Dide Dijkers

When you think of natural hazards in the Nordic region, you may not immediately think of heat waves. Historically, the region has been relatively cool, but as a result of global warming the Nordic region's exposure to heat waves is increasing. Precisely this history and the potential underestimation of the risk of heat, may mean that Nordic populations are not sufficiently adapted to the summers of the (near) future. My research concerns the degree of adaptation of Nordic urban populations to heat. I study people´s thermal comfort, behavioural adaptations, and perceptions of heat-health risks. 

·   Sustainable development with focus on climate change

·   Climate change in the Nordics

·   Local and regional climate change adaptation 

·   Management of natural hazards 

Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation (CRS)

Centre for Societal Risk Research (CSR)

Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science (CNDS)

I started my academic journey at Utrecht University in Human Geography and Planning. I was particularly interested in urban geography, geopolitics, and migration - but I knew from the start that I wanted to do a masters in International Development. During this masters, I had my first encounter with risk studies: I did my thesis on the relationship between ethnic differentiation of knowledge and coping strategies for environmental risks in Central Vietnam. After that, I missed academia and realized that I was not quite done studying. I enrolled in another masters in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation at Lund Universtity. Today I get to incorporate Risk Management and Climate change adaptation with my first love, human geography and planning.