The project Civilclim looks at how climate vulnerability may lead to new challenges for the system of civil protection. This report is the latest in the project, and provides insight into regional and local work with extreme weather events in Norway, by showing what lessons have been drawn from such events by the County Governor and affected municipalities. The material sheds light on the ability of the public system of civil protection to learn from extreme weather events, and to what extent the system is prepared to tackle the effects of future climate change. The empirical material consists of interviews with the Head of Civil Protection in each of the 18 counties as well as relevant documents and reports.

The study shows that the County Governor could generally be more actively engaged in follow-up and preventive work in the wake of extreme weather events. All events, no matter how severe the consequences, tend to encompass important learning points that can later result in the implementation of preventive measures. The study shows that evaluation practices vary considerably, and that the instructions that guide the County Governor’s work are very flexible as to which extreme weather events require evaluation. Clearer instructions and more fixed routines could therefore be central in making the follow-up of extreme weather events more systematic. Moreover, the material shows that the interviewees focus more on crisis management than preventive work. This is the case both when it comes to specific events and general hindrances for preparedness, and societal safety and security. In relation to climate change, it is vital that preventive work is prioritised.

The study also shows that the County Governor should be more involved in the long-term follow-up of municipalities to ensure that necessary measures are being implemented after an extreme weather event. In situations when preventive work encompasses heavy or large-scale measures initiated by bigger actors than the municipalities, the County Governor has an opportunity to play an active part, should the resource situation allow it. As for climate adaptation, the County Governor and the municipalities are in need of greater state involvement. Currently, municipalities are asking for more insight into local effects of climate change, while competence-building is required in order for the regional level to provide guidance.

Three features regarding future development are important for the County Governor’s work with climate change in the coming years. The first challenge pertains to changing weather patterns and increasing occurrence of atypical weather events, which implies that every municipality should prepare for extreme weather events, regardless of how exposed they deem themselves today. Another main challenge is that society is becoming ever more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as a majority of the interviewees observed with regard to their counties. The third challenge is related to the institutional capacity of the County Governor, and in particular limited administrative capacity. In several counties, a time and resource scarcity is affecting the County Governor’s ability to follow up extreme weather events and prioritise preventive work – tasks that are meant to reduce societal vulnerability to climate change.