Main findings

What is the role of national governments in mainstreaming adaptation at the local level?

Addressing political and policy challenges

National governments must have an updated national adaptation policy and action plan that takes a cross-sectoral approach to lead and ease decision-making at national and sub-national levels of governance. Governments need to prioritize proactive policymaking which aims to prevent emergencies from happening, underpinning resilience at the national and sub-national levels.

Ensuring research, monitoring, and dissemination of information

National governments have the responsibility to ensure that decisions on adaptation responses are underpinned by robust data and research. Governments must ensure adequate resources and measures for continuous research both to swiftly fill in the knowledge gap and to maintain and strengthen the current understanding of adaptation to climate change. To do so effectively an overview is needed on what research exists or is being conducted and where gaps in knowledge are to be found.

Sustain a broad cross-sectoral approach

While it is crucial to prioritize nature-based research on climate change impacts, it is equally important to explore the social sciences' contributions to adaptation options, policy development, and implementation across governance levels. National governments should provide sufficient funding to universities and research institutions engaged in monitoring and interdisciplinary research. Moreover, there is a need to ensure the availability of site-specific data and research for local authorities.

Supporting the development of accessible climate services

National governments should lead the work on clarifying and defining responsibilities for information sharing and use. They need to ensure access and dissemination of current information to different stakeholders and user groups that need scientific input into decision-making. This includes understanding the needs of different user groups and presenting the data in a comprehensive and approachable format. There are already excellent examples from the Nordic countries of national platforms (i.e., Climate Atlas) which share scientific data and knowledge relating to both the nature and impacts of climate change and the options for climate change adaptation efforts that are presented in an accessible way for different users.

Assessing current and future risks

National governments have the responsibility of assessing current and future risks of climate change. In collaboration with key stakeholders such as the science community, public institutions, and local governments, they need to decide on acceptable risks for the country, as well as consider different vulnerabilities that distinct localities and economic sectors can experience. This involves deciding on coefficients for different climate hazards such as sea level rise and precipitation intensity as well as assessing vulnerabilities relating to the current societal situation and societal development trends. This information, amongst others, form the base of official climate risk scenarios which in return will guide planning decisions such as infrastructure development and zoning rules.

Where do local and national authorities converge when developing climate-resilient communities?

Through the implementation of adaptation measures

National governments have the responsibility to ensure local authorities are supported and equipped to manage adaptation. They do that by coordinating adaptation policies and making guidelines on how to implement the national action plan into local functions, such as land-use planning, using innovative and effective measures like nature-based solutions and service delivery. This entails using legislation to make adaptation obligatory as well as creating processes of reviewing and changing adaptation measures and policies according to new knowledge and innovation.

Through ways of funding adaptation actions

Implementing adaptation measures can be costly and requires a new way of working. National governments must ensure there is enough funding for training and upskilling at the local level as well as for the construction and maintenance of adaptation measures.

Through clarification of responsibility and stakeholder engagement

National governments must clarify and coordinate responsibilities and mandates at different levels of government and amongst ministries and institutions. Part of this work should include guidelines on how to involve different stakeholders in the adaptation processes and plans. Integral to stakeholder engagement is to consider adaptation measures in the light of just transition, ensuring that no one is left behind, especially vulnerable and/or marginalized groups.

Through planning laws and regulations

It is the role of the national government to consider what changes are needed to national planning and other relevant laws and regulations to make the system responsive to climate adaptation. The system must balance long-term planning and land-use and coastal planning with the need to create flexibility to adapt to changing scenarios as new data and information build up better knowledge. This includes ensuring that zoning rules are in accordance with acceptable risk for an area and introducing climate risk assessment plans for new development.

By extending land-use planning to dynamic master planning

Master planning provides a framework for local authorities to create a holistic plan for their area. It provides a structure to consider the interplay between land use, the built environment, social settings, public services, and infrastructure. To extend from conventional land-use planning to a more dynamic master planning, national governments must provide guidelines for local authorities on how to create cross-sectoral planning for climate change impacts and adaptation, and how to manage climate risks without compromising other important sustainability concerns. This must include, amongst other things, land use, service delivery, health and education, biodiversity, and other environmental factors, such as ecosystem services and stakeholder engagement guidelines.

What needs to happen at the local level to successfully embed adaptation measures?

Awareness must be raised

Local authorities are at the forefront of climate change and are a crucial administrative platform to carry out the implementation of adaptation responses. Their main task is often described as implementing national plans by embedding adaptation measures into their local operations. But just as important is the role that local authorities can play as an independent political actor, which has meant that front-runner municipalities in the climate area throughout history have occasionally also been running in front of national authorities. To effectively cover both roles, local authorities need to raise awareness of both future and imminent risks amongst local decision-makers and communities.

Roles and responsibilities must be assigned to ensure accountability

Local authorities must ensure there are local processes for implementing adaptation measures. This involves assigning roles and responsibilities to local institutions and decision makers – including those in private business - to ensure that site-specific research underpins municipality plans and local plans. To strengthen accountability, local decision-makers must assume the responsibility of ensuring strategies and policies are underpinned by scientific research and new knowledge.

Local capacity must be ensured

To facilitate adaptation measures local authorities need to identify the knowledge and skills required amongst local practitioners, provide training if needed, and seek cooperation with the national government in finding ways to fill in the skills gap when required. Local authorities, like the central government, need to work across different sectors and should be enabled to share knowledge amongst themselves.

Transparent engagement plans must be in place

Creating support from the ground up should be paramount both at the local and national levels. Local businesses, local communities, and other local stakeholders are essential to decision-making. Their understanding and knowledge of their environment, culture, and society as well as their support is key to a successful implementation of adaptation response.

Local authorities should establish a robust and dynamic engagement strategy and process. There are numerous participatory methods available to involve relevant local actors as well as the local population in general. Whichever is used the aim should be to engage in a dialogue about what is valuable to the community, such as culturally and historically important buildings and sites, and competing interests between certain adaptation measures and other factors, such as industries and other activities. By embedding local knowledge and values into the decision-making process, municipalities can create a joint vision for the future and a consensus on the threshold of tolerance and disruption caused by climate hazards.

Communications that inform and encourage people to work together

Local authorities need to be honest about the long-term implications of adaptation measures. They can be expensive and change surroundings permanently, impacting people's sense of place. As an example, adaptation measures could entail relocating culturally and historically important buildings and monuments that otherwise could be lost. Similarly, changes to zoning rules that reflect increased climate risk could see the cost of insurance rise significantly for affected areas.