Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

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Chapter 9 · Adaptation options

Board of Stockholm, 2010a,b,c; Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, 2015). Various information webpages have been established by public bodies (Sweden: Klimatanpassning.se; Norway: klimatilpasning.no; Finland: ilmasto-opas.fi), in addition to a range of knowledge and tools portals reporting from research projects. These provide adaptation tools for different sectors, the Swedish Climatools portal for planners and decisionmakers (www.foi.se/climatools), and tools targeting specific sectors such as the housing sector to increase Nordic homeowners’ adaptive capacity to climate change (www.cspr.se). These websites and handbooks are addressing the information need with respect to adaptation processes. Lack of information and knowledge is considered a barrier to adaptation. Networks and meeting points may be applied as tools to enhance governance processes, and several examples of networks are noted in the region, for instance an annual adaptation conference with large municipal participation in Sweden ( Klimatanpassning Sverige ). In Finland, informal networks have been formed in connection with participatory planning processes for climate strategies.These are important in their own right, and are also a potential resource for future action.InNorway,the EnvironmentAgency promotes exchange of experience and network building, and hosts a secretariat for a frontrunner municipality network. The network aims to provide new information, sharing knowledge and expertise through joint projects. The network will also, when relevant, support national Climate change adaptation processes.

adaptation measures and their incorporation into regional and municipal mid- and long-term socio-economic strategies and sectoral planning; and the development of regional schemes for the operational response to extreme events (Russian Federation, 2009).The Russian Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone adopted in 2013 emphasizes a joint consolidation of institutional frameworks for adaptation by the federation and federation subjects and enacts provisions for adaptation actions, especially for the Barents regions of Russia (Pelyasov, 2013). Best practice guidelines and handbooks are developed by various public bodies to aid the adaptation processes. These contain advice for municipal adaptation, including descriptions of local climate change scenarios, review potential risks arising from these changes and offer a consideration of adaptations that may be included in planning (County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, 2007; County Administrative Board, 2012). Such reports may provide examples of adaptations relating to flood risk and spatial planning (County Administrative Board, 2006) and building construction (County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, 2007). The Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate has produced a guide for including flood and landslides in spatial planning.The guide recommends a 20% safety margin on flood estimates for flood maps that does not include climate change projections (Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate, 2014). Recent handbooks, guides and manuals have also been are developed to support local governments in considering climate change impacts in the development of their spatial plans (County Administrative

Peter Prokosch

Spring-meltwater floods in a forest near Rovaniemi, Finland