The Nordic countries have begun the job of adapting their societies to climate change. But a lot of work remains. To facilitate the exchange of experiences, and to learn more about climate change adaptation, a conference will be held from 23 to 25 October in Norrköping, Sweden. The organisers are Linköping University, Norrköping Municipality and Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).
Asphalt that lets water pass through, checklists for staff in elderly care in the event of a heatwave, interactive visualisation tools, cloudburst roads and floodable squares. These are some of the urban solutions for addressing climate change. On 23-25 October, Nordic stakeholders from local government, the business sector, state bodies and research will get together to discuss these and other solutions to climate change.
"It's great that close to 400 people are coming to Norrköping to discuss these issues. We have a chance to make a difference, as the results of the conference will be sent to the Nordic Council of Ministers", says Mattias Hjerpe, senior lecturer at Linköping University's Department of Thematic Studies – Environmental Change and director of the Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research, CSPR.
How fast are sea levels rising?
A large number of people in Scandinavia live along the many coastlines. Part of the conference will focus on strategies for dealing with the rising sea levels. Ola Kalén, oceanographer and sea level expert, is one of the speakers who will talk about this. He will present the latest research on the rate at which sea levels are rising globally.
"Low-lying areas that are currently built up can end up under water. What we can do is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, and thereby slow global warning", says Ola Kalén.
The presentation on rising sea levels will be held on 24 October.
In the future, where will the Nordic region source its food?
Another conference theme is the future of food provision in the Nordic region. Agriculture is sensitive to changed weather conditions, and in some parts of the world, climate change has already decreased access to food.
The conference will discuss topics including the need to adapt agricultural production and to limit vulnerability, which type of food we need – and how much – as well as the capability of producing food outside the agricultural sector and the reliance on imports.
At the conference, there will also be a special event on the report on global warming of 1.5 degrees that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, released on 8 October.
The conference is part of the programme for the 2018 Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Representatives from the media are welcome to participate in parts of or the entire conference.
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No advance registration is required; just register on arrival.
When, where, how?
Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation (NOCCA)
Date: 23-25 October 2018
Location: Louis De Geer Konsert & Kongress, Norrköping, Sweden
Conference website, including programme: http://nordicadaptation2018.net/programme
Contacts:
Linköping University
Mattias Hjerpe
Title: senior lecturer, Linköping University,
Contact details: [email protected], +46 11 36 34 38
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI
Åsa Sjöström
Title: head of operations, The Swedish National Knowledge Centre for Climate Change Adaptation, SMHI
Contact details: [email protected], +46 11 495 82 18
Norrköping Municipality
Merja Willman
Title: sustainable development coordinator, Norrköping Municipality
Contact details: [email protected], +46 11 15 19 83
About the Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation (NOCCA):
The conference welcomes all who work on 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. Its aim is to exchange ideas for adaptation methods, to identify solution opportunities across many sectors of society, to increase our knowledge of the latest climate science and of practical experiences of climate adaptation, and to discuss how to integrate solutions for adaptation and mitigation.
Media Contact
Therese Ekstrand Amaya
[email protected]
46-132-82251
@liu_universitet
http://www.liu.se
