The politics of local climate risk management – A comparison of risk logic in the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden

Abstract

Drawing on the securitisation and riskification of climate change literature, this paper investigates local governments’ climate risk management following a comparative analysis of three cases in the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The comparative analysis reveals how unwanted consequences of climate change are translated into climate risks, identifying the actors involved in these translations. The analysis then determines the means through which the translations occur, following a risk logic that underpins a particular governmental response to climate change. The findings of this analysis have been contrasted in terms of effects and side effects of the risk logic, showing that the three local cases follow a similar pattern. This paper contributes to understanding the challenges of climate risk management in terms of fortifying existing risk practices, expert-led responses with limited citizen involvement, and long-term societal engineering.