Climate action in the Kuopio region

has an international dimension TEXT MINNA AKIOLA | PHOTOS TIINA KILVENSALMI AND JYRI WUORISALO

Extreme weather phenomena are a global issue: there are droughts, heatwaves, floods and too much or too little rain. The process of preparing for and adapting to these risks is known as climate security. Kuopio takes climate action in the form of research, national and international cooperation and various measures.

Some of the risks of climate change are known and we need to adapt to them, but there is also a lot that we do not yet know – and that is what we need to prepare for. Climate security is an umbrella term for this preparation and adaptation work. That being said, climate change is not the only phenomenon underlying climate security. It is just one element among many. Another emerging issue is biodiversity loss, which is causing dramatic changes to the planet. These two phenomena feed each other.

“Climate security also encompasses phenomena such as climate migration, which is already underway. It does not yet affect Europe very much, but will do so over time. We can expect mass migrations across the globe, and Europe is already preparing for them. A good example of this is the predicted melting of the Himalayan glaciers, which will cause one billion people to move west, that is, to Europe,” says RDI Advisor Jyri Wuorisalo from the Savonia University of Applied Sciences.

Climate change also fuels conflicts, because it causes problems with food and water supply. We need to prepare for these as well; adaptation and preparation are at the heart of climate security.

Solutions To Problems

The Kuopio region has already started searching for solutions to the problems, and climate action is taken in close network cooperation between various parties in the city. Savonia UAS and the University of Eastern Finland are important partners for each other, while key organiza- tions studying climate change produce research knowledge for schools, the city and the business sector to apply in practice. The Finnish Meteorological Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare all have offices in the Kuopio region.

“Up until now, climate action has mainly focused on the mitigation of climate change. Adaptation and preparation efforts have only started to gather pace in the last few years. Our national adaptation and preparation programme was published only recently,” remarks Wuorisalo.

Preparation plans are in place in North Savo particularly regarding major changes in agriculture and forestry. In the future, we will need new crop varieties that can withstand climate change. We will also have to consider new tree cultivars that can survive in these areas. We must also prepare for forest fires that may be even more violent and spread over larger areas in the future.

National And International Cooperation

Climate security does not only refer to the process of preparing for and adapting to extreme weather, but it is also related to other things that are happening in nature. For example, new pest species can have an impact on agriculture.

“Savonia University of Applied Sciences has published an online training package on climate security, which has garnered interest even at the UN level. We are also working with the business sector to develop new technologies that are needed in the preparation work. Climate security is a broad field of activity that is constantly trans- forming. At the same time, we are engaging in international cooperation, sharing our experiences and hearing about the experiences of others,” says Wuorisalo.

Savonia UAS works as the partner of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). This mandate has been granted by the Government of Finland. International cooperation has two levels: at the EU level there is a lot of education development, while at the UN level the institution is involved in network collaboration for disaster risk prevention.

In recent years, Savonia UAS has partnered with the UN to organize climate security workshops for people working in humanitarian cooperation. According to the UN, the climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. It marks a major change in international humanitarian cooperation – the climate crisis is just as severe as any conflict. In fact, crises these days often occur simultaneously; even Ukraine is preparing for climate change, even while the country is at war.

Innovations Are Needed

Wuorisalo is running the Climate Security Business Network in Kuopio, a project aiming to ensure that the business sector is even more involved in the preparation and adaptation process. He believes that climate issues will ultimately be resolved through businesses.

“The fact is that these problems will not be solved by the authorities, but we also need innovations. We need new ways of doing things, new technologies and new types of services. This is most obvious in the sectors where changes are happening fast – such as agriculture and forestry.”

Combating climate change is a long process that has only just begun. Wuorisalo regrets that people in Finland have only now realized that things have changed, after experiencing several bouts of hot weather in the past couple of summers. As the Nordic Region get warmer, he believes this may have unforeseen consequences on our living conditions.

“As citizens, our most important job is to accept that the changes will be big and even unexpected, and we will see more of them. COVID was cruel, but good practice for us. It was also an exercise in responding to disruptions in society, which will become more common.”

Kuopio Involved In Preparations

The Government's adaptation and preparation programme is a sign that climate action is now politically accepted in society. According to Wuorisalo, it is crucial for the Kuopio region to react to the situation through education as well. After all, education is a driver of change in the long run.

“Cities will be the biggest sufferers of climate change. Everything that is related to dry spells and heatwaves has a direct impact on their inhabitants due to weaker water security and food supply problems. The City of Kuopio has already jumped on board with the preparation collaboration,” says Wuorisalo.

Locals have also stepped up their efforts to mitigate climate change: electric city bikes have been a big hit, people know how to save energy and consumption habits have changed with regards to vegetarian food, for example. Schools and businesses have also done their best.

“We take action and want to redouble our efforts on behalf of the climate. We are on the same boat with everyone else around the globe. We cannot do this on our own, but we must work together, both regionally, nationally and internationally,” says Wuorisalo.