One Size Fits All? Understanding the Domestic Politics of Global Climate Change

To what extent can a common conceptual framework or model be used to study climate and energy policy trajectories of states whose political and economic systems differ widely? In this paper we are concerned with long-term policy trajectories rather than day-to-day politics. For this purpose, frameworks focusing on generic forces and essential functions in society seem to be the most useful. The paper outlines a framework and indicates how it may be applied to very different political systems such as those of the United States and China. Our point of departure is the assumption that in all systems policy development is driven by two generic forces: (societal) demand and (governmental) supply. These forces interact and co-produce policies, but the ways in which they do so vary significantly depending on characteristics of political institutions, cultures and other nation-specific factors. Moreover, building on classical contributions to political science, we assume that in all systems policy-making involves cer tain essential functions, one being the aggregation of preferences. Again, the specific institutional arrangements and processes through which preferences are aggregated will vary with nation- specific factors and be important determinants of outcomes. Yet, it seems that much of this variance can be captured and systematically analyzed by means of a model conceiving of outcomes as a function of (a) “the rules of the game”; (b) demand-supply configurations, and (c) the distribution of power. This model can be useful in understanding outcomes in autocratic as well as democratic systems, and we employ empirical illustrations from the United States and China to indicate how this kind of analysis might be designed and carried out

Grenseområdene Norge-Russland. Luft- og nedbørkvalitet, april 2014-mars 2015.

Smelteverkene på russisk side av den norsk-russiske grense slipper ut store mengder svoveldioksid (SO2) og tungmetaller. Dette gir forhøyede konsentrasjoner også på norsk side. Denne rapporten inngår i kartlegging av miljøbelastningen i grenseområdene og omfatter målinger av luftkvalitet, nedbørkvalitet og meteorologi

The Visund office building, Haakonsvern, Bergen. As-built report

The Visund office building is a pilot project within the Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) in Norway. The building has 2031 m2 of heated floor area and is located at Haakonsvern, about 15 km from the centre of Bergen, Norway. The building is owned by the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency (Forsvarsbygg) and the main contractor was Veidekke. The building has been in operation since January 2016. The design aimed at meeting the ZEB-criterion of net zero emission balance, excluding energy for appliances. The compact and simple building form has been carefully planned, giving an energy efficient and airtight building envelope with good daylight conditions. Heating and cooling is provided by a local seawater-based heat pump. The temperature, as well as the ventilation and lighting systems are demand controlled. A photovoltaic system installed on the roof is generating electricity. The energy performance has been closely monitored and the energy measurements during the first year corresponds well with the predicted energy use and required indoor climate performance. Energy need for lighting is an exception and was higher than predicted in 2016. Improvements have been made during the year to reduce this energy post. The indoor temperature has been higher than estimated in the calculations, with an average of 22.9°C in 2016, compared with estimated 21°C. The energy generation from the PV plant corresponds well to the predicted energy generation. To satisfy the ZEB-goal, the PV plant has to generate as much electricity as the energy delivered to the building, except the energy needed for appliances. In 2016, the delivered energy during the year was 45.1 kWh/m² and energy generation from the PV plant was 27.5 kWh/m², giving a net delivered energy of 17.6 kWh/m²; 4.1 kWh/m² more than the energy need for appliances during the same year. The ZEBgoal was therefore not completely achieved during the first year of operation. Delivered energy was 7% higher than the predicted value, achieving the contract requirement of maximum 20%. Given that this was the initial operational year, with a number of improvements, it seems likely that the Visund office building later will achieve the ZEB-goal of net zero emission balance for building operation during a year. The Visund office building project shows that it is possible to build a net zero emission office building in Bergen with commercially available products and traditional design and construction process. A high focus on clear and shared goals, contract based economic incentives, robust building design and technology choices, energy monitoring, and follow-up measures have been key factors to achieve the goals.publishedVersio

A Norwegian zero emission neighbourhood (ZEN) definition and a ZEN key performance indicator (KPI) tool

Within the Norwegian Research Centre for Zero Emission Neighbourhoods (ZEN) in smart cities, a definition for achieving zero emission neighbourhoods will be developed and tested against nine pilot areas. The ZEN definition considers a series of assessment criteria and key performance indicators (KPI) under seven categories; GHG emissions, energy, power/load, mobility, economy, spatial qualities and innovation. This paper presents the first draft of the ZEN definition, and discusses some of the opportunities and challenges in implementing assessment criteria and KPIs (ZEN metrics) into a ZEN KPI tool. This paper briefly presents the ZEN pilot areas and maps out existing tools used by ZEN stakeholders for the documentation of ZEN metrics. The paper goes further by presenting a ZEN KPI tool conceptual framework for the implementation of the ZEN definition in ZEN pilot areas and outlines a specification for the future development of a ZEN KPI tool. Finally, the paper presents further work for the development of a ZEN KPI tool.publishedVersionContent from this work may be used under the terms of theCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Lt

Grenseområdene Norge-Russland. Luft- og nedbørkvalitet, april 2009-mars 2010.

Smelteverkene på russisk side av den norsk-russiske grense slipper ut store mengder svoveldioksid (SO2) og tungmetaller. Dette gir forhøyede konsentrasjoner også på norsk side. Denne rapporten inngår i kartlegging av miljøbelastningen i grenseområdene og omfatter målinger av luftkvalitet, nedbørkvalitet og meteorologi

Mechanical Mixing of Garnet Peridotite and Pyroxenite in the Orogenic Peridotite Lenses of the Tvaerdal Complex, Liverpool Land, Greenland Caledonides

The Tvaerdal Complex is an eclogite-bearing metamorphic terrane in Liverpool Land at the southern tip of the Greenland Caledonides. It is a Baltic terrane that was transferred to Laurentia during the Scandian orogeny. It exposes a few small garnet dunite and harzburgite lenses, some containing parallel layers of garnet pyroxenite and peridotite (including lherzolite). Sm–Nd mineral ages from the pyroxenites indicate recrystallization occurred at the same time (≈405 Ma) as eclogite recrystallization in the enclosing gneiss. Geothermobarometry indicates these eclogites and pyroxenites shared a similar pressure-temperature history. This congruent evolution suggests pyroxenite-bearing peridotite lenses were introduced from a mantle wedge into subducted Baltic continental crust and subsequently shared a common history with this crust and its eclogites during the Scandian orogeny. Some garnet peridotite samples contain two garnet populations: one Cr-rich (3·5–6·2 wt % Cr2O3) and the other Cr-poor (0·2–1·4 wt %). Sm–Nd analyses of two such garnet peridotites define two sets of apparent ages: one older (>800 Ma) for Cr-rich garnets and the other younger (<650 Ma) for Cr-poor garnets. We propose that the younger Cr-poor garnets were derived from fractured and disaggregated garnet pyroxenite layers (i.e. are M2) and were mixed mechanically with older (i.e. M1) garnets of the host peridotite during intense Scandian shearing. Mechanical mixing may be an important mantle process

Grenseområdene Norge-Russland. Luft- og nedbørkvalitet, april 2014-mars 2015.

Smelteverkene på russisk side av den norsk-russiske grense slipper ut store mengder svoveldioksid (SO2) og tungmetaller. Dette gir forhøyede konsentrasjoner også på norsk side. Denne rapporten inngår i kartlegging av miljøbelastningen i grenseområdene og omfatter målinger av luftkvalitet, nedbørkvalitet og meteorologi

Air quality monitoring in the border areas of Norway and Russia, annual report 2017.

Smelteverkene i NV-Russland slipper ut store mengder svoveldioksid (SO2) og tungmetaller. Utslippene påvirker luft- og nedbørkvalitet i grenseområdene. Miljøovervåkingen viser at grenseverdier for SO2 er overholdt i kalenderåret 2017, samt sesongmiddel vinter 2016/17. Målsettingsverdier for Ni og As er overholdt.The nickel smelters in NW Russia emit large quantities of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and heavy metals. These emissions lead to enhanced concentrations of environmental pollutants in the border areas. The monitoring programme shows that air quality in the border areas was in compliance with Norwegian limit values for SO2 for calendar year 2017, as well as seasonal mean winter 2016/17.publishedVersio

Air quality monitoring in the border areas of Norway and Russia – progress report 2016.

Smelteverkene i NV-Russland slipper ut store mengder svoveldioksid (SO2) og tungmetaller. Utslippene påvirker luft- og nedbørkvalitet i grenseområdene. Miljøovervåkingen viser at grenseverdier for SO2 er overholdt på Svanvik i 2016, men overskredet i Karpdalen fort timemiddelverdier og døgnmiddelverdier i 2016, samt sesongmiddel vinter 2015/16. Målsettingsverdier for Ni og As er overholdt.The nickel smelters in NW Russia emit large quantities of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and heavy metals. These emissions lead to enhanced concentrations of environmental pollutants in the border areas. The monitoring programme shows that air quality in Karpdalen violates Norwegian limit values for SO2 hourly mean values and daily mean values in 2016, as well as seasonal mean winter 2015/16.publishedVersio