More flooding, heatwaves and landslides are just a few examples of what a warmer climate can bring. Today many different stakeholders are working with climate change adaptation, in order to address the emerging conditions, including local government, state agencies, businesses and the research sector. This can involve reducing risks as well as leveraging new opportunities.
Mattias Hjerpe is director of the Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research at Linköping University:
“In the Nordic countries we have got off to a good start, and there is a high level of knowledge in a number of fields. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. We have to share our experiences, and inspire each other to keep moving forward, and get more actors to begin the adaptation process.
Nordic meeting on climate change adaptation
Anyone who works with or is interested in working with climate change adaptation can attend the Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation on 23-25 October in Norrköping.
Titled ‘Nordic solutions for robust societies’, the conference is primarily an opportunity to exchange ideas on climate change adaptation and to find solutions in various sectors of society.
“The conference is an important forum for strengthening climate change adaptation in the Nordic region. By sharing our experiences we can make more progress in our efforts to build sustainable communities. And it puts us in a better position to meet the challenges we face,” says Rolf Brennerfelt, director general of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.
The conference will cover a wide range of issues: the latest in climate change research, planning for rising sea levels and adapting infrastructure to a changing climate. Other themes include the future of food supply, how the Nordic region is affected by climate change from other regions, and how politics can manage both climate change and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.
The conference will also look at topics such as how residents can be engaged to develop robust, low-carbon communities, and solutions for communicating complex issues to various groups in society.
For anyone who works in climate change adaptation
The conference welcomes people who work in climate change adaptation, within the fields of science, in local communities, governments and municipal administration, in ministries and national authorities, politics, businesses, industry and NGOs. The conference languages will be English and Swedish/Norwegian/Danish.
The Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation takes place every two years and this is the fifth conference in the series. Previous conferences have been held in Bergen, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm. This year the organizers are the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, the Municipality of Norrköping and the University of Linköping.