Hacking adaptation: What role can policy hackathons play in understanding and adapting to climate change impacts?

Planners and policy makers face complex and pressing decisions under climate change. To complement traditional planning processes, new tools and methods are needed to make rapid and integrated assessments of climate change impacts and adaptation options. In this perspective, we reflect on the potential of policy hackathons to support climate adaptation planning and policy development. Drawing on five hackathons conducted in Brazil and the Netherlands, we illustrate how these short, intensive, co-creation events enabled first-order assessments of climate risks and adaptation options, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and catalyzed action. We argue that policy hackathons are a promising approach for exploring urgent and emergent questions, identifying knowledge gaps, and generating momentum within planning and policy-making processes. Hackathons also support the continuous learning and innovation required by adaptation. Most importantly, within planning and policy processes, hackathons can contribute to accelerating climate action.