Organizing for Resilience. A Comparative Study on Institutional Capacity, Governance, and Climate Change Adaptation in Poland and Norway
POLCITCLIM investigates the factors that may influence climate change adaptation capacity in Poland and Norway. The basis of the project is an ongoing research on local adaptation to climate change in Norway conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). Through a replication and expansion of the study in Norway on Polish municipalities we will be able to compare the factors that enable local communities to adapt to future climate changes.
As the consequence of climate change is predicted with ever greater certainty, the necessity of adapting to expected impacts is increasingly acknowledged by decision makers. Since climate change has local variations, much of the adaptation work is presumed to be best handled locally. The research to be conducted in Poland include:
(1) Survey of Polish local governments identifying the level of awareness of challenges related to climate change among local politicians and bureaucrats in Poland. To what extent they treat related challenges as an important issue of local politics? Do they believe that locally handled adaptive activities are actually important for the well-being of local communities?
(2) Four case studies of Polish cities which will focus on attitudes of local politicians and bureaucrats as well as other societal actors (e.g. non-governmental organizations).
Conclusions from the research will be disseminated to local governments and social organizations dealing with the issues of climate change.
