Risk governance of climate-related systemic risk in the Arctic

Understanding and adapting to climate change is one of the greatest ongoing societal challenges. The primary objective of the project is to develop knowledge and tools to make sense of and deal with effects of climate change on society?s ability to protect the life and health of its citizens and to maintain critical infrastructure and function. The starting point of the project is the key role the Arctic plays in understanding and mitigating the challenge of climate adaptation, as the climate already is changing more rapidly in these regions than anywhere else in the world. This means successful risk governance strategies developed in response to climate change in Arctic locations serves as important experiences for future climate change adaptation in mainland Norway and other relevant parts of the world. Longyearbyen will be used as a "living lab" to study and develop assessment and handling of systemic risks (i.e. risks related to a combination of climate change, natural hazards and rippling effects on citizens, infrastructure and societal functions). The project's research group is transdisciplinary with perspectives from technology, safety science, natural science and social science. The research group will collaborate closely with local stakeholders in Longyearbyen: Longyearbyen Local Government, the Governor of Svalbard, Telenor Svalbard, Nordkapp municipality, Skred AS, The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate and the Arctic Safety Centre, University Centre in Svalbard. The most important R&D challenges addressed are: 1) to improve and integrate fragmented steps in risk governance; 2) to demonstrate how to assess and manage uncertainties associated with climate-related systemic risk governance; 3) to make sense of how real-time data, expert knowledge and local knowledge can be combined to control natural hazards; 4) to assess effective strategies for climate change adaptation; 5) demonstrate transferability and innovation based on project results

Understanding and adapting to climate change is one of the greatest ongoing societal challenges. The starting point of the project is the key role the Arctic plays in understanding and mitigating this challenge, as the climate already is changing more rapidly in these regions than anywhere else in the world. This means successful risk governance strategies developed in response to destabilized climate conditions in Arctic locations can serve as a source of early warning frameworks for climate change adaptation in mainland Norway and other relevant parts of the world. Longyearbyen, Svalbard will be used as a "living lab" to study and develop approaches to risk governance that will reduce systemic risks i.e. risks related to a combination of climate change, natural hazards and rippling effects on citizens, infrastructure and societal functions. The primary objective is to develop knowledge and tools to make sense of and deal with effects of climate change on society’s ability to protect the life and health of its citizens and to maintain critical infrastructure and function. To achieve the project's objectives a transdisciplinary approach involving perspectives from technology, safety science, natural science and social science is applied. The methodology is based on case studies and action research in Longyearbyen which encompass combinations of different research methods. The research group will collaborate closely with local stakeholders in Longyearbyen to achieve to objectives of the project. The most important R&D challenges addressed are: 1) to improve and integrate fragmented steps in risk governance; 2) to demonstrate how to assess and manage uncertainties associated with climate-related systemic risk governance; 3) to make sense of how real-time data, expert knowledge and local knowledge can be combined to control natural hazards; 4) to assess effective strategies for climate change adaptation; 5) demonstrate transferability and innovation of project results