Norway: Carbon Neutral by 2030
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01.18.08
Image courtesy of jimg944 via flickr
While the U.S. continues to drag its feet in committing to firm emissions cuts, European countries have seemingly been enmeshed in a protracted race to determine which will assert the greenest bona fides. Norway - ever the ambitious one - has now said that it aims to go carbon neutral by 2030, or 20 years ahead of its earlier target. It plans on doing so by cutting emissions at home and by investing in environmental projects - primarily focused on fighting deforestation in developing countries - to obtain carbon credits.
How all this will come about, however, remains unclear; indeed, several environmental groups have already hit out against the government for being too vague, prompting the Oil and Energy Minister to acknowledge: "We don't know how we will achieve the goals yet, and this is challenging."
The plan calls for a "significant sum" of money to be earmarked for investment in renewable energy, mass transport and strategies aimed at lowering emissions from the transport sector; other "carrot and stick" measures - including a boost to research funding and a tax increase on diesel fuel and gas - will be implemented to "promote more environmentally friendly behavior."
As promising as this scheme may sound, there are reasons to be wary: As April Streeter, our correspondent in Norway, has noted, the Jens Stoltenburg-led Labour government has fallen short numerous times in the past in fulfilling its earlier ambitious proposals. Yet, because of the bipartisan nature of the plan and Norwegians' growing green consciousness, there is hope this scheme will stick.
Via ::Reuters: Norway says aims to go carbon neutral by 2030 (news website)
See also: ::Cheapest New Cars in Norway Are Electric, ::Building Bridges in Norway, ::Norway Opera's Showy Solar Shell
Norway have been setting examples to the rest of Europe for years now. Keep up the good work!
Perhaps we're think of this in the wrong terms. Yes, they've set a goal without knowing quite how to get there. Shouldn't that be what we should all be doing? After all, what is the point of setting a goal that you know you can achieve? Goal setting can drive the quest to find solutions.
I'm not saying that this is what the Norwegian government is doing. But we should at least give them (and others who create goals without knowing fully how to achieve them) the chance to show that the goal is going to create policy before we assume that this goal is merely hollow rhetoric.
While this certainly is a great proposition, they will still be rich because they are selling oil...
I agree with jajohnson. Aim high, go far. Aim low and you don't get very far. If the politicians are setting this goal with honest serious intentions, then I really don't care if they miss the bullseye because their arrow will be closer to it than anyone else's. And that is what counts. You don't get close to that faraway bullseye by aiming at your feet - which you are certain to hit but does no one any good.
haha!! norwegian self-righteousness. norwegians depend on the sale of oil for their livelihood and pensions, etc. what happens to the oil they sell? it gets burned somewhere. norway has a looooong way to go to be carbon neutral. hahaha
If you haven't noticed, many of the oil producing countries are either diversifying or afraid. They know the end is only a few decades away. United Arab Emirates is leading the charge there- I think I read that oil now acocunts for only 2% of the economy there, and the people are more prosperous than ever before. Why? Because for once in the history of the world the leaders of the country actually sat down and looked at- gasp!- the facts. Then rather than recoiling in horror and/or spinning the news for political kudos, they came up with a plan to make oil less important for their well being.