// VIEWS

Navigating a changing climate in northern Norway

The region of Vesterålen in northern Norway sits some 200-kilometers (125 miles) above the Arctic Circle. It is home to towering mountains, lush deciduous forests, and bountiful seas that have shaped the local culture here over the centuries. However, the region faces many climate challenges typical of the Arctic such as rising sea levels, rising temperatures, and more extreme weather events. 

Added to these environmental challenges are many social ones such as a youth brain drain, an ageing society and latent climate skepticism. Economically and technologically advanced, climate resilience efforts in vulnerable Vesterålen as part of the RESIST Project are focused on raising awareness among the local population through the use of innovations like digital twins. REVOLVE visited the region in June 2024 to find out more.  

A fishing boat moored along the waterfront in Sortland, Norway.
A fishing boat moored along the waterfront.
Jellyfish under the waterfront pier in Sortland, Norway.
Jellyfish under the waterfront pier.
The Sunken House Project in Sortland - a project illustrating the rising sea level in Norway as a result of climate change.
The Sunken House Project in Sortland.
Photo of Sortland's town center.
The town center after the rain.
A photo of blue waterside building in Sortland.
A waterside building.
A landscape photo of mountain Reka in Norway.
A view of the mountain Reka (605m).
A photo of a woman (Sortland mayor Grete Ellingsen) looking for shells on the beach.
Sortland mayor Grete Ellingsen looking for shells on the beach.
Photo of five sheep on the hillside behind Sortland.
Curious sheep on the hillside behind Sortland.
A landscape photo of the Vesterålen region in Norway.
A typical building of the Vesterålen region. 
A photo of two men - Stig Pettersen and local resident Per Steiro - in conversation.
Stig Pettersen, head of public affairs at Andfjord Salmon, and local resident Per Steiro, in conversation.
Two men - a violin player and a joggler - winding down between sessions at the GAIA Arctic Summit. 
Performers wind down between sessions at the GAIA Arctic Summit. 
A trader watches over his flower stall in Sortland, Norway.
A trader watches over his flower stall. 
A landscape photo of the beach in the north region of Sortland.
Views from a beach to the north of the region. 
A landscape photo of the beach in the north region of Sortland.
The waterfront in Sortland, Norway.
The waterfront.

For other VIEWS photo galleries, see Mangrove Mystique featuring winners of the Mangrove Photography Awards. Or explore Into The Lagoons Of Lakshadweep showcasing photos of the atolls located by the India’s west coast.

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