How Are Governance Capacities for Local Climate Action Formed? Applying the CAPS Framework to Heat and Drought Adaptation in Small and Medium-sized Municipalities in Austria

Small and medium-sized municipalities in Austria are increasingly affected by heat and drought. Still, empirical evidence for the formation of governance capacities for climate change adaptation and their translation into concrete action remains limited. This study applies the CAPacity building through Shared understanding (CAPS) framework conceptualizing local climate action as arising from social learning processes that link governance capacities and shared understanding of risk and coping appraisals. The study examines whether the CAPS elements can be distinguished empirically and whether they correspond to different levels of local climate action, comparing two frontrunner with four laggard municipalities in a heat-affected region in eastern Austria. A qualitative content analysis of 70 semi-structured interviews with local political leaders, administrative staff, and societal actors was performed. The results show that the risk appraisal of heat and drought is high and shaped by recent weather events. Municipalities with more diverse and active actors, better staff, financial, knowledge and communication resources, and sustained intermunicipal networks implement more systematic adaptation measures, whereas municipalities with weaker capacities rely on isolated responses. Frontrunner municipalities have higher response efficacy beliefs because they continuously roll out new and revise existing adaptation measures, while laggard municipalities tend to deny heat risks or attribute responsibility for climate action to external agents. The findings empirically confirm the elements posited by the CAPS framework; however, further studies are required to track social learning. Efforts to build local adaptive capacity should not only provide additional resources, but also provide more access to intermunicipal networks.