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Perceptions of Climate Risk in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) and Impacts on Climate Policy Choice

Margot Hurlbert

DOI https://doi.org/10.21552/CCLR/2011/3/192



Most of the literature on risk treat it or deal with the phenomenon as a global issue. Defining risk as a universal event might lead to the use of a rigid definition of what is risk, as well as ignore both the diversity of risk perceptions and experience in everyday life and the unequal distribution of risk. This paper will explore the construction of climate change risk at the local level. The paper is based on a set of interviews with members of water governance institutions and local advisory watershed committees in a study on water governance in the South Saskatchewan River Basin in Alberta and Saskatchewan in 2007–2008. In the context of these interviews information was obtained relating to the perceived risk of climate change or climate variability and the associated impacts on water resources and whether plans, actions, or amendments to laws were anticipated to respond to climate change or climate variability into the future. The process of local contextualization and knowledge of the risk associated with changes to climate conditions is compared to the legislation and policy on climate in 2009.

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