This paper examines the possibility that measures taken to bolster livelihoods and adapt to climate change in one place could increase vulnerability elsewhere. It examines the literature on globalization, development and adaptation to understand how adaptation interventions might create indirect effects that undermine the livelihoods of other people, and how we might predict and/or measure such indirect effects. A framework is proposed which practitioners could use to analyse planned adaptation interventions – specifically, those focused on strengthening livelihoods – in order to identify potential indirect impacts. The framework is applied to a case study of Colombia’s coffee sector, and connections are made between farmers in Colombia, and the global nature of the coffee market, adaptation actions within Colombia and abroad and the redistribution of vulnerability.