Research areas

Projects

2025-2029: Principal Investigator, project coordinator, principal applicant, and case leader (Alaska, USA) in the NordForsk-funded research project titled LostToClimate: Addressing Unavoidable Non-Economic Losses to Climate-Induced Events for Communities in the Arctic (budget: NOK 55,6 mio.).

There are 19 researchers in the project, and the affiliated institutions/organisations are: University of Bergen, University of Alberta, University Centre of the Westfjords, University of Turku, The University of the Faroe Islands, SDU Climate Cluster, University of Colorado Boulder, Penn State University, Luleå University of Technology, Tłı̨chǫ Government, Oceans North Kalaallit Nunaat, and Tambo Film.

The LostToClimate research project aims to answer four key research questions. First, what types of non-economic losses and damages can be expected in the Arctic? Second, what non-economic losses and damages versus adaptation trade-offs are communities willing to make? Third, how can we deliver the evidence required to articulate just responses to non-economic losses and damages? Fourth, what types of responses to non-economic losses and damages do Arctic communities prefer? We will conduct research in Canada, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States of America.

2021-2024: Principal Investigator, project coordinator, principal applicant, and case leader (the Faroe Islands) in the NordForsk-funded project titled CliCNord: Climate Change Resilience in Small Communities in the Nordic Countries (budget: NOK 10,9 mio.).

There were 17 researchers in the project, coming from six Nordic universities (Lund University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Research Institutes of Sweden, University Centre of the Westfjords, The Arctic University of Norway, and University College Copenhagen).

The CliCNord research project examined how small rural communities in selected areas of the Nordic countries perceive their own situation, how they respond to adverse events and build capacity, and under what circumstances they require assistance from established systems and civil society organisations. The project investigated vulnerable communities in the Nordic countries in regard to climate change resilience. The main idea was to enable small communities and authorities to work together on tasks concerning prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery – all phases necessary to secure communities against hazardous events. CliCNord included several very different hazards affecting local communities across the Nordic countries. The hazards regarded as direct consequences of climate change include coastal flooding due to storm surges, heavy rainfall, wildfires, temperature extremes, landslides, snow avalanches, flash floods, and storms. There was a total of eight cases in five countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands). The methodologies were predominantly qualitative, drawing inspiration from social science.

2021-2023: Project Leader and co-applicant: NOS-HS exploratory workshop grant: Climate Change of Critical Infrastructure in Remote Areas in the Nordic countries (3CIRAN) (budget: EUR 42.708). The primary objective of this workshop series was to establish a new research group to examine the increased vulnerability due to Climate Change of Critical Infrastructure in Remote Areas in the Nordic countries. Three workshops were arranged and held (in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland). The workshops involved mainly scholars in the co-creation of research ideas. All workshops featured 2-4 international keynote speakers and included scientific presentations from the participants, with early-career researchers playing a strong and active role in the workshops. The kick-off workshop took place in Åre/Östersund, Sweden, in May 2022, and involved local practitioners and visiting infrastructure experts who are prone to natural hazards. The second workshop was in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2022 and included visits to climate adaptation infrastructure at several locations. The third and final workshop was held in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2023.

2020-2026: Project Leader and principal applicant: EU Erasmus+ Mobility Grant (Belize, Central America). Climate Change Adaptation, Risk Management, and Innovation (CARMIne) (budget: EUR 100.638)