Ilona Mettiäinen

Regional level climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the Arctic. The focus of my doctoral research is on regional level proactive, planned adaptation to climate change: 1) the ways in which the regional socio-economic and cultural impacts of climate change are identified within the strategic planning process and 2) the ways in which strategic planning needs to be developed so that it can respond to complex and wicked problems such as climate change. The empirical case study of my dissertation is on the collaborative planning process of the regional climate change strategy of Finnish Lapland (2010-2012). Moreover, I have contributed to the Barents Euro-Arctic Council’s work for regional climate strategies for the Barents member regions since 2012 and will reflect this in my dissertation. Expected time of Doctoral defense: 2017.