Challenges of the northernmost city in the world

Fisheries

Hammerfest faces several climate related challenges. In terms of the challenges related to the fisheries, local fishers are concerned that they do not have quotas for species such as mackerel, whose abundance, due to warmer ocean temperatures, is increasing in their fishing areas. New species have also been observed, although this may be attributed to wider marine ecosystem imbalance, rather than ocean temperature change (West and Hovelsrud 2010). Fish buyers, landing facilities and fish processors are all affected by the dynamics of sea temperature and species composition, abundance and distribution. A number of social factors affect fishers and fish buyers/processors’ exposure-sensitivity and adaptive capacity for dealing with climate variability and change. A fishing regulatory framework that is perceived and described by our local partners as being bureaucratic and unpredictable may limit fishers’ flexibility and mobility to respond to climate change impacts on fish, while cultural values and individual preferences may affect the choice of fishing technology and species fished, either facilitating or hindering adaptation.

Extreme weather

Polar lows occur more frequently in Hammerfest due to the particular atmospheric and ocean interactions in the Barents Sea. Small fishing vessels engaging in recreational fishing for tourists have expressed concern about the increased storm activities. Storms present major challenges for such boat captains, in terms of safety, comfort, tourists’ experience and evaluation, insurance, income and regulations. Icing conditions are a current exposure-sensitivity noted by many, and the combination of wind, temperature and moisture represent hazardous conditions which until recently were not commonly forecasted. Instead the fishers rely solely on their own experience and knowledge for assessing the conditions.

Power companies are always on the alert for forecast of icy conditions, which may lead to accumulation of ice on power lines and potential power failure. In 2006, an offshore winter storm caused a major power failure in Hammerfest, revealing a high degree of sensitivity to storms of this nature.

Hammerfest has only one major road serving the municipality and is therefore highly dependent upon proper road maintenance and open roads for access and supplies. In Finnmark County in particular, many major roads cross mountain passes that are prone to severe snow and wind, and it is quite common for such roads to be closed or passable only with an official escort vehicle.

Another concern in Hammerfest is rain on frozen ground, leading to river flooding as the ground cannot absorb excess rainwater. Lack of sufficient municipal drainage capacity, due to inadequate pipe dimensions, may lead to flooding within Hammerfest city. The local municipal partners in Hammerfest have also expressed deep concern about extreme precipitation in both winter and summer which increases the run-off into the harbour. This runoff is likely highly contaminated by sediments from closed polluted ship yards and fish processing industrial sites. This can be characterized as a current exposure sensitivity and the current adaptive strategy involves monitoring the pollutant levels on the harbour sea floor to assess the rate at which pollutants trapped in the sediment seep out into the sound. The municipality is also looking into ways of securing the sediments, by studying how the problem has been dealt with elsewhere.

Warmer winters

Avalanches are a major concern in, and can be characterized as a current exposure-sensitivity. In both places the major towns are nestled against steep hills, which are prone to both snow avalanches and rock fall, and an important adaptive strategy for the municipalities is to reduce vulnerability by building and maintaining avalanche protection. The combined effects of increased precipitation, warmer winter temperatures and wind, increases the risk of avalanches in winter (Hanssen-Bauer et al. 2009).

Three municipal departments in Hammerfest, dealing with housing, the airport and harbours respectively, are concerned with how the prevailing wind direction and snow load should determine the orientation of new houses, and the location of the new airport and harbour. Careful consideration of the siting of these developments constitutes an acknowledgement of the need to adapt planning specifications in the light of new climatic challenges.

Capacity challenges

Several studies of municipalities and adaptation in Norway have concluded that few municipalities have prioritized a systematic approach for confronting the challenges of climate change (e.g. Amundsen et al. 2010; Næss et al. 2005; Vevatne and Westskog 2007). A major challenge for Hammerfest has been a lack of adequate human capacity and finances to plan and prepare for new and different conditions despite their efforts to seek expertise and funding. There are simply not enough human or financial resources available to carry out the different tasks required to maintain municipal services and at the same time increase expertise and knowledge in relation to potential climate change risks and opportunities. A common result is that the municipal human resources become exhausted. And in spite of the fact that Hammerfest municipality has had a substantial increase in revenue in connection with the establishment of the LNG facility, increasing the general adaptive capacity of the municipality, municipality officials have noted that they simply do not know how and where to find the relevant information about the specific consequences of climate change, how to develop adaptive strategies and how to inform the public. With a poor information flow from the national to local level, the municipalities are dependent upon individual engagement and ability to seek knowledge.