Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

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Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

Climate change is causing a northward spread of some serious human and animal diseases, and increased risk of remobilization of contaminants.This trend is likely to increase pressure on public health services and increase the need for disease prevention strategies and accessible health care and veterinary services across the Barents area. Well-functioning and reliable connections to infrastructure have already become essential for the social and economic functioning of remote communities in the Barents area. Climate change may provide new opportunities for improving accessibility, within and to the region. However, more extreme weather conditions may disrupt existing infrastructure, putting livelihoods and economic activity at risk, and increasing the cost of maintaining the current level of economic activity, due to increased maintenance and rebuilding costs. Future development of natural resources in the Barents area will depend onmajor investment to ensure the resilience of existing and new infrastructure under climate change. Adaptation is a response to multiple changes and drivers Conflict over land use in the Barents area will continue; with growing demand to acquire land for activities such as wind farms and mining and hydrocarbon extraction occurring alongside the traditional needs of reindeer herding, farming, forestry and fisheries. Infrastructure development, land fragmentation and climate change are all interconnected drivers of change. Conflicting interests regarding land use rights and their effects on the livelihoods of indigenous peoples is a recurring theme throughout the Barents area. Adaptive capacity in the region Adaptation is both a new policy field and a normal part of everyday life for individuals, communities, corporate actors, and whole societies as they adjust their activities in relation to observed and anticipated changes. The capacity to adapt is inherently dependent on environmental and economic diversity, and on social and organizational networks and mobility. ‘One size does not fit all’ Adaptation is already taking place in the Barents area, taking different forms depending on institutional capacity, access to knowledge, and human and economic resources. Potential strategies range from technical solutions (e.g. infrastructural reinforcements),regulatory actions (e.g.building codes,land use planning, regulation of access to natural resources, healthcare instructions), economic mechanisms (e.g. insurance policies, incentives, subsidies and taxes), innovation (e.g. diversification of tourism activities, crop varieties, aquaculture) to institutional structures (e.g. climate data provision, search and rescue, interagency coordination). The Barents area has significant human, social, infrastructural, and biological resources to draw upon in responding to rapid change. However, there is variation in adaptive capacity within and between the countries in the region, particularly between growing urban centers and depopulating rural areas. In the primary industries,adaptation to climate change is predominantly reactive while adaptation by local governments is predominantly proactive, such as spatial planning and avalanche protection.

Processes that activate adaptation Adaptation as a continuous social process

Responses to climate change impacts are shaped by and interact with political, cultural and socio-economic factors. The processes leading to the development and implementation of adaptation actions are highly significant and contribute to building adaptive capacity in the Barents area.Adaptation in the region should therefore be recognized as a continuous social process, rather than a project or a specific measure.This shifts attention towards the social actors and institutions that generate adaptation practices and actions, including their embedded knowledge, values, power relations, and resources. Cooperation and coordination across governance levels are important for local capacity building, along with a clear distribution of responsibility. Approaches that may be used to produce knowledge about local and regional perspectives in the area include downscaled climate information, community studies, local and indigenous knowledge collection, and stakeholder engagement. The process of adaptation starts with an acknowledgement that change is occurring and that adaptation is required in order to address both short- and long-termperspectives.Access to relevant knowledge and observations of real events such as floods, outmigration and unemployment, can affect the perceived need to adapt.Access to knowledge about the change, and to human and financial resources are critical dimensions for activating adaptation processes. With respect to climate change such information is generally produced at a national level, but often as part of larger international efforts. However, knowledge can only be used if it is available, understandable and relevant for local conditions and activities. Access to and co-production of knowledge is critical Many communities have called for specific tools and information to help them identify key challenges and effective adaptive measures. These need to go beyond providing information about the future climate and could, for example, include regional maps that visualize multiple changes and effects, cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options, and statistical data to assess the progress of implementation of adaptation strategies and to facilitate comparisons between different sub-regions. The integration of traditional, local and scientific knowledge across various levels is required to ensure that adaptation decisions are robust.Knowledge is improvedwhen conventional science and regular policy development is combined with traditional and local knowledge. Understanding cumulative impacts and future consequences of climate and socio- economic drivers provides essential information to assist local and regional decision-makers in planning future development and advancing adaptation strategies. Development of adaptation strategies can be achieved through applying indicators and exploratory scenarios. Carefully constructed indicators may make information on complex issues more accessible to decision-makers and thereby support policy planning,prioritization of potential actions,reassessment and follow-up. Indicators can be used for establishing baselines and to assess the direction and speed of change. The report suggests a framework of resilience indicators based on five

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