Adapting to climate change through land use planning and nature management: Obligations, rights, and risks.

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The project will be run by the Natural Resources Law Group at the University of Oslo. Through both de lege lata and de lege ferenda studies it will address the following two general questions which are interlinked: - What are the legal obligations and po ssibilities for various public authorities in Norway, through land use planning and nature management, to take or to order necessary measures to prevent and restore damage caused by natural phenomena which are due to extreme weather and climate change, an d are the rules adequate to effectively meet the challenges? - What are the legal rights and obligations of landowners and other holders of rights and potential victims in areas which are subject to new risks and possibly preventive restrictions, and are the rules adequate and generally fair? In analyses of possible reforms several theoretical approaches and methods may be applied. One approach may be to analyse various possibilities in light of economic efficiency theories and apply methods of law-and- economics. Approaches inherent in such themes as resilience, disaster law, and public nuisance doctrine are also relevant. There is considerable international interest and activities in the field and the project will follow these. It will look into the l egal situation and solutions in some other European countries. The ongoing discussions in USA and Australia are also relevant. To ensure contact with other disciplines the project will be linked to the interdisciplinary project ?Responding to Climate Ch ange: The "Potential of and Limits to Adaptation in Norway (PLAN)". It will also seek information about how the rules are applied in practice through cooperation with Vestlandsforskning and the project ?Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Norway? (N ORADAPT). The 4 year project will include one PhD thesis, four more limited studies, and national and international networking i.a. through four annual national seminars and two international gatherings.