Search

Global warming has reduced the extent of permafrost, increased permafrost temperatures, and deepened the active layer across the Arctic. Permafrost degradation has detrimental effects on infrastructure and negative impacts on ecosystem services for many Arctic communities. This study examines the adaptive capacity for managing permafrost degradation in Northwest Greenland. The methods are based on questionnaire and interview data from fieldwork, frozen ground temperature records and published data forecasting the deepening of the active layer. Results illustrate the impact of permafrost degradation on the physical environment, hunting and harvesting, housing, and the economy in Northwest Greenland. House owners are mending damage caused by ground movement, and local institutions are concerned with the maintenance of roads and other public infrastructure impacted by permafrost. The scientific knowledge needed to inform decision-making is useful for identifying overall changes, but existing data sources are scarce, and more detailed permafrost maps are needed for long-term town planning. The study concludes that many individuals and institutions engage in autonomous adaptation on an ad hoc basis, rather than pursuing an overall strategy to increase the adaptive capacity in advance of future permafrost degradation in Northwest Greenland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common challenge for Northern communities is how to retain local benefit from resource-based industries. This study assesses the process of developing a local smart specialisation strategy in two municipalities, Storuman and Sodankylä, both located in the Northern Periphery. The assessment framework applied is based on the concept of 'strategic dimensions' (Healey, 2009), along with a qualitative set of process and outcome criteria (Innes and Booher, 1999). Our assessment of the strategic process indicates that all dimensions required for strategic planning were represented within it, but that they were mostly responsive rather than transformative in character. When comparing results from process criteria and outcome criteria, the process criteria score significantly higher. The strategic process engaged social networks and involved local stakeholders in discussion and joint prioritisation. According to the participating stakeholders, the local smart specialisation strategies in Storuman and Sodankylä enhanced local preparedness. However, a significant limitation was a lack of long-term human and financial resources to address challenges in relation both to resource-based industries and local territorial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change may significantly impact the large number of households in developing countries depending on agricultural production, not least through changes in the frequency and/or magnitude of climatic hazards resulting in household income shocks. This paper analyses rural households' responses to past experiences of and future expectations to substantial and unexpected negative and positive agricultural income shocks. Empirical data is derived from an environmentally-augmented structured household (n = 112) survey in the high mountains of central Nepal. Multinomial logit regression, using data on rural household demographics, assets (agricultural land, livestock), value of other assets such as furniture, bicycles, and agricultural implements, and income sources showed that household coping choices are determined by opportunities to generate cash. We argue that public policies should enhance the ability of rural household to generate cash income, including through environmental products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]