(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In 2015, "green change" was named the new word of the year. Most people will probably agree that making a change means replacing one thing with another. In environmental policy, this understanding of reality is not as clear. We have a huge problem – namely climate change – which is because we humans have burned oil, gas and coal and released dangerous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. So to solve this problem we must make a green change. Fair enough. The natural solution, after all solar labels, is to replace dirty fossil energy with renewable solutions. But it's not that simple.
Oil elephant. Instead, the largest parties, with the support of LO and the oil industry themselves, advocate a kind of Ole Brumm solution and say "yes thank you" to both. Yes thanks to Tesla, to the electric ferry and to more renewable energy. But at the same time there is also a yes thanks to the opening for oil drilling in Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja and in the Arctic, for a new runway at Gardermoen and for motorway developments. It is worth wondering if this will lead to a positive climate gain that will at all – or whether it will be just to fix the problem.
Because there is a huge elephant in the room. It is called the Norwegian oil industry. On July 20, the EU presented its proposal on how the EU and Norway will achieve their climate targets for 2030. In short, the goal is to cut 40 per cent of the Norwegian emissions by 2030. At the same time as the Norwegian government is working to achieve this goal, they are distributing permits to search for and extract oil and gas in the Barents Sea. Every measure to reduce emissions in Norway is a nuisance compared to the emissions the Norwegian oil industry is responsible for each year. If we are to take the climate crisis seriously, this is really where we need to start, and one place in particular.
People's majority against drilling. Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja are the area that has been prestigious, both for the oil industry and environmental interests. Many would call it a symbolic thing, but at the same time it is also one of the world's richest and most valuable natural and marine areas. Here screams, the world's last great cod survivor; here you will find the world's largest cold water coral reef; and for 70 per cent of the fish being fished in the Norwegian and Barents Sea, Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja are an important area of growth.
All the surveys have for years shown a solid popular majority against oil drilling, yet the three largest parties today, the Right, the Progress Party and the Labor Party, are starting a process of opening. In the Labor Party, the case is by far the most controversial, and an ever-increasing majority has advocated leaving Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja at peace. For the AUF, this is the most important environmental issue they will fight for ahead of the Labor Party's national meeting in April next year.
Jonas Gahr Støre has called for a greener Labor Party, but the major course changes have been waiting.
Green action. The Paris Agreement gives us a clear marching order: Preventing a global temperature rise of 1,5 degrees. Although the goal in itself is very clear, there is far greater disagreement about the way there. But to put it this way: With the policies and measures that are on the table today, we will not be close to reaching the goal. The Ole Brumm solution will not give us any real change. Courageous politicians who dare to make the tough choices are needed.
The leader of the Labor Party Jonas Gahr Støre has advocated a greener Labor Party, but the major course changes have been waiting for. A greener Labor Party must be able to think completely about the environment and make the big choices that lead to a positive net effect for the climate. An oil-free Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja will not only be a natural, but also a necessary place to begin if "the green shift" is to become a green act. Then we need a restructuring plan for the transition from an oil lubricant to a renewable society. What about the parliamentary message "Welfare without oil"? Jonas, this challenge goes to you!
Skjoldvær is the leader in Nature and Youth.
ingridsk@nu.no
