WATERS WITH(OUT) BORDERS

Transkript

1 WATERS WITH(OUT) BORDERS THE MATTER OF DECENTRALISATION FOR A COORDINATED CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN NORTH DENMARK ANJA WEJS*, BISSAN ZAMZAM & METTE FREDERIKSEN *WEJS@PLAN.AAU.DK

2 The Neoliberal Movement and Decentralization Many western countries experience a neoliberal movement towards higher degrees of decentralization Increased fragmentation may influence the need for holistic adaptation planning Denmark has experienced a municipal structural reform and a company formation of waste water utilities What does this mean for the shaping of climate adaptation governance structures at the local level? Flooding in Jesperhus, Mors, Limfjorden. July 5 th 2014 (Limfjordupdate.dk)

3 The Structural Reform 2007 From 271 to 98 municipalities Figur 2.1 Det nye danmarkskort Christiansø Bornholm Hjørring Frederikshavn Læsø Jammerbugt Brønderslev-Dronninglund Hørsholm Thisted Aalborg Allerød Rudersdal Morsø Vesthimmerlands Rebild Furesø Lyngby-Taarbæk Gentofte Mariagerfjord Gladsaxe Herlev Ballerup Skive Glostrup Frederiksberg Albertslund Rødovre Københavns Lemvig Randers Høje-Taastrup Brøndby Struer Holstebro Viborg Syddjurs Norddjurs Greve Vallensbæk Ishøj Hvidovre Tårnby Dragør Favrskov Herning Silkeborg Århus Skanderborg Gribskov Helsingør Frederiksværk-Hundested Ringkøbing-Skjern Ikast-Brande Horsens Odder Samsø Odsherred Fredensborg Hillerød Frederikssund Egedal Varde Billund Vejle Hedensted Kalundborg Holbæk Roskilde Lejre Vejen Kolding Fredericia Middelfart Bogense Kerteminde Sorø Ringsted Køge Solrød Fanø Esbjerg Assens Odense Nyborg Slagelse Næstved Faxe Stevns Haderslev Faaborg-Midtfyn Tønder Svendborg Vordingborg Aabenraa Sønderborg Ærø Langeland Lolland Guldborgsund Note: Grænsejusteringer, som følge af lokale folkeafstemninger, er indikeret på kortet. For den præcise grænsejustering, se bekendtgørelse 656 af 29. juni 2005 om revision af den kommunale og regionale inddeling og om forpligtende kommunale samarbejder. Indbyggertal opgjort pr. 1. januar Se bilag 3 for indbyggertal i kommunerne.

4 Frederiksberg København From 14 counties Kort 1.1. Den geografiske fordeling af amterne to 5 regions Bornholms Regionskommune Nordjyllands Amt Ringkøbing Amt Viborg Amt Århus Amt Ribe Amt Vejle Amt Frederiksborg Amt Københavns Amt Vestsjællands Amt Roskilde Amt Fyns Amt Sønderjyllands Amt Storstrøms Amt Bemærkning: Farverne er alene anvendt for at adskille regionerne.

5 The Company Formation 2009: Towards Privatization of Waste-Water Utility Companies (Rouse, 2007:112)

6 Danish Climate Adaptation Planning Left: hierarchical structure of the action plan for climate change adaptation. Right: the sectors relevant for climate change adaptation (The Danish Nature Agency, 2014)

7 Recommended Organizational Set-up of the Adaptation Planning Process Possible organisational set up of the climate change adaptation planning process (Danish Nature Agency, 2013: 10)

8 The Case of North Denmark (Wejs, Zamzam and Frederiksen, forthcoming)

9 Status of Climate Adaptation Plans within North Denmark Status of Climate Change Adaptation Plans divided according to six phases (March/April 2013) (Wejs, Zamzam and Frederiksen, forthcoming).

10 Status of Collaboration in Relation to Climate Adaptation Planning in North Denmark Municipality Other Waste water utility Other municipalities municipal departments companies MA Yes Yes No MB No Yes No MC No Yes No MD No Yes No ME No Yes No MF No Yes No Collaboration with other municipal departments, utilities, and other municipalities (March/April 2013) (Wejs, Zamzam and Frederiksen, forthcoming).

11 Current Collaboration between Municipality and Utility [The municipality] wants to set demands and then to set more demands and then you [the utility company] have to pay. That I think is difficult to collaborate about. (Interviewee UA). Collaboration issues seem to arise in regard to alternative and more flexible solutions January 2013: the law was amended and the utilities can cofinance projects related to roof and surface water January 2015: the utility may pay maximum 75% of the investment The municipality determines content and scope of adaptation projects The utility can re-refrain from cofinancing

12 Current Collaboration between Neighboring Municipalities Demotivating Concretely to Municipality E, I do not see the need as significantly big, but again we are in a special situation because we are not affected by the sea and all the streams in our municipality begin in the municipality and run through other municipalities, so it is our neighbors that are effected and not us (Interviewee ME) Motivating I do not doubt that, in the near future, someone has to lead the horizontal collaboration in order for us [municipalities] to implement our adaptation plans When you reach the implementation phase, you realize that some things you cannot decide on your own and that you need your neighboring municipality. Then the collaboration will come. (Interviewee MA)

13 The Role of Networks Following increased fragmentation, soft governance spaces becomes important Existing networks The Limfjord Council Erfa-networks Danva However, these networks are professionally fragmented The North Denmark Region can play a facilitating role No agency to push for collaboration Flooding in Aalborg August, 21 st 2006 (galleri.tv2.dk)

14 Conclusions and Future Discussion Points Adaptation governance is currently in North Denmark highly influenced by fragmentation following the two reforms The guide was made for cities, not rural areas, which might influence the incentives for agency to sprout in these areas The river basin action plans might be a future forum for coordinated climate adaptation How will decentralization and fragmentation influence the shaping of future climate adaption governance? Will municipal administrations to a larger extent use network governance? Will agency and institutional entrepreneurs have to push for collaboration to secure a coordinated effort? Will decentralization eventually mean that more regulation is needed as according to Rouse (2007)? Storm Bodil, Limfjorden, Aalborg, December 5 th 2013 (TV2Nord)

15 ANJA WEJS PHD, POST.DOC.