The group has explored how the issues of climate change are being addressed at regional and local levels. Both mitigation and adaptation to coming climate changes are addressed, the goal being to identify and share useful tools and measures. A series of seminars treated the topics: Climate and urban structure, Stationary energy and transport, Values and behaviour patterns. Each country's 'best practices' were presented and examined in light of governance issues. Keeping a specific focus on the Nordic context, the group is now finalising a list of recommendations.
To give structure to the types of tools being described and recommended, the group has adopted the metaphor of a hand:
- The little finger: tools that spread information or change attitudes and behaviour. These tools are quick, easy and cheap to implement, but are also weak with regard to how much effect they have on greenhouse gas emissions. An example here is publishing how much energy each household uses to bring pressure to bear on those who are energy wasters.
- The ring finger: investments that make it easier to behave in the "right" way. An example of this is improvement in public transit coupled with the limitation of parking places.
- The middle finger: economic incentives that penalise behaviour that is CO2 intensive. The Stockholm trials for congestion charging, where road pricing was used to discourage the use of private cars, were an example of this.
- The index finger: restrictions or legal bounds on behaviour that forbid CO2 intensive activity, or demand new standards to meet climate change. An example of this is new buildings be coupled to district heating systems that use renewable resources.
- The opposable thumb: long range urban planning to create an urban structure based on climate change concerns. Planning can be combined with all of the above, but significant changes in urban structure (functional structure that reduces the need for transport, moving development from flood zones to other sites) will always be a long-term project.
- The palm of the hand, coordination, represents the way each urban area combines a selection of measures that best fit the local context.
Some of the recommendations being considered include: Guidelines for regional governance which ensure that there is a body with planning competence to coordinate long term, large scale development. An example presented is the Helsinki region, available at www.ytv.fi/klimatforandring.
Requiring a CO2 account for entire development areas, including construction, density, use, energy use and transportation needed, as a possible element in environmental assessment. A tool for this is being developed by the Norwegian Public Construction and Management Authority (Statsbygg) and is available in Norwegian at www.statsbygg.no/FoUprosjekter/FoU-prosjekter-i-Statsbygg/miljo/2006/11273-Klimagassregnskap-Utbyggingsprosjekter/
Including climate change (flooding, mudslides, local climate) as a central element in risk management plans for all urban areas. An example of this is the plan for Kristianstad, available here: www.kristianstad.se/klimat. The report, with final recommendations, will be available from Nordregio in January.
By Susan Brockett, previous Programme director, Nordregio Academy
In late October 2008, the Norwegian government presented its proposal for regional administrative reforms to be made effective from 2010.
First and foremost, the regional administrative structure is to remain unaltered. The 19 county administrations (fylkeskommuner) will be maintained unchallenged, although with a marginally wider set of policy tools at their disposal.
The main revision takes place in order to improve the coordination of innovation and industrial policies at the regional level. The government propose to establish a handful of regional research funds and the government will contribute with a total of 6 billion NOK in the setting up these funds. In addition, the county administrations will take a minority stake (49 percent) in Innovation Norway, the state company responsible for regional innovation, industrial development and internationalisation. The county administrations will also be responsible for selecting board members to university colleges in their region.
By introducing these initiatives, the government hopes to be able to provide the county administrations with a more significant role in developing and implementing industrial policy both nationally and regionally.
The Norwegian government also propose to transfer some of the responsibilities of the county governors' offices to the county administrations. Environmental protection issues related to nature conservation and recreation, as well as some water and land resource management issues, are set to become the responsibility of the county administrations from 2010.
The county administrations will also be able to add new responsibilities in maintaining and developing the regional traffic infrastructure (roads and ferries) to their portfolio. The government has also made a specific call for improvements to be made in the coordination and planning of the Oslo metropolitan region.
By Jon M. Steineke, previous Research Fellow at Nordregio