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On this page we have collected data and information that is intended as a starting point for assessing how the county is affected by climate risk. Scroll down to see how greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, investments and business structure may affect the climate risk Vestland is exposed to.
Important industries in the county that may be exposed to climate risk:
6.7%
Retail trade
Measures to reduce car traffic can affect the location of shopping malls. The transition to a circular economy and increased recycling can affect consumer behaviour.
2.2%
Land and pipeline transport
An increase in extreme weather can lead to an increase in wear and tear, the extent of damage to transport infrastructure and traffic disruptions. Tolls, road pricing and zero-emission zones can affect profitability.
2.2%
Oil and mining support services
Both extreme weather, changes in requirements specifications and any lower activity in the oil and gas sector can affect the demand for specialized services.
Tap a category to display graphs for that category
Emissions within the county
6,863,550tonnes of CO2eq
Change in the previous year
6.1%
Emissions per citizen
10.5tonnes of CO2eq
Data retrieved
Emission of greenhouse gases drives climate change. Without reducing emissions, we will not be able to slow down climate change and thus minimize the physical climate risk that results from climate change.
The transition to a low-emission society requires a sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, also in Norway. We will likely experience more taxes, carbon pricing and bans on high-emitting technologies. This represent transitional risk for municipalities and counties. The local authority's own emissions may fall under the scope of new regulation and thus impose costs on the municipality or county. Carbon-intensive businesses that are important to the local community may experience that demand, revenues and company value are affected, which again may affect tax revenues. You can read more about how the local business community can be exposed to climate risk under the tab «business».
The extent to which a municipality or county controls the emissions in its area varies. For example, it will be easier to influence emissions from industry and own activities (through instruments such as permits and tenders) than emissions from large thoroughfares such as the E6. This is also reflected in the risk: Large emission sources over which the municipality has little influence usually do not represent great climate risk for the municipality.
Industrial emissions in Vestland
Some firms are required to report indicators to the Norwegian Environment Agency, because the firm is associated with large emissions and/or a large environmental risk. Reported indicators include annual emissions, production volume, consumption of energy, and amounts of waste and hazardous waste produced.
The table shows emissions from businesses obliged to report in Vestland for the year of 2022.
The emissions are included in the county's overall emission accounts.
Note that only emissions from activities defined as industry are shown in the table. Emissions from offshore operations, sewage treatment plants and landfills are therefore not shown here.
Data retrieved
Large emissions from land-based industry are considered to be a relevant proxy for transition risk. This is because it's likely that high-emitting businesses will be required to reduce their emissions in the future, and that some will face a decrease in demand for their products.
If these businesses also employ a large proportion of the local workforce, the risk is amplified as the local community may experience the loss of many jobs at the same time (a "cornerstone effect"). This can have dramatic effects on budgets as tax revenue is reduced.
The greenhouse gas accounts include emissions from three different greenhouse gases. To compare the global warming potential (GWP) of these, tonnes of CO2 equivalents is used as the common unit of measurement. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has GWP = 1, nitrous oxide (N2O) has GWP = 298 and methane (CH4) has GWP = 25. The factors are taken from the IPCC's fourth main report, and are the same as used in the national emission accounts and in international reporting. Source: the methodology note accompying the Norwegian Environment Agency's municipality distributed emission statistics (in Norwegian).
Sea level rise and storm surge in Vestland
For coastal communities, sea level rise can be a source of climate risk. This section shows the extent of buildings, roads and areas in the county that may be flooded in 2090, and which are vulnerable to storm surges today and in 2090, respectively.
For future sea level rise, the upper bounds of scenario RCP 8.5 is applied. This is a scenario developed in the context of the IPCCs fifth assessment report, and represents a scenario with high emissions, without effective policies to reduce emissions. This is the scenario used by the Norwegian Mapping Authority and recommended for planning by the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).
Estimated sea level rise per 2090
Sea level rise: Least in county
55cm
Sea level rise: Largest in county
74cm
Flooded areas at medium tides in 2090
Buildings
27,424pcs
Roads
41.6km
Area
49.8km2
Storm surge today and in 2090
Flooded areas at 200-year storm surge now
Buildings
34,322pcs
Roads
80.2km
Area
69.4km2
Flooded areas at 200-year storm surge in 2090
Buildings
40,591pcs
Roads
202.6km
Area
99.6km2
The figures are aggregated numbers for coastal municipalities in Vestland.
Data retrieved
For coastal municipalities, sea level rise can be a source of climate risk.
Roads, buildings and infrastructure can be flooded, especially during high tides or storm surges. This can lead to a reduction in the value of privately and publicly owned buildings, as well as an increase in the cost of carrying out maintenance. Insurance premiums in vulnerable areas may also increase. Liability risk can manifest in recourse claims against a municipality that against better knowledge allows development in areas that are vulnerable to sea level rise.
Green projects in municipalities in Vestland
The list shows projects financed with KBNs green loans. From the drop-down menu you can toggle between the county's own projects and projects initiated by municipalities within Vestland.
Number of projects financed:
0
Total outstanding green loans:
0 billion
Emissions annually avoided + reduced from projects:
N/A
KBN offers green loans with reduced interest rates to projects with clear climate- and environmental ambitions. These loans are financed with green bonds.
We have listed the industries that employ the most people in the municipality and that we believe may be affected by climate risk. The questions in the table are intended as a starting point for dialogue with the local business community. We have tried to indicate the degree of severity at an overall level but recommend that you make a separate assessment based on the local context.
Risk with very high severity
Risk with high severity
Risk with medium severity
Physical risk
Risk
Consequences
None
Apart from those resulting from the location of production facilities, there are no obvious physical risk factors for this industry.
Transitional risk
Risk
Consequences
High severity
Measures to reduce car traffic
What do measures to reduce car traffic, e.g. relocating junctions or toll booths, mean for the location of shopping centres?
High severity
The transition to the circular economy
What does the transition to the circular economy and the increase in recycling mean for the retail sector?
Risk with very high severity
Risk with high severity
Risk with medium severity
Physical risk
Risk
Consequences
Medium severity
Extreme weather (damage and adaptation)
What does an increase in extreme weather, particularly more precipitation, more intense precipitation, more floods and more surface runoff, changes to freeze-thaw cycles or more landslides, mean in terms of the wear and tear and scope of the damage sustained by transport infrastructure, and in terms of disruption to traffic?
Transitional risk
Risk
Consequences
Very high severity
Transition to zero-emissions in the transport sector
What do toll stations, zero-emission zones and road user charges mean for the transportation of goods and persons using fossil-fuel-powered motor vehicles? What would be the impact of customers of transport services, e.g. road-based goods transportation, increasingly demanding solutions that generate lower emissions?
Risk with very high severity
Risk with high severity
Risk with medium severity
Physical risk
Risk
Consequences
Medium severity
Extreme weather (damage and adaptation)
What does an increase in extreme weather, e.g. droughts, extreme precipitation, floods or higher sea levels mean for the oil and gas industry and mining?
Medium severity
Requirement specifications from customers
What will the consequences of this be on the level of demand for specialist services from these sectors, e.g. requirement specifications?
Transitional risk
Risk
Consequences
Very high severity
Less demand due to lower activity levels in the oil and gas industry
What would be the impact of the level of demand for specialist services related to oil and gas extraction decreasing due to a fall in activity levels and the sector being phased out over the next thirty years?
Risk with very high severity
Risk with high severity
Risk with medium severity
Physical risk
Risk
Consequences
High severity
Extreme weather (damage and adaptation)
What does an increase in extreme weather, e.g. droughts, extreme precipitation, floods or higher sea levels, mean in terms of the construction and operation of onshore and offshore installations?
Transitional risk
Risk
Consequences
Very high severity
Lower activity levels
What would be the impact of activity levels in the oil and gas industry decreasing due to regulation, carbon pricing or a decrease in demand?
Very high severity
Extraction phased out
What would be the impact of a phasing out of the oil and gas industry over the next thirty years becoming the most probable scenario?
Risk with very high severity
Risk with high severity
Risk with medium severity
Physical risk
Risk
Consequences
High severity
Extreme weather (damage and adaptation) /changes to weather patterns
What will an increase in extreme weather, such as droughts or extreme precipitation, and changes to weather patterns mean in terms of access to raw materials and the manufacturing of food products?
High severity
Climate risk in other countries
What would climate risk in other countries mean in terms of access to imported raw materials?
Transitional risk
Risk
Consequences
High severity
Changes to consumer behaviour
What would be the impact of consumers increasingly demanding information on the carbon footprint of food products? What would be the impact of consumer behaviour changing in favour of food products with a smaller carbon footprint?
The sample is based on Statistics Norway's statistics on employment by place of residence (table 08536). You can learn more about how we have selected the industries in the methodology note.
Tax revenues from inhabitants make an important contribution to the municipality's budget. Therefore, the municipalities are dependent on the business community being affected as little as possible by climate change (physical climate risk) and at the same time succeeding in the transition to a low-emission society (transition risk), so that employment is upheld.
At this time, we do not have any data for [blockname]
Industry, oil and gas
6.1
%
