Local experiences in adapting to climate change can influence policy
Press release: 9 May 2011
New research shows how local climate adaptation lessons can inform public policy based on analysis from climate adaptation expertise in Sweden, Canada and Indonesia.
STOCKHOLM – Mainstreaming of climate adaptation into sectoral policies is now a political priority. Often this relies on an up-scaling model where lessons learned from local change processes are used to inform decision making at higher administrative levels. However, there are numerous examples of climate adaptation research being used simply as a means to justify findings convenient for centralised decision-makers or specific interest groups.
Solving this issue of using climate adaptation research properly requires careful analysis of how local climate adaptation lessons become relevant for public policy and what the opportunities and risks are in exploiting local case studies for climate adaptation policy making.
In a new report published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Framework for Supporting the Dialogue Between Policy Processes and Local Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons from Case Study Research in Sweden, Canada and Indonesia, researchers from SEI, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Environment Canada and Brock University reveal a groundbreaking study synthesising evidence from five years of research in Sweden, Canada and Indonesia.
In this report the authors map out a methodological framework and a new vocabulary for climate adaptation professionals to consider more explicitly the different ways case studies can be used to inform policy processes.
“Negotiation of national and international policies on climate adaptation is very often disconnected from the experiences of local practitioners” says Rasmus Klocker Larsen, lead author of the report and Research Associate at SEI. “The distribution of climate funds is characterized by a struggle between different interests groups, and in many cases it is they who shout their political agendas loudest and most effectively, who decide on how our policy regime shall look like. If policy shall be implementable and actually lead to the outcomes we desire then it will be critical to learn more from local professionals and their experiences.”
Related links:
Download the full report: www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=1882
Download the policy brief: www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=1881
Media contacts:
Ylva Rylander - SEI Head of Communications: +46 (0)73-150 33 84 ylva.rylander@sei.se
Rasmus Klocker Larsen, Research Associate at SEI and lead author: +46 (0)73 707 8564 rasmus.klocker.larsen@sei.se
Stockholm Environment Institute is an independent international research institute. The Institute has established a reputation for rigorous and objective scientific analysis in the field of environment and development. SEI’s goal is to bring about change for sustainable development by bridging science and policy. Further information at www.sei-international.org
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