Policy Brief Nordic Perspectives On Transboundary Climate Risk

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2022-541/ Climate impacts hit us directly as e.g. floods and forest fires, but also cascade over borders. How can we address these transboundary climate risks (TCRs)? To answer this, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned a study. As open economies, the Nordics can be exposed to TCRs. Some key trade partners have medium (e.g. China) or even high (e.g. India) risk. The study dove deeper into six food commodities. For example, climate change affects sources of maize negatively, with risks outweighing opportunities by 28:1. This can mean higher prices or disturbances in supplies. The Nordics are better prepared than most others, but not well enough. There are also important differences among them. The report makes recommendations on how Nordics can better address TCRs together. These include a joint research programme, raising awareness and engaging with the private sector.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2022-531/ Climate impacts hit us directly as e.g. floods and forest fires, but also cascade over borders. How can we address these transboundary climate risks (TCRs)? To answer this, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned a study. As open economies, the Nordics can be exposed to TCRs. Some key trade partners have medium (e.g. China) or even high (e.g. India) risk. The study dove deeper into six food commodities. For example, climate change affects sources of maize negatively, with risks outweighing opportunities by 28:1. This can mean higher prices or disturbances in supplies. The Nordics are better prepared than most others, but not well enough. There are also important differences among them. The report makes recommendations on how Nordics can better address TCRs together. These include a joint research programme, raising awareness and engaging with the private sector.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2023-017/ The 6th Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation, NOCCA23, took place in Reykjavik, Iceland in April 2023. The focus of the conference was on ways to accelerate mainstreaming of adaptation at the municipal level in the Nordics. Four themes were studied: sea level rise, transboundary climate risks, nature-based solutions, and local master planning. The conference explored the current state of adaptation as well as actions implemented in the Nordic countries and the challenges, opportunities, and learnings from the implementation process. The role of different actors was discussed, and how engagement with the community is paramount to success. Finally, the role of the Nordic Council in accelerating adaptation measures within the Nordic region and beyond was discussed. The results have been summarized into a policy brief capturing the thrust of the discussion of the conference.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2023-014/ This policy brief presents the findings from the report "Comparison and analysis of national adaptation policies in the Nordic region", along with a set of policy recommendations directed at public authorities in the Nordic countries. After summarizing key progress factors and best practices and main challenges, the policy brief presents five main recommendations: 1) reframe adaptation as transformation; 2) establish mechanisms for systematic knowledge generation and develop appropriate indicators; 3) break down silo-structure between sectors and develop a clearly articulated policy cycle; 4) enhance adaptation financing and economic incentive mechanisms and translate knowledge on risks and vulnerabilities to local adaptation measures; 5) enhance the political mandate for adaptation and strengthen international commitments, including through Nordic collaboration.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2022-018/ This policy brief is issued by the Nordic Working Group for Sustainable Cities, under the umbrella of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The overall objective and purpose of the efforts of this working group, which ended its work at the end of 2021 and was subsequently integrated into the Nordic Working Group on Biodiversity, was to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 with an emphasis on strengthening the exchange of experiences and co-operating on Nordic solutions for sustainable urban development. The importance of urban green spaces in achieving this has been a key focus of the group’s work. The text was prepared by Cecil C. Konijnendijk under assignment from the Working Group.

The JPI Climate – AXIS project “Unpacking climate impact CHAINs. A new generation of action – and user-oriented climate change risk assessments” (UNCHAIN) is approaching its end date (31.12.2022), and the project is looking for an opportunity to collect its remaining scientific publications into a Research Topic. The overall objective of UNCHAIN is to improve climate change risk assessment frameworks aimed at informed decision-making and climate change adaptation action through six methodological innovations: • To also cover the possible need for long-term and large-scale efforts of societal transformation; • To refine a structured method of co-production of knowledge and integrate this into impact modelling; • To develop and test an applicable framework for analyzing how societal change can affect local climate change vulnerabilities; • To develop and test a standardized analytical framework for addressing uncertainties involved in local decision-making on climate change adaptation; • To integrate the trans-national impacts of climate change; and, • To link mitigation and adaptation in climate risk and vulnerability assessments.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2023-525/ This report presents the findings from a comparative study of climate change adaptation policy in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Based on a comparative analysis of the policy landscape, including legislative frameworks, policy instruments, and financing mechanisms, the report identifies best practices and main challenges as well as key factors influencing the progress of national adaptation. Despite considerable progress in several of the Nordic countries, the report identifies multiple challenges, including lack of systems for monitoring, reporting and evaluation, lack of sufficient funding and economic incentives and lack of appropriate tools and knowledge for aligning adaptation with other societal goals, such as mitigation and sustainable development. The report ends by suggesting ways to enhance adaptation in the Nordic countries.

Almost every country has formulated its Nationally Determined Contribution to the global response to climate change. These national climate action plans were key to the landmark adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement. They will also be central to its implementation – even if, taken together, current plans are insufficient to meet the aims of the Paris Agreement. Every five years, countries update their NDCs to demonstrate increased ambition. But while essential, ambition alone is not enough. This book shows that to be able to realize their climate ambition, countries also need to enhance the effectiveness of their plans and policies. Enhancing effectiveness involves improving the transparency, coherence and implementability of their NDCs. To ramp up ambition and effectiveness, future NDCs must build on and learn from experience. Based on a detailed analysis of the first round of NDCs by some of the world’s most knowledgeable climate policy experts, this book offers critical insights relevant to mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation. The book also discusses key elements of the Paris Agreement and broader climate policy, including the Enhanced Transparency Framework and the Paris Committee on Capacity Building, as well as considerations of equity and development. It is a must-read for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil-society experts working on climate policy. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Climate Policy.