Experts from Lithuania and Norway shared good practice on adaptation to climate change
Lithuania is increasingly focusing on nature-based urban solutions and promoting municipal adaptation to climate change. Norway is the world's leading country in terms of Adaptability Rank, and last week representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania, the Lithuanian and Norwegian municipalities, and the Norwegian Directorate of Civil Protection shared good practice and discussed initiatives to address the challenges of climate change adaptation. The event was organised in the framework of the ClimAdapt-LT project.
"The climate change problems Norway is facing are close to ours, particularly the heavy rainfall and the flooding. We have seen solutions where public spaces are designed so that houses and streets are not inundated by water during floods. More nature-based solutions are also needed in Lithuania, and representatives of the municipalities of Plungė and Vilnius shared examples of such solutions that are already being implemented", - says Judita Liukaitytė-Kukienė, Senior Advisor of the Climate Policy Group of the Ministry of the Environment and project leader of ClimAdapt-LT.
The seminar focused on the climate change adaptation situation in Norway and the challenges faced by the population: increased rainfall, floods and flash floods, landslides and avalanches, and storm surges. Over the last ten years, Norway has increasingly focused on nature-based solutions, and each municipality has a general risk analysis.
"When we talk to municipal specialists, we notice that the main problem is the lack of knowledge in the field of climate change adaptation. We, therefore, believe that it is necessary for experts from different countries to work together, to share best practices, to learn from each other's experiences and to understand the unique situation and needs of different regions",- says Alexander Tymczuk, Special Advisor to the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities.
The inclusion of people with disabilities and the protection of their rights are also essential in the design of climate policy measures. People with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to be affected by climate change-related emergencies (heat waves, hurricanes and floods). This is the reason why it is necessary to include this group in the debate when drawing up adaptation plans. For example, the installation of a cycle lane may make bus stops inaccessible to wheelchairs. Currently, in Lithuania, the age of the municipal population, the proportion of people with special needs, etc. are analysed in the context of climate change adaptation plans. It is important to find out which social groups are most vulnerable to such risks.
Representatives of Lithuanian and Norwegian municipalities participating in the seminar shared good practices and projects to develop these areas. One example is a joint project between the Norwegian municipalities of Drammen and Tionsberg, where a mapping system has been developed to help identify which areas of the city and its surroundings are most susceptible to different risks. This is an important tool for local policymakers when it comes to making decisions on the use of different areas. It is hoped that the project could be continued and such a tool could be developed throughout Norway.
These two Norwegian municipalities also provided concrete practical examples of how cities can adapt to climate change. Norwegian environmental and spatial planning experts presented stormwater projects in Tionsberg. In this city, conditions for pedestrians and cyclists have improved considerably, with surface water being collected in gutters on the road pavements. In Drammen, nature-based solutions are widely used, with water flowing down mountain slopes into streams, then being channelled into parks and other areas where it runs off without causing significant damage to the population. Norway is increasingly promoting climate-friendly design by reducing CO₂ emissions through the reuse of products and materials, and by using carbon capture technology.
