Climate knowledge on the road? Scientific knowledge, transdisciplinarity and the performance of expertise, 2009

Assumptions about climate changes may have considerable impact on investments in and the management and maintenance of transport infrastructure and the transport industry in Norway. Thus, the development and diffusion of knowledge about climate changes and their potential impact on the transport system will be of crucial importance to be able prepare for such changes. This project will investigate how important groups of actors linked to the Norwegian road system understand climate change issues, how these issues may impact the road system, and their strategies to prepare for the impact of climate changes with respect to road infrastructure across Norway. The project will pursue six sets of research questions:
1. How do the county offices perceive knowledge about the effects of climate change? What projects exists today on how to cope with effects like e.g. flooding or landslide?
2. How is experience gained from weather related incidents on the road infrastructure incorporated into future planning?
3. In what way do Norwegian transportation authorities like the Directorate of Public Roads use knowledge about climate change in order to cope with future challenges?
4. In what way is climate chance science adjusted in order to meet the needs of the transport related public authorities?
5. To what extent is there a viable dialogue between the climate research institutions and the users of the climate results?
6. And how is it possible to improve this dialogue, for example by creating new meeting places to ensure that knowledge about climate change is translated into favourable decisions for the transportation infrastructure in the future?
The main ambition of the project is to map how the climate problem is appropriated by major actors in the Norwegian road sector, with an emphasis on local and regional institutions: Officials in municipalities and counties/regions, central road authorities and relevant research groups.