Scholarly debates on energy and climate change have successfully foregrounded mitigation measures, but often overlook the role of energy in climate adaptation. Adaptation is of key importance to building resilience to climate change impacts, but its link with energy access has not been studied in detail. This study aims to address this research gap by examining the relation between electricity access and climate resilience in the context of Bally Island in the Indian Sundarbans. We deploy a qualitative research approach to investigate whether and how the electricity grid, installed to Bally in 2019, aids residents to build resilience against climate change impacts. Our case study highlights the importance of incorporating climate resilience into future energy planning. We find that benefits of electricity access can help people to become more resilient against climate change impacts. However, it is important to understand contextual limitations to building resilience with electricity. Our case study furthermore shows unintended consequences of grid connectivity that can negatively impact peoples' capacity to build resilience. For example, the untrustworthy electricity grid has led to the decline in popularity of solar PV systems, despite the fact that they are a more reliable alternative to the electricity grid. Therefore, we urge scholars and policy makers to consider the benefits, limitations, and unintended consequences of (planned) electricity measures on people's capacity to build resilience, especially in areas vulnerable to climate change.

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通过获取能源来增强气候适应能力？印度孙德尔本斯地区电网连通性的实证研究

关于能源和气候变化的学术辩论成功地强调了缓解措施，但往往忽视了能源在气候适应中的作用。适应对于增强气候变化影响的抵御能力至关重要，但其与能源获取的联系尚未得到详细研究。本研究旨在通过研究印度孙德尔本斯巴利岛背景下的电力供应与气候适应能力之间的关系来弥补这一研究空白。我们采用定性研究方法来调查 2019 年在巴利安装的电网是否以及如何帮助居民增强抵御气候变化影响的能力。我们的案例研究强调了将气候适应能力纳入未来能源规划的重要性。我们发现，获得电力的好处可以帮助人们增强抵御气候变化影响的能力。然而，了解利用电力建立弹性的环境限制非常重要。我们的案例研究还表明，电网连接会产生意想不到的后果，这可能会对人们建立抵御能力的能力产生负面影响。例如，不可信的电网导致太阳能光伏系统的普及率下降，尽管事实上它们是比电网更可靠的替代方案。因此，我们敦促学者和政策制定者考虑（计划中的）电力措施对人们增强抵御能力的好处、局限性和意外后果，特别是在易受气候变化影响的地区。