Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Arctic Communities: Preliminary Comparative Results from the IPY CAVIAR Project

CAVIAR (Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Arctic Regions) is a research consortium that is systematically assessing the vulnerability of communities across the circumpolar Arctic to changing environmental conditions, including climate change. The project involves case studies, using a common framework, to document exposures and adaptive strategies to deal with changing conditions. Through collaboration with representatives from community organizations, resource management bodies, and government at multiple levels, CAVIAR research outlines the ways in which northern communities actually experience environmental and other change, how it affects them, how they deal with it, what limits they face, their capacity to adapt in the future, and the role of government in adaptation. This presentation will highlight comparative findings from across the Arctic. While the range of vulnerabilities and adaptations in Arctic communities is very diverse, there are indications that current adaptation initiatives are rarely undertaken in anticipation of future climate change.