Page 16 - Green knowledge 2025

Photo: Kjetil Fadnes
New national greenhouse gas calculator
The new greenhouse gas calculator helps municipalities gain knowledge of the climate
impacts of their land-use plans.
Changes in land use, such as new roads, housing
developments, and industrial areas, are a significant
source of greenhouse gas emissions. The loss of nat-
ural areas is also the greatest threat to biodiversity in
Norway.
In the Climate Report 2035 (Meld. St. 25 (2024–
2025)) and the national planning guidelines for cli-
mate and energy, the importance of reducing the loss
of carbon-rich areas is highlighted, and this is to be
prioritised in land-use planning. The national plan-
ning guidelines state that the government shall pro-
vide updated knowledge, tools, and guidance on car-
bon-rich areas, and that municipalities shall use this
knowledge in their planning.
NIBIO has now developed a calculator to make it
easier to calculate greenhouse gas emissions associ-
ated with planned land-use changes. The Norwegian
Environment Agency and NIBIO have established a
collaboration to ensure that the calculator is freely
available, covers the entire country, and is continu-
ously updated. The greenhouse gas calculator will be
the state’s recommended tool for obtaining knowl-
edge about greenhouse gas emissions from planned
land-use changes.
Around 70 municipalities have tested the calculator
so far, with positive results. In 2026, all Norwegian
municipalities, applicants, and consultants working
on planning and assessments will have access to the
greenhouse gas calculator on NIBIO’s website, as
part of the guidance provided in the national plan-
ning guidelines and the Norwegian Environment
Agency’s handbook for climate and environmental
impact assessments (M-1941).
“This will become an important decision-making tool
when municipalities need to consider climate in
land-use planning,” says Senior Adviser Henrik Fors-
berg Mathisen at NIBIO.
Purpose: The new municipal greenhouse gas calculator is intended to help municipalities visualise the climate
consequences of their land-use plans.
Collaboration: Norwegian Environment Agency
Funding: Norwegian Environment Agency
Contact: Senior Adviser Henrik Forsberg Mathiesen, Division of Survey and Statistics.
Email: henrik.forsberg.mathiesen@nibio.no | Phone: +47 959 60 161
14