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Questioning complacency: climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway
Karen O'Brien1, Siri Eriksen, Linda Sygna
1Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo in Norway. karen.obrien@sgeo.uio.no
Ambio
|May 26, 2006
Summary
Climate change adaptation in Norway reveals indirect social impacts are crucial. Vulnerability varies, creating winners and losers, and national capacity can hide adaptation barriers for the most affected.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sociology
- Climate Change Studies
Background:
- European climate change assessments often focus narrowly on sectors and ecosystems.
- Technological adaptations receive more attention than the social processes of climate change adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze recent studies on climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway.
- To identify the broader social implications of climate change beyond sectoral effects.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of recent research findings on climate change in Norway.
- Qualitative assessment of social vulnerability and adaptive capacity.
Main Results:
- Indirect effects and potential thresholds of climate change are more significant than direct sectoral impacts.
- Interactions between sensitive regions/sectors and social vulnerability create disparities, leading to "winners" and "losers".
- High national adaptive capacity can obscure adaptation barriers faced by vulnerable populations.
Conclusions:
- Complacency regarding climate change impacts and adaptation in Norway and Europe is unwarranted.
- Greater emphasis on the social context of climate change and the processes driving vulnerability and adaptation is necessary.
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