To view the full program as a PDF, click here to download.Risk analysis in the Nordic area in a time of transition10th SRA-Europe Nordic Chapter ConferenceEdda – Institute for Icelandic Studies, ReykjavíkTuesday, October 1st. 202608:30–09:00 Registration and coffee on arrival09:00–09:10 Welcome and opening09:10–09:55 KEYNOTE – Katherine McComas (Cornell University, US)“When the Earth Moves: Risk Perception and the Politics of Geothermal Acceptance”09:55–10:20 Coffee10:20–11:20 PLENARY SESSION 1 – “Whose acceptance? Politics and public perception of climate and energy policy”10:20 Bouder (University of Stavanger, NO) – Risk acceptance and tolerance of wind power: comparing Nordic and non-Nordic experiences10:35 Böhm (University of Bergen, NO) – Aligning Public Perceptions and National Policy: A Mental Models Approach to Energy Transition Pathways in the Netherlands and Norway10:50 Axelsson (University of Gothenburg, SE) – Climate risk at home: material exposure and preferences for adaptation11:05 Balžekienė (Kaunas University of Technology, LT) – The uncertainties and risks in green transition in Baltic Sea Region and the role of civil society11:20–12:00 ROUNDTABLE – “Whose acceptance, whose transition? Climate, energy and public trust in the Nordic region”Moderator: TBC12:00–13:00 Lunch13:00–14:25 Parallel sessionsA1 – Sectoral systems under pressure: energy, maritime, markets and foodChair: TBC13:00 Mäki (Tampere University, FI) – Cross-sectoral energy system resilience13:15 Barzehkar (Aalto University, FI) – Wintertime risk assessment of maritime traffic and offshore wind farm interactions in the Northern Baltic Sea13:30 Linkevičius & Okunevičiūtė Neverauskienė (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT) – Emerging real estate investment risks under the green and digital transition13:45 Budryte (Kaunas University of Technology, LT) – Monitoring local digital currencies and managing emerging risks: the case of Local for Local project14:00 Nikkanen (University of Helsinki, FI) – Collaborative risk governance in the dairy sector: trust and tension in a protein production system14:15 Session discussion (to 14:25)B1 – Vulnerability-informed preparedness capacityChair: TBC13:00 Guikema (University of Michigan, US) – Community resilience, access and natural hazards13:15 Orru (University of Tartu, EE) – Disaster preparedness capacity analysis: evidence from multi-hazard scenarios13:30 Hansson (University of Tartu, EE) – Disaster preparedness education for children: a comparative framework13:45 Joao-Hussar (University of Tartu, EE) – Estonian case study on the use of a vulnerability assessment model for people with physical disabilities14:00 Rezk (University of Tartu, EE) – Adoption of innovation in disaster risk management systems in Europe: Case studies of the Rotterdam region, Southern Estonia, La Réunion, and Malta14:15 Session discussion (to 14:25)14:25–14:45 Coffee14:45–16:15 Parallel sessionsA2 – Perception, culture and communicationChair: TBC14:45 Kvarnlöf (Mid Sweden University, SE) – Safe places? Rural imaginaries in risk biographies15:00 Pálsson (University of Iceland, IS) – From sagas to cyberspace: a practitioner’s view of Icelandic resilience, Viking Age to today15:15 Scheibehenne (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE) – Risk as range15:30 Stieber (Harz University of Applied Sciences, DE) – Managing the expectation gap: an overlooked psychosocial risk in Antarctic overwintering and analog space missions15:45 Session discussion (to 16:15)B2 – Catastrophic risk, foresight and decision under uncertaintyChair: TBC14:45 Stefánsson (Stockholm University, SE) – Risk management under severe uncertainty15:00 Nero (University of Tartu, EE) – PrepCap: a simulation exercise for whole-of-society preparedness capacity development15:15 Sosnowski (KTH Stockholm and Södertörns fire and rescue service, SE) – Sufficient and satisfactory? A sufficientarian framework for civil protection15:30 Wilson (University of Otago, NZ) – Famine risk from volcanic eruptions: the Tambora eruption of 1815 and statistical associations with famines internationally, 1–1900 CE15:50 Siimsen (University of Tartu, EE) – Strategic foresight in disaster risk management: practices across Europe16:05 Session discussion (to 16:15)16:15–16:35 Break16:35–17:35 PLENARY SESSION 2 – “Security, defense and democratic resilience in the Nordic-Baltic region”Chair: TBC16:35 Bondesson (Lund University, SE) – Can protecting democratic values put them at risk? Security, risk, and democratic values in Swedish total defense planning16:50 Große (Luleå University of Technology, SE) – Lost in transition? The (re-)construction of comprehensive defence in Sweden17:05 Moraczewska (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, PL) – Strategic islands as risk observatories: can Greenland and Gotland anticipate future systemic risks?17:20 Ritchik (Lithuanian Center for Social Sciences, LT) – From risk perception to collective action: joining the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union as a response to geopolitical uncertainty17:35–18:05 DISCUSSION – “Whose security, whose resilience? Citizens, the state and democratic values”Moderator: TBC18:05–18:10 Closing of day 118:10–19:00 SRA-Europe Nordic Chapter Business MeetingMembers and anyone interested19:30 Conference dinnerOptional, separate bookingFriday, October 2nd. 202609:00–09:45 KEYNOTE 2 – Matthias Kokorsch (University Center of the Westfjords, IS)“From Emergency to Precedent: Grindavik and the Future of Climate Risk Governance in Iceland”09:45–10:15 Coffee10:15–11:30 PLENARY SESSION 3 – “Hazard, community and continuity in remote and island regions”Chair: TBC10:15 Þóreyjardóttir Smáradóttir (ÖRUGG Consulting Engineers, IS) – Children as a risk parameter: psychosocial consequence, rights as constraint, and continuity in recovery assessment10:30 Gisladottir (Agricultural University of Iceland and University Center of the Westfjords, IS) – When the community is the system: disaster risk management and climate adaptation in remote settlements in Iceland10:45 Tómasson (University of Iceland, IS) – From events to functions: a bottom-up societal continuity for national safety11:00 Karlsson (University of Iceland, IS) – The development of a methodology for risk and rescue capability assessment in the Baltic Sea Region and application to maritime rescue scenarios in the Nordic Arctic11:15 Boyd (Adapt Research / Islands for the Future of Humanity, NZ) – From systemic risk to persisting nodes of complexity: islands as a hedge against global societal collapse11:30–12:00 ROUNDTABLE 2 – “From emergency to precedent: what does Grindavik oblige us to change – and what do other island societies already know?”Moderator: TBC12:00–12:30 Closing discussion and remarks and group photo12:30 End of conference

Registration and fees

Registrationhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfULM2UqUE4OpEhYkYySPVKBaVDimELTzjZQEu75OFcxo85iQ/viewform?usp=dialogRegistration fee Regular (€365) Payment should be made on this secure link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/v3qfzqSRA-Member (€300) Payment should be made on this secure link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/c2g4asStudent (€150) Students pay through this link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/qx8m4x

SRA Nordic 2026

Q: Abstract submission

Abstract submission For abstract submission, please use the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSel3cfA2JQ2yDWhBw-gN9DxLGpPKhzM6dwHxH4svjGW9-7X-w/viewform?usp=dialog

Date
Starts October 1st. 2026
Ends October 2nd. 2026

Language
English

Location
Edda - Institute for Icelandic Studies (Arngrímsgata 5, 107-Reykjavik)

Contact
tih@hi.is

We are pleased to welcome you to the 10th SRA-Europe Nordic Chapter conference: “Risk analysis in the Nordic area in a time of transition.”

Starts October 1st. 2026 at 9:00
Ends October 2nd. 2026 at 13:00

Key dates:

Abstract submission: August 1st 2026 (notifications on abstract acceptancy by August 15)
Registration deadline:
- September 12th 2026 for presenters,
- all others September 24, 2026

The conference provides an interdisciplinary forum for the presentation and discussion of current research in risk science, including risk perception, communication, assessment, governance, management, and policy, with particular emphasis on contemporary challenges facing the Nordic region.

The Nordic and Baltic regions are currently experiencing profound geopolitical realignments from both anticipated and unforeseen directions. These developments unfold alongside already observable climate impacts and broader societal transformations. More broadly, the global landscape is characterised by shifting security architectures, accelerating climate change, and rapid technological advances. How can risk science and risk analysis contribute to understanding, anticipating, and managing these complex and interrelated challenges?

The conference seeks to provide a dynamic and inclusive forum for scholarly exchange and professional dialogue. By convening early-career, established, and leading experts in risk research and practice, we aim to reinforce the community engaged in addressing the evolving challenges confronting the Nordic, Baltic and Arctic regions, while promoting rigorous debate, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the formation of new research partnerships.

More information will follow…..

Katherine McComas, professor, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

When the Earth Moves: Risk Perception and the Politics of Geothermal Acceptance

Matthias Kokorsch, Ph.D. University Centre of the Westfjords

From Emergency to Precedent: Grindavík and the Future of Climate Risk Governance in Iceland

To view the full program as a PDF, click here to download.

Risk analysis in the Nordic area in a time of transition

10th SRA-Europe Nordic Chapter Conference
Edda – Institute for Icelandic Studies, Reykjavík

Tuesday, October 1st. 2026

08:30–09:00 Registration and coffee on arrival
09:00–09:10 Welcome and opening

09:10–09:55 KEYNOTE – Katherine McComas (Cornell University, US)
“When the Earth Moves: Risk Perception and the Politics of Geothermal Acceptance”

09:55–10:20 Coffee

10:20–11:20 PLENARY SESSION 1 – “Whose acceptance? Politics and public perception of climate and energy policy”

10:20 Bouder (University of Stavanger, NO) – Risk acceptance and tolerance of wind power: comparing Nordic and non-Nordic experiences
10:35 Böhm (University of Bergen, NO) – Aligning Public Perceptions and National Policy: A Mental Models Approach to Energy Transition Pathways in the Netherlands and Norway
10:50 Axelsson (University of Gothenburg, SE) – Climate risk at home: material exposure and preferences for adaptation
11:05 Balžekienė (Kaunas University of Technology, LT) – The uncertainties and risks in green transition in Baltic Sea Region and the role of civil society

11:20–12:00 ROUNDTABLE – “Whose acceptance, whose transition? Climate, energy and public trust in the Nordic region”
Moderator: TBC

12:00–13:00 Lunch

13:00–14:25 Parallel sessions

A1 – Sectoral systems under pressure: energy, maritime, markets and food
Chair: TBC

13:00 Mäki (Tampere University, FI) – Cross-sectoral energy system resilience
13:15 Barzehkar (Aalto University, FI) – Wintertime risk assessment of maritime traffic and offshore wind farm interactions in the Northern Baltic Sea
13:30 Linkevičius & Okunevičiūtė Neverauskienė (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT) – Emerging real estate investment risks under the green and digital transition
13:45 Budryte (Kaunas University of Technology, LT) – Monitoring local digital currencies and managing emerging risks: the case of Local for Local project
14:00 Nikkanen (University of Helsinki, FI) – Collaborative risk governance in the dairy sector: trust and tension in a protein production system
14:15 Session discussion (to 14:25)

B1 – Vulnerability-informed preparedness capacity
Chair: TBC

13:00 Guikema (University of Michigan, US) – Community resilience, access and natural hazards
13:15 Orru (University of Tartu, EE) – Disaster preparedness capacity analysis: evidence from multi-hazard scenarios
13:30 Hansson (University of Tartu, EE) – Disaster preparedness education for children: a comparative framework
13:45 Joao-Hussar (University of Tartu, EE) – Estonian case study on the use of a vulnerability assessment model for people with physical disabilities
14:00 Rezk (University of Tartu, EE) – Adoption of innovation in disaster risk management systems in Europe: Case studies of the Rotterdam region, Southern Estonia, La Réunion, and Malta
14:15 Session discussion (to 14:25)

14:25–14:45 Coffee

14:45–16:15 Parallel sessions

A2 – Perception, culture and communication
Chair: TBC

14:45 Kvarnlöf (Mid Sweden University, SE) – Safe places? Rural imaginaries in risk biographies
15:00 Pálsson (University of Iceland, IS) – From sagas to cyberspace: a practitioner’s view of Icelandic resilience, Viking Age to today
15:15 Scheibehenne (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE) – Risk as range
15:30 Stieber (Harz University of Applied Sciences, DE) – Managing the expectation gap: an overlooked psychosocial risk in Antarctic overwintering and analog space missions
15:45 Session discussion (to 16:15)

B2 – Catastrophic risk, foresight and decision under uncertainty
Chair: TBC

14:45 Stefánsson (Stockholm University, SE) – Risk management under severe uncertainty
15:00 Nero (University of Tartu, EE) – PrepCap: a simulation exercise for whole-of-society preparedness capacity development
15:15 Sosnowski (KTH Stockholm and Södertörns fire and rescue service, SE) – Sufficient and satisfactory? A sufficientarian framework for civil protection
15:30 Wilson (University of Otago, NZ) – Famine risk from volcanic eruptions: the Tambora eruption of 1815 and statistical associations with famines internationally, 1–1900 CE
15:50 Siimsen (University of Tartu, EE) – Strategic foresight in disaster risk management: practices across Europe
16:05 Session discussion (to 16:15)

16:15–16:35 Break

16:35–17:35 PLENARY SESSION 2 – “Security, defense and democratic resilience in the Nordic-Baltic region”
Chair: TBC

16:35 Bondesson (Lund University, SE) – Can protecting democratic values put them at risk? Security, risk, and democratic values in Swedish total defense planning
16:50 Große (Luleå University of Technology, SE) – Lost in transition? The (re-)construction of comprehensive defence in Sweden
17:05 Moraczewska (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, PL) – Strategic islands as risk observatories: can Greenland and Gotland anticipate future systemic risks?
17:20 Ritchik (Lithuanian Center for Social Sciences, LT) – From risk perception to collective action: joining the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union as a response to geopolitical uncertainty

17:35–18:05 DISCUSSION – “Whose security, whose resilience? Citizens, the state and democratic values”
Moderator: TBC

18:05–18:10 Closing of day 1

18:10–19:00 SRA-Europe Nordic Chapter Business Meeting
Members and anyone interested

19:30 Conference dinner
Optional, separate booking

Friday, October 2nd. 2026

09:00–09:45 KEYNOTE 2 – Matthias Kokorsch (University Center of the Westfjords, IS)
“From Emergency to Precedent: Grindavik and the Future of Climate Risk Governance in Iceland”

09:45–10:15 Coffee

10:15–11:30 PLENARY SESSION 3 – “Hazard, community and continuity in remote and island regions”
Chair: TBC

10:15 Þóreyjardóttir Smáradóttir (ÖRUGG Consulting Engineers, IS) – Children as a risk parameter: psychosocial consequence, rights as constraint, and continuity in recovery assessment
10:30 Gisladottir (Agricultural University of Iceland and University Center of the Westfjords, IS) – When the community is the system: disaster risk management and climate adaptation in remote settlements in Iceland
10:45 Tómasson (University of Iceland, IS) – From events to functions: a bottom-up societal continuity for national safety
11:00 Karlsson (University of Iceland, IS) – The development of a methodology for risk and rescue capability assessment in the Baltic Sea Region and application to maritime rescue scenarios in the Nordic Arctic
11:15 Boyd (Adapt Research / Islands for the Future of Humanity, NZ) – From systemic risk to persisting nodes of complexity: islands as a hedge against global societal collapse

11:30–12:00 ROUNDTABLE 2 – “From emergency to precedent: what does Grindavik oblige us to change – and what do other island societies already know?”
Moderator: TBC

12:00–12:30 Closing discussion and remarks and group photo

12:30 End of conference

Registration

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfULM2UqUE4OpEhYkYySPVKBaVDimELTzjZQEu75OFcxo85iQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Registration fee

Regular (€365) Payment should be made on this secure link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/v3qfzq
SRA-Member (€300) Payment should be made on this secure link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/c2g4as
Student (€150) Students pay through this link: https://greidslusida.valitor.is/Tengill/qx8m4x

Abstract submission

For abstract submission, please use the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSel3cfA2JQ2yDWhBw-gN9DxLGpPKhzM6dwHxH4svjGW9-7X-w/viewform?usp=dialog

We have not reserved a room block. Delegates are asked to book independently.

The venue, Edda – Institute for Icelandic Studies (Arngrímsgata 5, 107 Reykjavík), is about 1 km from the city center (the Parliament building at Austurvöllur), a ten-minute walk. There is a wide choice of hotels and guesthouses across a range of prices within 2.5 km of the venue, and the usual booking sites cover them well.

If you would like a tip or two on where to stay, email tih@hi.is, and we will gladly help.

The conference dinner takes place on the evening of October 1st. It is booked separately from conference registration. Details of time, place and price will be sent to all registered delegates and posted here shortly.