9 votes

Norway's climate record is not as clean as you think

2 comments

  1. [3]
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    1. qbee
      Link Parent
      I don't think it's that black and white. Abandoning the oil would not be wise, but neither seems a policy for indefinite oil extraction. If the restructuring of the economy would start now its...

      I don't think it's that black and white. Abandoning the oil would not be wise, but neither seems a policy for indefinite oil extraction. If the restructuring of the economy would start now its less painful than later, and it has to happen eventually.

      5 votes
    2. nacho
      Link Parent
      I agree with all of this. At the same time, I think the author makes a great point here: We're really bad about this part, the thinking we're the best in the world at being climate friendly, while...

      I agree with all of this.

      At the same time, I think the author makes a great point here:

      And because of the way greenhouse gas emissions are calculated, the exports don't show up on Norway's climate balance sheet. They're up to the importing country to declare.

      So, officially Norway looks the model nation in a warming world. The truth is rather different.

      We're really bad about this part, the thinking we're the best in the world at being climate friendly, while we not only export a huge amount of emissions and pocket the profit (as we should). We should own up to our actual carbon footprint per capita including off-shore emissions.

      And we need to face the fact that we as Norwegians have high emissions per capita at something like ~9 tonnes of CO2 per person (not including all other emissions, or that emissions high in the atmosphere like flying cause more global warming) Here's a picture showing some global and regional trends


      When we cut emissions, we need to cut emissions at home, not just looking at offsetting emissions by protecting rain forest in Brazil or other (worthwhile and good) projects that happen elsewhere.

      As a developed country with a strong energy sector who's built our whole national economy on the back of oil and natural gas, we should feel the responsibility of transitioning that tech industry into other energy production or climate friendly energy technologies that the whole world can benefit from.

      4 votes