The UNCHAIN (UNpacking climate impact CHAINs) project advances climate change risk assessment frameworks aimed at informed decision-making and climate adaptation action. The research approach is based on the concepts of impact chains and co-production of knowledge.

The UNCHAIN approach supports climate change adaptation action by introducing six methodological and thematic research and innovation areas. As laid out in the Vulnerability Sourcebook (Fritzsche et al., 2014), the impact chain method considers climate risks in accordance with some of the concepts used in IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5): hazard, exposure and vulnerability (IPCC, 2014). The method provides practical instructions and guidance for implementing vulnerability and risk assessments based on a step-by-step approach structured around eight modules (Figure 1).

UNCHAIN is centred around 11 case studies in seven countries in Europe to test changes and alterations of the current impact chain model and evaluate its effects. The case study described here is in Sweden.