Camilla Bergsli and Wojciech Moskwa

Oil-rich Norway said on Friday that cuts in carbon dioxide emissions at home would probaly account for between half and two-thirds of its planned reductions as it seeks zero net emissions of CO2 by 2050

OSLO, Norway; June 26, 2007.- The proposal drew criticism from environmentalists, who said it lacked specifics on how emissions would be cut and included unorthodox calculation methods.

“Norway has a special responsibility for reducing carbon dioxide emissions because we are an oil and gas exporter and because we are a rich country,” Prime Minister Jens Stolteberg told a news conference.

“The government believes a realistic goal is to reduce emissions in Norway by between 13 and 16 million tonnes in 2020,” the government said in a statement.

Billed in Norway as “the world’s most ambitious climate goal”, the government pledged in April to reach zero net emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050 through a mix of cuts at home, green investments abroad and purchases of CO2 permits.

Norway also said it would invest 10 billion crowns (US$1.67 billion) to develop renewable energy over the next five years.

The left-of-centre government’s plan was backed by the oil industry, the life-blood of the Norwegian economy, but criticised by environmentalists.

“It’s way too vague with way too many nice wishes and way too few big, concrete actions in terms of how to cut emissions in transport, the oil and gas industry and the power sector,” said Rasmus Hansson from the World Wildlife Fund in Norway.

“This reflects a lack of willingness in Norway to make concrete and controversial decisions to tackle the real challenge — cutting emissions,” Hansson told Reuters.

Also, the government counts cuts in emissions against a scenario of no changes in policy, not historic emissions levels from 1990 as is the case in the Kyoto protocol on capping greenhouse gasses and similar targets set by the EU.

It then offsets emissions by counting absorption of CO2 by Norwegian forests — another factor not included under Kyoto.

The boom in Norway’s oil and gas industry means the country is behind on its Kyoto commitments to limit CO2 emissions to about 51 million tonnes per year in 2012. It now spews out some 55 million tonnes per year.

Tom Gederoe from the Norwegian Oil Industry Association said the plan took into account advances in environmental protection by oil and gas companies over the past years as well as already high environmental standards, including a carbon emissions tax.

“We are glad the government recognizes that the oil industry has already done much to improve the environment,” Gederoe said.

(Reuters)

 

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