Climate

Solceller på låvetak i Hjelmeland kommune.
Solceller på låvetak i Hjelmeland kommune. Photo: Dagfinn Hatløy.

Global warming demands that we make changes. Where Norway is concerned, climate change generally means higher average temperatures, more precipitation and more extreme weather. The challenges presented by climate change could have severe consequences for society and the environment.

The County Governor must work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to limit future damage. Good transport solutions, robust road and rail networks, secure energy supplies and housing and other types of construction being located away from the danger of landslides or other natural catastrophes will form important aspects of planning work. The County Governor must also help to ensure that society is prepared to deal with floods, landslides and avalanches, power outages and other serious events.

Local planning for climate change

The County Governor serves as a link between national climate policy and its implementation in local society. Municipalities have the primary responsibility for building good communities for their residents, and the climate perspective forms an important part of this planning.

  • The County Governor shall ensure that municipalities give sufficient consideration to climate change when making decisions. The County Governor is the sectoral government authority for environment and agriculture, among other things, and has the authority to supervise the municipalities, to review individual decisions which do not give sufficient consideration to climate change and to raise objections in accordance with the Planning and Building Act.
  • The County Governor oversees the municipalities’ emergency response work.

The County Governor offers guidance to municipalities in their climate work. The County Governor must clarify which requirements and expectations the state has of municipalities, and must also pass the municipalities’ points of view on to central government authorities.

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