SRA-E Lisbon 2017

National governments face significant challenges in addressing climate change adaptation due to the persisting uncertainties that surround climate projections up to date. A new impetus for a better governance of climate change is needed. New trends in risk research have overcome old boundaries that limited this field of research to classic applications within the construction or health sector. However, it still remains to be seen whether such new risk approaches can be applied in a broader context also including climate change. This research adds to the current academic debate by taking the critique by Pidgeon & Butler (2009) on the failure of the applicability of traditional risk approaches to climate change and their initial mentioning of the potential of the IRGC framework one step further. By arguing that Renn’s risk governance framework (2005) overcomes the boundaries of traditional risk approaches, this research proves that the current state of the art risk analysis is suitable for the application to the governance of climate change adaptation. Nonetheless, what can Renn’s risk framework, representing the state of the art of risk science, really contribute to the debate on climate change governance? And how can national governments make more risk-based decisions regarding the governance of climate change adaptation? By using the case examples of Germany and the UK, which represent two different risk approaches within their climate change adaptation policy, the potential of the risk governance framework is highlighted. A qualitative content analysis of relevant policy documents, homepages as well as secondary literature concerning climate change adaptation in Germany and the UK is used to scrutinize the posed questions. In addition, expert interviews with relevant actors involved in the process of climate change governance of the relevant countries were conducted. This research finds that in both countries there is still room for better inclusion of risk-based decisions into climate change adaptation policy.

References

IRGC. (2005). Risk Governance: Towards an Integrative Approach, White Paper No.1, O.Renn with an Annex by P. Graham, Geneva: International Risk Governance Council.