| Mitigation (of climate change) | A human intervention to reduce emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. |
| Climate resilient development | In the WGII report, the process of implementing greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation measures to support sustainable development for all. |
| Vulnerability | The propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected; it encompasses sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt. |
The practical difference: resilience is a capacity (a property a system has), adaptation is a process (adjustment over time), and mitigation is an intervention on emissions. The glossary’s definition of climate resilient development links the last two: it combines mitigation and adaptation measures in support of sustainable development. The glossary also defines climate resilient development pathways as trajectories that strengthen sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities.
How resilience projects are structured: the Steps to Resilience
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (toolkit.climate.gov) describes “Steps to Resilience” as a five-step process for initiating, planning and implementing projects to become more resilient to climate-related hazards, and its site navigation lists the stages as Get Started, Understand Exposure, Assess Vulnerability and Risk, Investigate Options, Prioritize and Plan, and Take Action. The Toolkit says the steps draw on many risk assessment and management frameworks and are meant to help decision makers and community leaders address their greatest risks.
The sequence mirrors the glossary vocabulary: exposure and vulnerability are assessed first, risk follows, and only then are options compared and prioritised. This is a useful ordering to check a proposal against.
Where it matters for research operations (editorial interpretation)
The sources above define the concept; they do not set rules for laboratories. As an editorial reading, the sequence can be used as a checklist when a research facility, field site or data service writes a continuity or adaptation section in a proposal:
- Name the hazard, event, trend or disturbance the system must cope with (the glossary’s wording).
- State what the “essential function” is that must be maintained.
- Separate exposure (what is in the path of the hazard) from vulnerability (propensity to be harmed, including lack of capacity to cope and adapt).
- List options, then prioritise, before committing to action.
For related practical material, see sustainable lab practices, Climate-KIC as an example of a European climate innovation community, and what is ecology for the ecological side of coupled systems. For how IPCC assessments are authored, see IPCC author roles.
Common misunderstandings
- Resilience is not the same as mitigation. Mitigation reduces emissions or enhances sinks; resilience concerns how systems cope with climate hazards.
- Resilience does not mean returning to the original state. The IPCC definition allows “reorganising” while maintaining essential function, identity and structure.
- Resilience is not always desirable. The glossary calls it a positive attribute only when it maintains capacity for adaptation, learning or transformation.
FAQ
What is the IPCC definition of climate resilience?
The AR6 Working Group II glossary defines resilience as the capacity of interconnected social, economic and ecological systems to cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance, responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity and structure.
What is the difference between climate resilience and adaptation?
Resilience is a capacity; adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects (IPCC AR6 WGII glossary).
What is climate resilient development?
In the WGII report it refers to implementing greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation measures to support sustainable development for all.
Sources
- IPCC, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (AR6 WGII), Annex II Glossary: ipcc.ch. Read 2026-11-08.
- U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, Steps to Resilience: toolkit.climate.gov/overview-steps and fact sheet (toolkit.climate.gov/sites/default/files/CRT_factsheet.pdf). Read 2026-11-08.
