Norway’s new centre-left government, chosen in the September elections, wants to raise the national goal of combating greenhouse emissions while preserving the country’s key hydrocarbon sector.
The Scandinavian kingdom is the biggest exporter of hydrocarbons in western Europe.
The Norwegian authorities’ current climate goal is to reduce greenhouse gases by between 50% and 55% compared to 1990 emissions.
In its political platform presented on Wednesday, the new government, which takes office on Thursday led by Labor Jonas Gahr Støre, opts for the high part of the percentage set by its centre-right predecessor.
The new Executive has also taken over a project from its predecessor, which leads to 2,000 crowns (200 euros, US$232) per ton at the country’s carbon tax, against 590 crowns today.
But the new government, which brings together Trabalhitas and the Centro party, has simultaneously reaffirmed its attachment to the country’s oil industry.
“The petro-gas sector will be developed, not dismantled,” both parties claim. “Climate policy must not be moralizing, it must be fair” they add.
Most of the emissions generated by Norwegian oil and gas are produced during consumption outside Norway and are therefore not included in national revenue.
The oil sector represents 14% of the GDP of this northern European kingdom, more than 40% of its exports and generates 160,000 direct jobs.
See too
+ Until 2019, there were more people in prisons than on the Brazilian stock exchange
+ Aloe gel in the drink: see the benefits
+ Lemon-squeezing trick becomes a craze on social media
+ Chef playmate creates aphrodisiac recipe for Orgasm Day
+ Mercedes-Benz Sprinter wins motorhome version
+ Anorexia, an eating disorder that can lead to death
+ US agency warns: never wash raw chicken meat
+ Yasmin Brunet breaks the silence
+ Shark is captured in MA with the remains of youngsters missing in the stomach
+ See how much it costs to eat at the MasterChef judges’ restaurants
+ Auction of cars and motorcycles from Kombi to Nissan Frontier 0km