While climate change manifests itself as a global phenomenon, impacts are experienced most acutely at the local scale. As a result, the onus of responding to climate change impacts through planning policies and practice falls on local government decision-makers. This qualitative study, based in Charlottetown, Canada, utilizes the framework of resilience theory to examine the relationship between systems, agents, and institutions in addressing climate vulnerability to build community resilience. Findings suggest that while non-municipal agents such as senior orders of government and external organizations are championing proactive adaptation through climate impact research and adaptation initiatives, the municipality has taken a non-urgent, reactionary approach in the face of climate stressors, often implementing initiatives that further exacerbate climate vulnerability. In the face of system vulnerabilities and cascading failures, deep institutional barriers, influencing and influenced by agents, contribute to the low prioritization of climate adaptation action. Institutional and agent-induced constraints at the municipal scale have led to the lack of internal initiative to act within the municipality, undermining the efforts of external organizations and senior orders of government. This study highlights the importance of robust local government agents and institutions as a prerequisite to enable local-scale climate adaptation.

虽然气候变化本身表现为一种全球现象，但在当地范围内受到的影响最为严重。因此，通过规划政策和实践应对气候变化影响的责任落在了地方政府决策者身上。这项定性研究位于加拿大夏洛特敦，利用复原力理论框架来检查系统、代理和机构在解决气候脆弱性以建立社区复原力方面的关系。调查结果表明，虽然政府高级命令和外部组织等非市政机构通过气候影响研究和适应举措支持主动适应，但市政府在面对气候压力因素时采取了非紧急、反动的方法，经常实施进一步加剧气候脆弱性的举措。面对系统脆弱性和级联故障，受代理人影响和影响的深层制度障碍导致气候适应行动的优先级较低。市政规模的制度和代理人引起的限制导致缺乏在市政内部采取行动的内部主动性，破坏了外部组织和政府高级命令的努力。本研究强调了强有力的地方政府代理和机构作为实现地方规模气候适应的先决条件的重要性。导致气候适应行动的优先级较低。市政规模的制度和代理人引起的限制导致缺乏在市政内部采取行动的内部主动性，破坏了外部组织和政府高级命令的努力。本研究强调了强有力的地方政府代理和机构作为实现地方规模气候适应的先决条件的重要性。导致气候适应行动的优先级较低。市政规模的制度和代理人引起的限制导致缺乏在市政内部采取行动的内部主动性，破坏了外部组织和政府高级命令的努力。本研究强调了强有力的地方政府代理和机构作为实现地方规模气候适应的先决条件的重要性。