How can Nordic societies better navigate uncertain futures and put climate-resilient development into practice? This question brought researchers and practitioners together in Kristiansand on 3–4 September 2026 for a two-day workshop exploring how Climate Resilient Development (CRD) in the region can be strengthened through local action, collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The workshop was co-organised by the Centre for Integrated Emergency Management (CIEM) at the University of Agder and the Centre for Climate Resilient Development (CRED) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
The event connected 20 researchers and practitioners working with local communities in the Nordics and explored how CRD can be developed in the region through co-creation, living labs and other collaborative approaches. A key aim was to explore particular strengths, weaknesses, commonalities, and differences among the Nordic countries in implementing CRD.
The workshop was co-organised by the Centre for Integrated Emergency Management (CIEM) at the University of Agder and the Centre for Climate Resilient Development (CRED) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
The event connected 20 researchers and practitioners working with local communities in the Nordics and explored how CRD can be developed in the region through co-creation, living labs and other collaborative approaches. A key aim was to explore particular strengths, weaknesses, commonalities, and differences among the Nordic countries in implementing CRD.
From knowledge to local action
The participants examined how climate change, biodiversity, disaster risks, and societal development are interconnected. Professor Siri Eriksen, Head of CRED, highlighted the importance of combining diverse forms of knowledge, ecosystem stewardship, equity, and inclusion to enable more sustainable and resilient pathways.
Three Nordic cases illustrated different approaches: Economic assessment of flood risks in Danish municipalities, political and institutional choices shaping sustainable development pathways in Vestland, Norway, and the development of a CRD living lab with six municipalities in the Follo region, outside Oslo, Norway.
Participants also explored the Nexus Approach, examining how decisions concerning land, water, energy, food and ecosystems can create both trade-offs and opportunities.
Co-creating climate-resilient futures
In an interactive session led by Post-doc Lucia Castro Herrera the participants explored how communities can become more active contributors to CRD. What constitutes a community, what enables meaningful participation, and how knowledge, resources and institutional support can empower local actors, were key topics.
The workshop highlighted that advancing CRD requires more than merely technical solutions. It calls for collaboration across disciplines and sectors, attention to competing interests and values, and new spaces where researchers, policymakers, practitioners and communities can jointly shape future development pathways.
The participants concluded to establish a Nordic Network on Climate Resilient Development, with the aim of developing a stronger regional approach to CRD.
Contact Professor Siri Eriksen (siri.eriksen@nmbu.no) if you are interested in joining the network.