2020

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Klimathon

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The project is based on the premise that municipalities, other public agencies, companies and voluntary organizations have different challenges when it comes to climate adaptation, and that standardized "climate adaptation recipes" will not necessarily suit everyone. This applies to both regulations and guidelines and specific, nature-based challenges.

Klimathon was held in 2018 and 2019, both times in Bergen. The working methodology is experimental and exploratory, and is clearly inspired by the IT industry's "hackathons". Participants are encouraged to use their own experiences, public resources and insights from research in the climate field. They should not only discuss solutions, but also share, make visible and present what they come up with. (Photo: Andreas Graven)

This insight can create a starting point for knowledge development and the use of knowledge for the design of measures. In this way, Klimathon is an attempt to establish a kind of organizational infrastructure for reflection, perspective development and competence development, where the actors involved will in practice learn from each other. An advantage of a more organized Klimathon is that it simplifies the work of gathering and structuring knowledge about climate adaptation across sectors, whether it is a question of different parts of the public sector, between research and practice or between private and public.

This project will further develop Klimathon as a working method in three ways: Firstly by arranging a third edition in the autumn of 2020, Klimathon 2020, as a test of whether the working method is suitable for a region-based series of events for 2021. Secondly, the project will make a little more thorough analysis work on co-production as a theme to strengthen the professional foundation of Klimathon as a working method. Third, Klimathon also creates qualitative data that can be used in research. This means that the project will also reflect on the role that such data can play in research on climate adaptation and climate change.

Project leader is Simon Neby at NORCE Social Sciences. Both Vestland County Council, CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Nordland Research Institute, CET at the University of Bergen and Western Norway Research Institute participated.

Here you can read the report on Klimathon2020.

start date: 01.12.2020

end date: 21.12.2021

financed by: Noradapt

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Conflict and interaction in climate politics

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The fact that ski resorts follow the safe snow to the high mountains can quickly lead to conflict with other environmental considerations (Photo: Rudy and Peter Skitterians, Pixabay).

This project looks at the extent to which climate adaptation and emission reductions are in conflict with each other or moving in the same direction, and how climate policy affects the conditions for achieving the goal of sustainable development.

The main goal of climate politics is to cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce the consequences of man-made climate change. At the same time, we must adapt society to the effects of climate change. Within climate politics and climate management, however, the government has to a small extent seen these political areas in context. Such a comparison is important because measures for one affect the other.

Adaptation can create new emissions

An example of conflict is adaptation in ski tourism: when the winters become shorter and we get less snow in the lowlands, people will travel longer to get safe snow. Driving far to find good snow conditions will lead to greater climate emissions and thus strengthen the greenhouse effect. We do not have a policy to prevent this behavior.

The ski destinations will also adapt, among other things by moving ski lifts higher up in the mountain sides. At the same time, this means that the skiing can come into conflict with the supervision of biological diversity in the high mountains - for example the wild reindeer. These animals are dependent on large, non-invasive areas, and Norway has committed itself to ensure their living conditions. This example shows the need to see adaptation, climate emissions and sustainability in context, so that measures for one do not affect the other.

Klimatilpassing bør ikkje føre til nye klimautslepp eller andre miljøbelastningar. Eit godt døme på berekraftig klimatilpassing er blågrøne strukturar, som både førebygger flaum og skapar grøne lunger i urbane strøk. Figuren viser open og lokal handtering av overvatn, og er henta frå NOU 2015:16, Overvann i byer og tettsteder — Som problem og ressurs.

Blue-green prevention

Fortunately, there are good examples of measures moving in the same direction. Establishing so-called "blue-green structures" in urban areas and cities, ie green areas combined with open streams and ponds, will both reduce the risk of surface floods and reduce the effect of heat waves in the local environment. Blue-green structures will also stimulate biological diversity by providing animals, plants and insects with better living conditions.

Advice on coordination

The researchers will study how politics can stimulate to good interaction between the various climate perspectives, but also how conflicts arise. They will study this at national, regional and local level; in addition, there is the connection between the different levels of management. The project will be limited to studying one county, and the study will include both the county municipality and the county governor’s politics. In addition, the researchers will look at two municipalities, with emphasis on spatial planning, transport and the built environment.

The work will result in advice to the governing authorities on how they can stimulate better coordination of policy so that society achieves interaction and not conflict between cuts in climate emissions, climate adaptation and sustainability management.

Four of the Noradapt partners

The research project is led by Western Norway Research Institute. In addition, researchers from the CICERO Center for International Climate Research, SINTEF and Nordland Research Institute participates in the project.

Start date: 01.08.2020

end date: 31.12.2022

financed by: The research council of norway & norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

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Norsk klimamonitor 2021

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Never before has so much research been done on climate adaptation in Norway. Different actors collect large amounts of data from a variety of sources, for different research objectives. Klimamonitor tries to gather these and lay the foundation for establishing a coordinated data collection across the society. In December 2021, we will launch a new website where we share the new insights from Klimamonitor.

People from different sectors come together every quarter of a year at the national conference #Klimaomstilling to update themselves on new projects and topics. Because it is difficult to get an overview of everything that goes on in this area, Noradapt, through the pilot project Klimamonitor, aims to gather the threads, both to provide an overview and to coordinate the collection of new data. Photo (from #Klimaomstilling 2019): Kyrre Groven.

That climate adaptation is a task that affects all parts of society is a recognition that is becoming increasingly relevant. The consequences of climate change place guidelines on planning, construction and maintenance, but it also affects how we live and how we can run businesses in the future. The Norwegian Environment Agency points out that everyone in society has a responsibility to contribute to solving the climate adaptation task: «the individual, households, private companies and authorities». Klimamonitor takes this recognition seriously.

Large-scale data collection

A preliminary project has brought together previous research outlining the main features of a large-scale data collection in three main parts of society: households and individuals, private business and public administration.

Main topics of the survey:

  1. Society's knowledge of and attitudes towards climate vulnerability

  2. Society's work on climate adaptation

  3. How society's work with climate adaptation is in relation to the goal of sustainable development

In 2021, the preliminary project has turned into the main project. An important goal for this main project is that the data collection should be well coordinated with, and broadly anchored with, other research and management actors who have an interest in research on climate adaptation in Norway. An important part of the preliminary project has therefore been to clarify plans, expectations and needs of others.

In the pilot project, pilot surveys were also carried out in many parts of society with different methods and procedures.

Public administration

Public administration is the part of society that, naturally enough, is best studied. Here we establish the status of knowledge by analyzing 13 previous population surveys of Norwegian municipalities, given in the period 2007-2019. We are also conducting a survey of County Councils and County Governors that map the division of roles and the understanding of roles between them.

Establishment of surveys in the municipalities and at directorate and agency level has also been discussed.

Private business

While some parts of society (and especially parts of the public administration) are well covered in the research literature, there are other parts that we do not have as good an understanding of. The private business sector and households are examples of this. In Norway, as well as internationally, the literature on private business is primarily about primary industries, tourism and finance.

In order to expand the understanding of the adaptation efforts in the private business sector, a pilot study has been carried out with consultants in collaboration with the Consulting Engineers’ Association. The survey shows, among other things, that the private business sector is less good than all parts of the administration, both in terms of initiative and knowledge related to climate adaptation.

Household and individual

This part of society is what we know by far the least about.

A review of international literature nevertheless shows that there are a number of dimensions of individual attitudes and power of action that are very useful to examine in a Norwegian context.

The pilot survey takes the form of a participation in UiB's Norwegian Citizen Panel.

Read the report from the preliminary project here

Start date: 01.05.2020

end date: 01.03.2022

financed by: noradapt

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Jostice

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Natural and societal consequences of climate-forced changes of Jostedalsbreen Ice Cap (Jostice)

The Jostice research project is the first major study of the Jostedal glacier. From the glacier front by the Nigard glacier. (Photo: Maria C. Knagenhjelm, County Governor of Western Norway)

The international research project with the short name Jostice will map various aspects of the Jostedal glacier. It involves measuring mass balance, runoff, ice volume and the local climate in the area around the glacier.

In addition to the scientific studies, there are assessments of how the glacier is affected by climate change and what the consequences will be for the local communities around the glacier - especially power production, tourism and agriculture.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Western Norway Research Institute (both in Noradapt) are among the partners in the project. In addition, The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, University of Oslo and University of Bergen and several international partners participated. The project has been awarded NOK 17 million from the Research Council of Norway.

Read more on Jostice's website

Start date: 01.01.2020

end date: 31.12.2023

financed by: the Research Council of Norway (klimaforsk)

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Sustainable climate adaptation in the food sector

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The project is about two types of climate risk in the food sector in Norway, ie agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries. The first is the adaptation to climate politics; the other is sustainable adaptation to climate change.

Because there is little progress in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, both in Norway and around the world, the focus on radical or profound shift is increasing. Such a shift requires extensive changes in how we produce and transport food, but also when it comes to what individuals must do. Therefore, the project will analyze how reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are related to sustainable adaptation to a changing climate. This raises some major questions about sustainability in the food sector related to greenhouse gas emissions, land use, food security, recruitment and a viable agriculture and how one can understand these connections.

Project leader is Grete Hovelsrud at Nordland Research Institute, from where also participated Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Leticia A. Nogueira and Brigt Dale participates. Helene Amundsen and Erlend Hermansen from the CICERO Center for Climate Research participates, and Mari Korsbrekke and Tone Rusdal from Western Norway Research Insetitute participates.

start date: 01.01.2020

end date: 31.12.2021

financed by: Noradapt

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Vannklimrisk

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Water management in a changing climate (Vannklimrisk)

More precipitation, but also more natural damage events such as floods and landslides, increase the risk of water pollution. The Vannkklimrisk project is a part of society's prevention of environmental toxins going astray in nature.

The project Vannklimrisk aims to strengthen the prevention of natural damage events that can lead to environmental toxins going astray in nature. Several public enterprises in three counties are involved.

Environmental pollutants accumulates

Climate change will lead to more heavy rainfalls and more drainage from landfills and brown sites on land to water bodies and affect both the ecological and chemical status in water bodies. Old and new environmental pollutants will be absorbed by aquatic organisms, accumulate in the food chains and eventually end up on our food plates.

An unexpected and very heavy rainstorm led to floods and landslides in several places in Jølster on 30 July 2019. Such incidents lead, among other things, to water being polluted, unless one effectively prevents flood-prone areas. (Photo: Linda Olin Reite, NRK)

The water management in Norway today, has too little knowledge of environmental pollutants and their impacts on water quality to assess whether the goal of the EU Water Directive will be reached by 2021.

NEW TOOLS

The project “Water management in a changing climate” will co-produce new knowledge, and develop new tools, that local and regional managers may use to identify local sources of environmental pollutants and analyze the risk of spreading in a changing climate.

Vannklimrisk involves building knowledge and developing new management tools in close collaboration with caseworkers in water management, climate adaptation, planning work and pollution.

digital mapping

The project group will develop a new digital mapping tool for identifying local pollutants, the "Miljøgiftkartleggjaren" and develop a GIS-based ROS analysis to assess whether pollutants may spread to the aquatic environment due to various climate impacts.

Toxicologist Torunn G. Hønsi at Western Norway Research Institute has carried out several projects on environmental toxins and increased runoff. The precursor to Vannklimrisk is Toksklim (2016-17), where public actors in Western Norway (RFF-financed). Photo: Western Norway Research Institute

The project will also explore and analyze how the collaboration between the municipalities, the County Council and the County Governor are in the three regions and explore new forms of interaction where researchers also participate, to better deal with the complex challenges of climate change on water management locally.

Many participants in three counties

The project partners are Western Norway Research Institute, NTNU Department of Geography, Vestfold and Telemark County Council, County Governor of Vestfold and Telemark, County Governor of Trøndelag, Trøndelag County Council, Vestland County Council and County Governor of Vestland and the municipalities, Tønsberg, Larvik, Sønd, Larvik Oppdal, Orkland, Tynset and Rennebu. The project owner is Vestland County Council, where the water region coordinator Merete Farstad is the project manager.

goals of the project

The main goal of the project is to develop forms of interaction and tools to enable the environmental and water management to assess the risk of spreading environmental toxins to the aquatic environment as a result of climate change.

In addition, there are three sub-goals:

  1. Co-create new forms of interaction for water and environmental management

  2. Develop a digital tool for mapping environmental toxin chains - “Miljøgiftkartleggaren”

  3. Develop GIS applications and ROS tools to analyze the risk of spreading environmental toxins and the impact on the aquatic environment as a result of climate change

Start date: 01.01.2020

end date: 31.12.2023

financed by: Regionale forskningsfond Vest