Karen O'Brien

Karen O'Brien is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo. Her research has focused on climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation. She is particularly interested in how transdisciplinary and integral approaches to global change research can contribute to a better understanding of how societies both create and respond to change. She has participated in the IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessments, as well as the Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX). She has written and co-edited numerous books about global environmental change, including Changing Environment for Human Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Development: Transforming Paradigms and Practices. She is on the Science Committee for Future Earth and is the co-founder of cCHANGE.no, a website that provides news and perspectives on transformation in a changing climate.