Climate change adaptation as a part of everyday life: a practice theoretical approach to prevention and preparedness in remote communities

Nordic countries face an increased risk from extreme weather due to climate change. There is a growing need for prevention and preparedness actions on all levels of society. This article focuses on prevention and preparedness actions at the household and community levels. Practice theory is a theoretical approach that brings attention to the more routinized parts of everyday life. In this article, we want to propose a practice theoretical approach to understanding prevention and preparedness actions and how they can contribute to climate change adaptation locally. Many remote communities in the Nordic countries have developed longstanding traditions for coping with disruptions as a part of everyday life, to the extent that those actions have become routinized practices. On the background of four case studies of remote communities in Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Denmark, the article contributes to understanding what kind of climate change adaptation practices exist in remote communities today, and how those practices emerge, change, or disappear. Further, the article discusses how these insights into adaptation practices can inform climate adaptation policies targeting individuals, households and local communities also on more general level in the Nordic countries.