To Örebro University

Extreme events are increasingly prominent in society. Both experienced environmental catastrophes, such as hurricanes, droughts and flooding and anticipated ones (such as the consequences of climate change) are reported in the media, discussed in public arenas and negotiated about in political discussions. The focus is both on how to mitigate the events that occur and how to minimize the consequences of those events that it is assumed will occur (by developing adaptation capacity and coping strategies).

A changing climate has widespread consequences, for example extreme weather. An important task is to decrease exposure and vulnerability, and increase the resilience of systems in order to minimize the adverse effects of climate-related extreme events. Even if many extreme events cannot be avoided or mitigated, regulation can make systems more robust.

This presentation focuses on extreme events and their regulation. Three questions are in focus: What is an extreme event? To what extent are they preventable or at least manageable? And, what role do regions play in regulating extreme events?