Norway: Best Practice Cases. Budapest

Transcription

1 Norway: Best Practice Cases Budapest

2 Norway: Governmental structure Judicial/Courts Parliament (General election) Majority Executive Government Ministries & Directorates County Governor (Appointed) County Assemblies (Regional elections) Advice and Control Municipalities (Local elections) Inter-local partnerships

3 Norwegian municipalities Represent the local level of government Serve as a link to national governance institutions and management bodies Financed by national government and local taxes Functions include: social services, general health services, elementary schools, water, waste, fire protection, land use Mandatory tasks ensure cross-national equality Currently 428 units, but ongoing unification reform

4 Climate change challenges in Norway General trends: Warmer and wetter climate Milder winters Large regional differences within the country Timing and frequency of extreme events Impacts vary between sectors and communities, interact with other processes of change Source:

5 Climate change adaptation in Norway The stated core principle is that the responsibility for adaptation is located with the actor who holds responsibilities for a task or function impacted by climate change (NMoE 2013: 35). Climate change adaptation - delegating responsibilities to sectoral institutions, and assigning the main responsibility for climate change adaptation to the municipalities, somewhat coordinated by the regional level (county governor). Key responsibilities for adaptation lie with the municipalities because they are responsible for overall societal development, infrastructure, and spatial planning. Formal guidelines from the national level on the inclusion of adaptation in municipal planning are being prepared, and asked for by municipalities. The adaptation focus in the local governments at the time of study date is largely ad hoc and depends in many cases on engaged individual(s), in addition to physical evidence and observations of climate change, extreme events and contact with researchers (Dannevig et al. 2013).

6 Flooding events: Gudbrandsdalen 2012 Gudbrandsdalen Source: : nrk.no Hakon Mosvold Larsen/Scanpix / Reuters

7 Flooding events: Oslo

8 Sea-level rise and storm surges Bodø 2015 Source: Simpson et al. (2015), photo: Nordlys.no

9 Avalanches, land and mudslides Infrastructure disruptions Timing and frequency altered by CC Isolation of communities Risk for lives, health and the built environment

10 Hammerfest Øystre Slidre Stavanger Oslo region (Oslo, Bærum, Drammen, Skedsmo and Rælingen) Fredrikstad

11 Stavanger Challenges Built surfaces hard and impenetrable for water Reduced draining capacity, problems with run-off water Existing water and drainage systems can be overpower, result in flooding, reduced water quality etc How to handle run-off water locally and incorporate it in the planning process Conflict between political and planning priorities Jåttå Nord: a housing development area in Stavanger municipality

12 Stavanger Solutions: Localised run-off water management - Plan green areas and build (better infiltration capacity) - Enabled by cooperation between planners, consultancy firms and researchers - Allowed for better estimates of precipitation projections in future climate guidance on what scenarios to use (lower, middle and upper) - Municipal planning requirements on run-off water

13 Øystre Slidre municipality Challenges: Agricultural productivity under climate variability Summer 2009: first unusually warm then extremely wet, rained practically every day in July and August, snow settled early Problems with harvesting fodder Delayed harvest, inferior quality of second harvest Extra work

14 Solutions Farmers managed to adapt to the 2009 season well and were back on track 2010 Three important factors: 1) Access to farming equipment 2) Access to labour 3) Experience and knowledge in planning activities Traditional adaptation strategies and local knowledge combined with formal support from authorities National and local strategies need to aligned to support farmers to deal with climate variability and change.

15 Challenges: Hammerfest Climate change impacting economically important fisheries; quotas not geared towards changes in fish stocks Increased extreme weather events; polar lows, storm activity, icing and precipitation on icy ground causing flooding Warmer winters increasing the risk of snow avalanches, consequences for area planning/buildings General capacity shortages

16 Solutions: Hammerfest Integrating tecnology- and people based approaches: «Software» approach focussed on gaining new operational knowledge Close cooperation with outside experts leading to better risk assessments and understanding of challenges.

17 Challenges: Fredrikstad Episodes of unusually intense rain leading to inundation and damage of private basements and infrastructure Inadequate drainage systems unable to cope with the volume of surface water Climate projections indicating warmer winters likely leading to a change in the type of precipitation; less snow more rain

18 Solutions: Fredrikstad Commissioning study of socio-economic scenarios Downscaled climate projections, development of scenarios Cooperation with scientific expertise Appointment of dedicated environmental officials Networking with other municipalities

19 Challenges: Oslo region Increasing temperature, precipitation and sea-level rise Population growth Increased strain on infrastructure Challenges to area planning and building policies Difference in awareness between closely integrated municipalities

20 Solutions: Oslo region Solutions also varying between municipalities: Cross sectoral (horizontal) adaptation groups established (2) Adaptation embedded in isolated sectors (vertical) (1) Not on the agenda! (2) Short term solution: vertical. Long term solution: horizontal

21 Adapt or not adapt? Few incentives for carrying out tasks not regulated by law Lack of national focus on climate change adaptation combined with more immediate municipal concerns (health; schools) In spite of a heavily centralized system significant discrepancies are found between municipalities

22 Four Main Drivers 1. Engaged officials 2. Extreme events as focusing events 3. Through observation of real world indicators 4. Through interaction with researchers

23 Engaged Officials Found in large municipalities Central in pushing adaptation to climate change Follow real-world events and see the need to distinguish between adaptation and mitigation Work with environmental or emergency problems Typically work across municipal departments Often work with projects and not always cases according to laws and regulations Makes a difference that they are part of the administration (in smaller municip. politicians are drivers)

24 «Focusing Events» Reactive adaptation in response to an extreme event (floods, mudslides, snow avalanche) With fatalities and loss of property action ensues Public pressure on politicians lead to measures Extreme events in one region spur discussion and actions in others Perceived vulnerability moves adaptation onto or up on the agenda

25 Real World Indicators Observable changes in nature and physical surroundings that are linked to climate change Quantifiable indicators that are monitored and reported to policy makers Locally observed changes that create concerns or awareness among decision makers Public indignation and media attention after local events

26 Researcher Involvement Interactions have increased understanding and awareness (indicated in terminology use, and level of knowledge reflected in meeting notes) Role of researchers depends on previous experience with climate change issues in municipality

27 Acknowledging adaptation: then what? Municipalities need knowledge of climate change consequences in their locale Assessing own vulnerability a logical next step Downscaled climate scenarios of relevant climate elements and socio-economic scenarios provided Progress highly variable in case municipalities

28 Results show that municipalities need: Information about local climate change - with a time scale relevant for municipal planning Interpretation of projections Analyses of the consequences of the projected changes Capacity (time, money) to turn these into strategic plans Capacity (time, money) to implement these plans

29 Conclusions Cooperation between climatologists, social scientists and users is imperative for producing projections of climate elements that are relevant for communities and applicable in community vulnerability assessments. The interdisciplinary challenges are major but not insurmountable.

30 Conclusions Municipalities implement adaptation despite weak signals from state and not just as a reactive response to an event Depends on individuals, municipal size and involvement in research projects Scientific knowledge is important but we need better ways to include this in municipal decision making, and to understand the role of institutional capacity for turning this knowledge into action.

31 Adaptation Challenges Motivation and engagement important, but does NOT equal adaptive capacity Political focus: Climate change = emission cuts, not adaptation Adapting to variable weather is well known, but does NOT secure an automatic link to CC adaptation Decision making under conditions of uncertainty is viewed differently in different parts of the municipal organization. Planners ok with it, technical staff (water/sewage) want concrete figures

32 Local Integration Needed Coordination needed between sectors Risk- and vulnerability assessments are key tools for local adaptation work Support for implementation of vulnerability assessments relating to climate change needed. Climate projections insufficient. Adaptation needs to be integrated into overarching municipal planning, and municipal routines for areaand contingency planning needs attention

33 Transferability? Climate change challenges: comparable? Institutional structure different: available resources? General learning points: Involvement of scientific expertise focus on knowledge Engaged officials Integrative thinking

34 Thank you for your attention!