Norway receives “Fossil of the Day” award for promoting its own gas at COP26
The Climate Action Network writes that Norway received the award “for new Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store who is a leader in fossil fuels by promoting Norwegian gas and carbon capture and storage (CCS) and not achieving not its climate goals ”.
The prize is awarded daily at COP26 to countries that “do the most to get the least”. The sarcastic price of parties negotiating climate conferences since 1999. The Climate Action Network represents over 1,500 civil society organizations around the world.
CAN explains why Norway received the award: “Norway likes to play the climate champion, but behind closed doors new Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is gaining a reputation as a fossil fuel cheerleader. The Labor leader, who has only been in office for a few weeks, has apparently bragged to the media that “Norwegian gas is not the problem, but part of the solution for a successful transition to renewables” , especially if combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Norway is the world’s third largest exporter of natural gas, behind Russia and Qatar. After Russia, Norway is the largest gas supplier to Europe, supplying 20-25% of the EU’s gas demand.
On Tuesday in Glasgow, the Norwegian Prime Minister had three minutes on stage to deliver his address to world leaders gathered for the COP26 climate summit. Jonas Gahr Støre said Norway comes to Glasgow with primary ambition; help keep the 1.5 degree target alive.
“It’s existential. It’s urgent. And it is possible – if we strengthen our commitments together.
However, the new Prime Minister of the Labor Party failed to mention his country’s thirst for oil and gas drilling. In fact, Jonas Gahr Støre never mentioned oil and gas once in his speech.
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However, in an interview with the Financial Times ahead of the Glasgow climate summit, Støre warned that stopping the drilling would hamper the transition to greener industries such as renewable energy.
“If we were to say overnight that we were stopping production on the Norwegian plateau, I think that would put an end to an industrial transition necessary to achieve the dynamic towards net zero … We are therefore on the verge of developing and transiting, not close ”, declared the Prime Minister.
Jonas Gahr Støre also takes a clear stand against the European Commission’s suggestion to ban all oil activity in the Arctic, including the northernmost part of the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea.
“Resolutions from continental Europe saying that everything north of the Arctic Circle should be arbitrarily stopped, it doesn’t work that way,” the Prime Minister said in his interview with the Financial Times.
This summer, the Norwegian government announced a new round of licensing its continental shelf, inviting oil companies to apply for one of the 84 blocks made available. 70 of the 84 blocks are in the country’s northernmost waters, the Barents Sea.
In his speech on Tuesday, Prime Minister Støre said it would be a priority for the government to work with business, industry and social partners to help make the transition to a renewable, circular and sustainable future a success.
“This transition will make a difference in Norway. But our ambition goes further: we aim to develop and export new technologies that can be used beyond our borders, ”Støre said. He continued:
“Norway is well positioned to take the lead in the development of ocean solutions such as offshore wind; green shipping; carbon capture, use and storage; hydrogen and electric mobility.
It remains to be seen whether the new prime minister keeps his promises. The Climate Action Network, however, points to the historical archives of Norway:
“Not a single Norwegian climate target has ever been met, the oil industry is the largest source of national emissions and the exported emissions from the Norwegian oil industry are about ten times higher than national emissions.”