As individuals and households have increasingly suffered the effects of climate change, substantial research has focused on understanding behavioral adaptation, the process of individuals and households responding to climate change to reduce future risk and improve well-being. However, this research is limited by the challenge of evaluating adaptation and differentiating it from coping. The theoretical literature suggests that planned, proactive, and transformative responses are more consistent with the concept of adaptation, while autonomous, reactive, and incremental efforts are more consistent with the concept of coping. We developed an index based on these features for evaluating behavioral responses to climate change in terms of coping and adaptation. We tested the index with a regression model of variables theorized to foster adaptation. Our empirical context was small woodland owners responding to climate change-related stressors (storms, insect and disease outbreaks, winter thaws, droughts, heat waves, and wildfires) by managing their forests in the Northwoods, USA. We found that a small but notable proportion of the owners exhibited behavior more consistent with adaptation than coping. A larger proportion of owners exhibited behavior more consistent with coping than adaptation. The greatest proportion exhibited mixed coping-adaptation behavior, confirming theories that coping and adaptation occur on a continuum, with interplay between the two. We also found the regression model explained how consistent their responses were with adaptation relative to coping. Our findings advance scholarly understanding of behavioral adaptation and how to evaluate it more consistently and coherently. Our findings also enhance practical understanding of how small woodland owners adapt to climate change.

中文翻译：

---

从应对和适应角度评估对气候变化的行为反应：指数法

随着个人和家庭越来越多地遭受气候变化的影响，大量研究集中在理解行为适应，即个人和家庭应对气候变化以减少未来风险和改善福祉的过程。然而，这项研究受到评估适应并将其与应对区分开来的挑战的限制。理论文献表明，有计划的、主动的和变革性的反应更符合适应的概念，而自主的、反应性的和渐进的努力更符合应对的概念。我们根据这些特征制定了一个指数，用于评估应对和适应方面对气候变化的行为反应。我们用理论上促进适应的变量回归模型测试了该指数。我们的实证背景是小型林地所有者通过管理美国诺斯伍兹的森林来应对与气候变化相关的压力源（风暴、昆虫和疾病爆发、冬季解冻、干旱、热浪和野火）。我们发现一小部分但值得注意的主人表现出的行为更符合适应而不是应对。更大比例的主人表现出的行为更符合应对而不是适应。最大比例的人表现出混合的应对-适应行为，证实了应对和适应是连续发生的，两者之间相互作用的理论。我们还发现回归模型解释了他们的反应与应对相关的适应的一致性。我们的研究结果促进了对行为适应以及如何更一致和连贯地评估行为适应的学术理解。我们的研究结果还增强了对小林地所有者如何适应气候变化的实际理解。