Nicholas Taplitz L&S Social Sciences
Knowledge, Authority, and Climate Policy in a Warming Arctic
Accelerating environmental change across the Arctic is altering decisions about infrastructure, safety, and long-term adaptation. While climate adaptation policies in Greenland and Nunavut often reference different forms of knowledge—scientific, Indigenous, and local—they vary in how directly these forms of knowledge are linked to decision-making. My project analyzes the language of policy documents from Greenland and Nunavut and draws on observations from scientific briefings, community presentations, and policy talks in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic to examine how different forms of expertise come to carry authority in Arctic climate policy. More broadly, this project examines how policy language both influences and reflects whose knowledge guides Arctic adaptation decisions.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you for your generous support of my SURF fellowship. My project explores how scientific, Indigenous, and local knowledge systems shape policy decisions in a rapidly changing Arctic—a focus that grew out of my interest in how communities share knowledge and adapt to change. Your support gives students like me the time and freedom to pursue questions that matter through sustained research, and I’m grateful for this opportunity.