Abstract
The importance of adapting to the consequences of climate change is being increasingly recognised globally. In Norway, the expected economic impact of water-related damage is expected to double over the next decades. The complex nature of climate change and large spatial differences in climate vulnerability necessitates locally tailored and cross-sectoral adaptation solutions. However, it is a challenge for often resource-strapped local authorities to determine which adaptation option is most suited to their environmental, social and economic context. In the project ‘Sustainability analysis of climate change adaptation measures’ (2021-2024), researchers worked together with a range of West-Norwegian local authorities and private actors in a community of practice to develop a sustainability assessment framework for evaluating and comparing climate change adaptation measures. The framework covers five dimensions of sustainability: technical performance, economic performance, environmental impact, regulatory compliance, and social benefits. The indicators are flexible enough to be adaptable to local conditions, and decision makers can adjust the weighting of individual indicators or entire dimensions to align with local plans and sustainability goals. By documenting and combining a wide range of sustainability aspects, the framework enables meaningful and holistic comparison of ‘grey’, hybrid and naturebased adaptation measures.
