A Norwegian perspective on buildings and climate change

The current Norwegian climate research structures, policies and priorities, mitigation and adaptation options are discussed as well as the development of local climate change projections and adaptation measures. A major difficulty is that Norway's present energy supply has a low carbon intensity because a substantial part derives from hydropower, but increasing demand may be met by gas-fired electricity generation, thereby making efficiency and conservation a much higher priority. A National Action Plan on Climate Research recognizes the need for increased research efforts in several areas, including the impacts on the built environment and the more general impacts on society. Mitigation opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the built environment include increased technological efficiencies, reduced energy usage through improved design, mandatory labelling schemes and a switch to climate neutral fuels for heating. However, radically lower energy requirements and lower U-values will be problematic, requiring new technical solutions and construction methods. There is little integration of policy and strategy for adaptation in Norway. The recognition that climate change will further enhance an array of different, harsh microclimates in Norway, which vary according to individual locality, has led to the development of new adaptation approaches and methods. These allow for the projected local climate to inform decisions on an appropriate design response to meet performance-based codes. The development of design guidance for high-performance building envelopes will, in future, take account of projected local climate. However, there is a tension between the need for standardized national building solutions and the need to adapt to local climatic conditions.