Islands, climate change | It’s so damn urgent

Reader message This is a discussion post, written by an outside contributor. The publication expresses the author’s positions.

Climate change no longer needs a long introduction. In recent years, we’ve repeatedly seen examples of extreme weather that climate scientists have been predicting for decades. Extreme heat waves, droughts and wildfires in Australia, USA and most recently Canada, where the temperature in the shade is around 2021.

After the catastrophic floods in Germany in the summer of 2021, Johann Rockström, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, stated that this type of environmental disaster has experts first. Calculated in 100 years. This means that all early calculations on climate change must be redone.

So far, Norway has benefited independently from global warming. Longer growing season, tree line climbs up the mountainside, so today we have about 40% of Norway covered in forest, where we had about 9% when I grew up in the 1960s.

Those who notice warm-up problems the most are probably the winter sports resorts and cross-country skiers. According to MET, the winter temperature rose by 2.5 degrees (https://www.met.no/vaer-og-klima/klima-siste-150-ar) in Hornsjø and in Øyerfjellet we tend to have longer and colder winters .

at Dagens Nyheter in Sweden ( https://www.dn.se/klimatet-just-nu/) Maria Günther points to the average climate experts’ figure of 1.2 degrees globally – but it’s already 3.3 degrees warmer in Sweden, where the warming increases faster the further north you go.

The Coastal Directorate of Denmark made a calculation in 2016 that showed that in less than 50 years, 25 municipalities in Denmark would cost more than NOK 250 million due to erosion, and up to 65 municipalities paid more than NOK 250 million due to flood damage. .

Almost everything we do affects the climate, and conversely, climate and weather also influence almost everything we do.

Norway is the seventh largest oil exporter in the world, and therefore it is also a major source of carbon dioxide.

If we are to solve the crisis, a massive transformation is needed that affects all sectors and areas. Society as a whole must be restructured, says the Climate Council, if we are to have a chance of achieving our goals.

It can seem confusing that everything is connected. But one of the most important things about transformation is changing the way we use energy. Globally, the energy sector—which here includes energy use in industry and construction as well as transportation of all kinds—accounts for nearly three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions. It is thus the absolute largest hump that must be leveled if we are to reduce CO2 emissions.

What if Gudbrandsdalen introduced geothermal heat with heat pumps into all large public and private buildings – and required geothermal heating systems in cottage development areas?

For every kilowatt we put into geothermal heat, we get 3.5 kilowatts. Horizon Europe’s joint application will likely fund the investment, and with current electricity prices, they can all be paid off in 3-4 years. Then we have more or less free electricity for many years to come.

A case for municipalities and business councils together? It is urgent.

Although technological solutions can do a lot, they are not enough by themselves. It also requires a deeper cultural change, with most people recognizing climate change as an emergency. In the past five years, there are signs that many people in the world have become aware of the problem and are starting to demand action. Not least the youth who are striking out of schools and climate protests have changed the way we talk about climate change. Although some climate change can no longer be avoided, there is still a possibility that the world can avoid the worst consequences.

Jan Gunnar Björk, Øyer, Day Manager, Hornsjø Fjellhotell