E. Carina H. Keskitalo – författare

Climate change vulnerability assessment is a rapidly developing field. However, despite the fact that such major trends as globalization and the changing characteristics of the political and economic governance systems are crucial in shaping a community‘s capacity to adapt to climate change, these trends are seldom included in assessments. This book addresses this shortcoming by developing a framework for qualitative vulnerability assessment inmultiple impact studies (of climate change and globalization) and applying this framework to several cases of renewable natural resource use.

The book draws upon case studies of forestry and fishing - two of the largest sectors that rely on renewable natural resources - and reindeer herding in the European North. The study represents a bottom-up view, originating with the stakeholders themselves, of the degree to which stakeholders find adaptation to climate change possible and how they evaluate it in relation to their other concerns, notably economic and political ones. Moreover, the approach and research results include features that could be broadly generalized to other geographic areas or sectors characterized by renewable natural resource use.

Climate change vulnerability assessment is a rapidly developing field. However, despite the fact that such major trends as globalization and the changing characteristics of the political and economic governance systems are crucial in shaping a community‘s capacity to adapt to climate change, these trends are seldom included in assessments. This book addresses this shortcoming by developing a framework for qualitative vulnerability assessment inmultiple impact studies (of climate change and globalization) and applying this framework to several cases of renewable natural resource use.

The book draws upon case studies of forestry and fishing - two of the largest sectors that rely on renewable natural resources - and reindeer herding in the European North. The study represents a bottom-up view, originating with the stakeholders themselves, of the degree to which stakeholders find adaptation to climate change possible and how they evaluate it in relation to their other concerns, notably economic and political ones. Moreover, the approach and research results include features that could be broadly generalized to other geographic areas or sectors characterized by renewable natural resource use.

Climate change is affecting the Arctic environment and ecosystems at an accelerating speed, twice the rate of the global average. This is opening the Arctic to transportation and resource development and creating serious challenges for local communities and indigenous peoples.

Climate Governance in the Arctic considers two aspects of climate change from an institutional perspective. It focuses on how relevant regimes, institutions and governance systems support mitigation of climate change. It also examines the extent to which the varying governance arrangements in the Arctic support adaptation and the development of adaptation processes for the region. The book’s focus on Arctic governance offers unique insights within climate change mitigation and adaptation research.

Naturförvaltning är ett område som vanligtvis styrts av staten. Idag pågår i Finland, Norge och Sverige försök att involvera lokala aktörer i beslut som rör skydd och nyttjande av olika naturresurser. Vilka är förutsättningarna för lokalt deltagande? Är det möjligt att förena kraven på naturskydd och nyttjande? Kan nationella demokratiska behov förenas med lokala rättigheter och brukarmedverkan?

Fortfarande finns det en rad brister i de tre ländernas strategier. Att involvera lokala aktörer i förvaltningen av omstridda resurser har visserligen inneburit möjligheter att pröva nya institutionella lösningar. Samtidigt har en rad svårhanterliga och, än så länge, olösta problem synliggjorts.

I boken Omstridd natur medverkar finska, norska och svenska forskare från olika discipliner. Redaktörerna Camilla Sandström är verksam vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen Umeå universitet, Sissel Hovik, vid Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning, Oslo, och Eva Irene Falleth, vid Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning, Oslo och Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap, Ås.