Community-based economic adaptation to climate change: Insights from the north coast of Java, Indonesia

Coastal communities in the Global South face increasing socio-economic disruption from climate change, particularly where livelihoods depend heavily on climate-sensitive resources. Although previous studies have documented coastal vulnerability and local adaptation practices, limited research has examined how household-level socio-economic capacities and community-based institutions jointly shape economic adaptation outcomes in Indonesia's climate-vulnerable coastal regions. This study investigates how education, access to capital, and cooperative membership influence household economic adaptation on the northern coast of Java, Indonesia. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed, combining a survey of 518 households with 30 in-depth interviews and focus group discussions across five coastal regions. The quantitative analysis shows that education, access to capital, and cooperative membership all had positive and statistically significant effects on economic adaptation success, with access to capital emerging as the strongest predictor (R 2 = 0.396, p < 0.001). The qualitative findings identified three dominant adaptation pathways: livelihood diversification, financial and savings practices, and climate-smart training accompanied by behavioral adjustments. These findings indicate that household adaptation is shaped not only by exposure to coastal hazards but also by access to financial resources, learning opportunities, and collective support structures. The study concludes that effective coastal adaptation requires stronger financial inclusion, context-specific capacity-building, and support for community-based institutions. These results contribute empirical evidence from Indonesia and offer practical insights for designing more inclusive adaptation policies in climate-vulnerable coastal settings.