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AbstractAdapting to the social, economic, environmental, and health threats resulting from climate change requires successful multilevel governance and improved decision‐making processes. In this study, we evaluate explanatory relationships that support climate change adaptation. Based on the existing literature, we develop and apply a mixed‐methods approach to examine refined drivers of the vulnerability‐readiness nexus. This study examines the context of multilevel governance and the role of anticipatory adaptation in coping with climate risks at the county level in the U.S. Mississippi River Basin between 1990 and 2010. Our focus is on adaptation to climate change within the context of multilevel governance. Our results suggest that anticipatory adaptation and higher levels of regional capacities are particularly effective in adapting to climate change.

Even though empowerment is a frequently mentioned keyword in resident attitude studies, the relationship network of this concept is rather vague. It is critical to understand the factors that influence empowerment, and factors that empowerment influences in return. Therefore, the current study modeled residents' data from the top tourism destination in the U.S.—Orlando, Florida. Data from 415 residents were analyzed using Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on SmartPLS to test the effects of residents' involvement and economic benefits from tourism on their psychological, social and political empowerment, and thus quality of life and ultimately, place attachment. Findings revealed that psychological empowerment is the most significant dimension of resident empowerment influencing both place dependence and place identity, suggesting that residents hold special values for their place. Managerial and theoretical implications, along with limitations (in light of the project occurring pre-COVID-19) and future research opportunities are discussed. Keywords: Resident attitudes, empowerment, place attachment, quality of life, PLS ; N/A

Motivation has long been implicated as an antecedent to place attachment among recreationists. Research has framed this association around expectancy theory, suggesting that the realization of preferred modes of experience leads to a positive evaluation of a setting (i.e., attachment). In this study, we tested an alternative hypothesis rooted in self-determination theory, which purported that place attachment arises from the realization of human needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. We tested this hypothesis using structural equation modeling with data from a study of visitors to wilderness areas in the southeastern United States. Results support the proposition that perceptions of a landscape supporting autonomy, relatedness, and competence are associated with identification, dependence, and emotional connection with that landscape. Reframing the association between motivation and place attachment around psychological needs furthers the generalizability of results and highlights the importance of wilderness as a context for self-determined thought and behavior.