The overall objective of the conference set out to consider strategies for adapting to climate change, in particular to explore the potential barriers to adaptation that may limit the ability of societies to adapt to climate change and to identify opportunities for overcoming these barriers. The conference was aimed at researchers and practitioners with an interest in understanding how societies adapt to climate change.
The following three themes were explored during the two days:
Theme 1: Adapting to thresholds in physical and ecological systems
Keynote speaker: Garry Peterson, McGill University
Projections indicate significant physical and ecological changes as a result of a changing climate.
What barriers and limits exist to adapting to such changes?What thresholds are there in physical and ecological systems beyond which it is not feasible for societies to adapt? In what ways is adapting to +2 degrees Celsius possible? What might adaptation mean in a system nearing a threshold? How is adaptation possible if the change occurring is irreversible? Which habitat ranges, ecosystem functions and threats of extinction of particular species have been identified to constitute thresholds?
Theme 2: The role of values and culture in adaptation
Keynote speaker: Benjamin Orlove, University of California
Values and culture underpin how societies perceive and interpret the world, and this in turn influences adaptation decisions and actions.
In what ways do values, including non-material values, underpin adaptation decisions and actions? What role does culture play in adaptation? What do irreversible losses of cultural heritage mean to societies? How do impacts of climate change on culture differ from other changes in culture? How can the potential values of future generations be incorporated into current adaptation?
Theme 3: Governance, knowledge and technologies for adaptation
Keynote speaker: Susanne Moser, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Governance structures determine the way in which existing adaptive capacity can be utilised. Knowledge and technology also affect how adaptation can proceed in societies.
What are the barriers to adaptation within various governance structures? In what ways does the status of knowledge and embedded uncertainty about climate change act as a limit to adaptation? How do different ways of knowing influence adaptation? Are there limits to the opportunities that technology can provide for adaptation? How may different forms of governance, including democratic governance, act as barriers to adaptation?
Project Participation:
11 project members participated in the conference. Karen O'Brien presented the article "Climate change and changing values in Norway: Are there limits to adaptation?". Additionally posters were presented by subproject's: