– Doubts that we are well enough prepared – VG
The Directorate for Social Security has carried out analyzes of crisis scenarios for landslides, floods, storms and forest fires. But not heat waves and extreme heat.
Never before has it been as hot in the UK as it has been this week. On Tuesday, the thermometer showed 40.3 degrees Celsius in England.
London’s fire service had its busiest day since World War II. Forest fires spread and several homes caught fire.
Britain’s climate committee has been warning for several years that the country is not sufficiently prepared to cope with such hot weather.
Nor is Norway sufficiently prepared for heat waves, the Red Cross believes.
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The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness is not aware that there is a concrete emergency plan for heat waves or extreme heat in Norway.
The ministry informs VG that the Directorate for Community Security and Preparedness (DSB) has not yet specified analyzes of preparedness or crisis scenarios.
DSB has carried out such analyzes concerning landslides, floods, storms and forest fires.
– A heat wave like this is a type of event that we believe is important to draw attention to, both through the analyzer and in climate adaptation work in general, says State Secretary John-Erik Vika to VG.
– The Ministry of Climate and the Environment is now leading work on a new report to the Storting on climate adaptation, where it is natural that this topic is touched upon, he says.
The ministry does not rule out that there may be preparedness for heat waves in other sectors, such as health.
The Directorate of Health informs VG that they are not aware that such plans exist with them.
Each individual municipality is also responsible for carrying out its own analyses, and possibly introducing measures.
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Red Cross: Not well enough prepared
– Whether Norway is prepared, I doubt that we are well enough prepared, says Anders Thorheim, head of social security and preparedness at the Norwegian Red Cross.
Thorheim says that Norway has neither the infrastructure nor the knowledge needed to take extreme heat.
Nor is the population particularly prepared for a heat wave, he believes.
– We do not have houses with air conditioning and we are not very well equipped for longer dry periods either. We are used to good access to water, both from water courses and from the oven, says Thorheim.
All municipalities in Norway carry out regular surveys and map risks and vulnerabilities in the municipality. The municipalities can introduce any measures to cope with heat waves.
The Red Cross demands that the consequences of climate change be given a greater place in these investigations.
– Heat waves are not something that is at the top of the priority list, but it is certainly something that we have to internalize, says Thorheim.
– We have the luxury of living so far north that we have a little more time. This is a crisis that has been announced and now we have the opportunity to prepare for it, he says.
Climate change will affect the elongated Norway differently. Some places will be more exposed to rainfall, floods and landslides. Other places will be more prone to drought and heat.
Deadly heat wave in Europe
The heat wave that has ravaged Europe has had serious consequences. The heat has led to powerful forest fires and claimed more than a thousand lives.
Portugal has reported over 1,000 deaths related to the heat wave, reports the Reuters news agency. In Spain, over 500 deaths can be linked to heat.
In Britain, at least 13 people have lost their lives in connection with swimming accidents this week, according to Reuters.
Heat waves have barely been in Norway, but the temperatures have not risen as strongly as in other countries.
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In recent years, heat waves in Europe have become more frequent and more intense.
Scientists are finding increasingly strong evidence that this trend has a human-made contribution.
– It is probably something we have to live with, this trend has started to take effect and will probably continue to be there, says climate researcher at Cicero Marianne Tronstad Lund to VG.
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Possible to reverse global warming
Some of the consequences we are now seeing from global warming are impossible to completely reverse. But all hope is not lost.
– The big job lies in actually following up promises that have already been signed. These take us some way, but we must have even more ambitious measures to reach the goals, says climate researcher Tronstad Lund.
The aim is to limit global warming to below 10 degrees. Preferably under 1.5. The world has reached a warming of 1 degree, according to the climate scientist.
An important part of achieving this goal is to reduce emissions. Norway must reduce emissions by 50-55 per cent by 2030. In 2021, emissions fell by 0.3 per cent.
The government believes we will be able to achieve the targets, but the researchers are not so sure.