Norwegian municipalities’ climate efforts ranked – news Vestland

The case in summary: Summary:– For the second year in a row, Noradapt has ranked the climate efforts of Norwegian municipalities.– The municipalities that are most affected by climate change are also those that do the most to adapt.– The coastal municipalities in Western Norway are the worst hit, with demanding climate changes and low effort for climate adaptation.– The National Audit Office has criticized the government for weak coordination in the climate adaptation work.– The Støre government has set up a working group to update the knowledge and decision-making basis in the face of more frequent and larger failures.– Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide has put forward a message about how Norway will become more “climate robust”. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s ​​journalists before publication. For the second year in a row, Noradapt has ranked the climate efforts of Norwegian municipalities and who has the most reason to beat their chests. The speech was presented in Arendal on Thursday morning and is broken down into three factors: How much will the municipality be affected by climate change in the near future (2050) and far future (2100) How much effort is the municipality putting in How big is the “climate risk” the municipality is running in the near future and distant future Below you can see which municipalities are in the best and worst position. At the top of the “effort category” reigns Stavanger. – It is fantastically gratifying to receive this recognition for the important work we do, and the ambitious goals we have set ourselves, says Stavanger Mayor Sissel Knutsen Hegdal (H). Mette Vabø is group leader for the Liberal Party in Stavanger city council. – This result makes me proud! she says. – We are working in a targeted manner to achieve our goal of an 80 per cent cut at the same time that we have now become one of Europe’s climate-neutral cities. Here they do the most to prepare for climate change Greatest effort today (numerical value) Stavanger 100 Oslo 95 Bærum 89 Hamar 87 Gáivuotna – Kåfjord – Kaivuono 85 Lillestrøm 85 Tønsberg 84 Moss 84 Åfjord 83 Bjørnafjorden 83 Least effort today (numerical value) Flå 13 Sande 13 Rindal 13 Gratangen – Rivttak 13 Vardø 13 Fedje 13 Nissedal 11 Krødsherad 10 Guovdageaidnu – Kautokeino 4 Unjárga – Nesseby 2 Most affected by climate change in 2100 (number value) Nærøysund 100 Smøla 88 Herøy 84 Lurøy 82 Frøya 81 Røst 80 Dønna 80 Steigen 79 Austrheim 79 Øygarden 79 Least affected by climate change in 2100 (numerical value) Båtsfjord 36 Berlevåg 35 Engerdal 35 Vadsø 34 Nore og Uvdal 33 Hemsedal 33 Hol 33 Kárásjohka – Karasjok 32 Unjárga – Nesseby 32 Guovdageaidnu – Kautokeino 30 Greatest climate risk in 2100 (numerical value) Oslo 260 Bergen 247 Vestvågøy 233 Flatanger 230 Ålesund 224 Vågan 221 Nærøysund 219 Smøla 218 Drammen 216 Værøy 210 Least climate risk in 2100 (number value) Stange 115 Indre Østfold 114 Skiptvet 111 Froland 109 Hamar 108 Elverum 104 Gáivuotna – Kåfjord – Kaivuono 1 04 Tolga 102 Gausdal 101 Hól 95 – This award confirms that we are on the right track, but this is work we are working on continuously, says Stavanger Mayor Sissel Knutsen Hegdal (H). Photo: NTB – I am positively surprised Even if the effort varies, the report concludes that the municipalities are generally doing a good job. – Those who are most affected are also those with the strongest response, says NTNU professor Jan Ketil Rød, who presented the report. Another of the contributors, Carlo Aall at Vestlandsforskning, says that the will to adapt to more extreme weather is good – especially in the biggest cities. At the other end are the coastal municipalities in Western Norway. – These get the worst of it. Here, climate change is the most demanding, and the effort for climate adaptation is the lowest, says Aall. Day-to-day manager of the Norwegian Climate Foundation, Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen, says that the municipalities must become “better at seeing the connection between emission reductions, conservation of nature and climate adaptation”. – Considering that climate adaptation gets much less attention than cutting greenhouse gas emissions, I must say that I am positively surprised that so many municipalities are doing a good job with climate adaptation, he says. About the report To assess the efforts of the municipalities, the survey uses four indicators: Excerpt from the report: Assessing how affected Norwegian municipalities are by climate change, and how well the municipalities are working to adapt to the changes, is difficult. One problem is that exposure, climate vulnerability and adaptation are composite concepts, which can also affect each other in different ways. A lack of relevant data, and a lack of knowledge about what conditions are important to gain knowledge about in order to understand how climate change can affect society, means that we will never get a complete picture of what types of climate risk society is facing. However, we believe that the climate ranking provides important insights into how the various elements interact with each other in creating climate risk and how the climate risk is distributed over time and between municipalities and areas in the country. We therefore believe that our climate ranking will be a useful starting point for developing effective measures to adapt society to the climate changes we are unable to avoid, no matter how quickly emissions of greenhouse gases are reduced. Baard Salvesen Borgar Aamaas, researcher at the Cicero Center for climate research The researchers have done a good job of quantifying climate risk, but at the same time it will always be a simplification. When using other indicators, it is not a given that Western Norway comes out worst. Extreme rainfall and drought can become a greater challenge for parts of the East Region. Øystein Otterdal Sissel Knutsen Hegdal (H), mayor of StavangerStavanger is also one of the EU’s 112 net zero cities, and I am proud that as mayor I have been chosen to join the steering group for this important project, a job I am looking forward to very nice to work with. This award confirms that we are on the right track, but this is work we are continuously working on. Joachim Goa Steinbru Mette Vabø, group leader for Venstre in Stavanger We have highly skilled employees who work hard to achieve the goal, while at the same time taking care of nature and safeguarding ourselves against the coming climate changes. This result makes me proud! Øystein Otterdal news Henrik Halleland (KrF), deputy mayor of Stavanger This shows that constructive work pays off over time. Stavanger uses large resources in this area. Right to get confirmation that it is useful Bård Siem Marie Pontoppidan, climate researcher at NORCEMMany Norwegian municipalities make a good effort in the climate adaptation work under partly difficult working conditions. It is nice if the examination can give them a motivating pat on the back, but there is no reason to sit back. – It’s about people feeling safe In June, the government was criticized by the National Audit Office for the fact that the various ministries did not communicate well enough. – Climate change requires extensive restructuring. It is then crucial that the ministries cooperate. Our investigation shows that this coordination is too weak, said Auditor General Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen. Since 2019, the National Audit Office has examined how well we are adapting to a climate that is becoming wilder and wetter. In 2022, they concluded that the authorities do not have a good enough overview of where there may be more landslides and landslides, and that the municipalities do not look far enough ahead when making plans and risk analyses. In order to update the knowledge and decision-making basis in the face of more frequent and larger embarrassments, the Støre government therefore set up a working group (the “Total Preparedness Commission”). – Climate change means that it is critical that we have good tools to prevent flood and avalanche damage. This is about people feeling safe, said Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap). Austrheim in Vestland is among the municipalities that will be most affected by climate change in the distant future (2100). Photo: Eivind Senneset / news – We are also affected by climate change in other countries The completed report “No er det alvor – Rusta fo ei unviss framðit” was published in 2023. Among the recommendations is to strengthen the regional level. In addition, Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) has submitted a report on how Norway will become more “climate robust”. Among the measures is “strengthening the local climate adaptation work”. Paarup Michelsen of the Norwegian Climate Foundation reminds that the municipalities must also take account of “cross-border climate change”. – If there is anything we have learned in recent years, it is that we in Norway are also affected by climate change in other countries, he says. – Extreme weather in Asia has shown that it can affect supply chains on which Norwegian companies depend. Drought in Europe has reduced power production, and thus led to higher electricity prices in Norway as well, while forest fires in North America have contributed to more expensive timber. – Another topic that will become more important in the future is the rapid warming we are now registering in the ocean. Here, the municipalities have to seek knowledge to find out their own vulnerability, says daily manager of the Norwegian Climate Foundation, Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen. Photo: Norwegian Climate Foundation Published 16.08.2024, at 10.30 am



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