Ivana Kottasova
Feb 17 2021
In Oslo, the street lamps are powered by renewables. To conserve energy, the smart lights dim when nobody is around. The Norwegian capital, like the rest of the country, is proud of its exceptional green credentials. Its public transportation system too is powered entirely by renewable energy. Two thirds of new cars sold in the city are electric. There's even a highway for bees.
There's just one problem. Much of the environmental innovation that Norway is so proud of is financed by its oil money. Because Norway, apart from being a forward-thinking climate champion, is also a major fossil fuels exporter. And it plans to keep it that way for a long time to come.
Norway isn't the only country preaching sustainability while simultaneously cashing in on the very thing that is causing climate change. The UK is hosting a major climate summit later this year. At the same time, it is contemplating opening a new coal mine. Canada, a self-proclaimed climate leader, is pouring tax dollars into a doomed oil pipeline project.
Many countries produce fossil fuels despite committing to combat climate change. But Canada, Norway and the UK stand out because they are doing that while positioning themselves as climate champions.
"The UK is leading the world in the fight against climate change," a spokesperson from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, told CNN in an email. "We were the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050, and have cut emissions by 43% since 1990 -- the best in the G7."
Extinction Rebellion activists protest against Norway's climate policy, proclaiming: "There's an elephant in the room that we aren't talking about."
The UK government can make these claims, because under international agreements, each country is only responsible for greenhouse gas emissions produced within its territory. That means the UK, Canada, Norway and others don't need to worry about the emissions caused by the burning of their oil, gas and coal in other places around the world.
Burning fossil fuels emits CO2, which traps solar radiation in the atmosphere, just like glass traps heat in a greenhouse. This causes temperatures to rise, which in turn drives more extreme weather, ice melt and sea level rise.
It's a simple equation: The more fossil fuels we burn, the more CO2 is released into the atmosphere and the larger the greenhouse effect.
The goal of the Paris Climate Accord is to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. To achieve that, the world needs to cut fossil fuel production by roughly 6% per year between 2020 and 2030. Yet current projections show an annual increase of 2%.
"We just can't afford to burn the majority of existing fossil fuel reserves in order to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius," said Ploy Achakulwisut, a scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute.
edition.cnn.com
Feb 17 2021
In Oslo, the street lamps are powered by renewables. To conserve energy, the smart lights dim when nobody is around. The Norwegian capital, like the rest of the country, is proud of its exceptional green credentials. Its public transportation system too is powered entirely by renewable energy. Two thirds of new cars sold in the city are electric. There's even a highway for bees.
There's just one problem. Much of the environmental innovation that Norway is so proud of is financed by its oil money. Because Norway, apart from being a forward-thinking climate champion, is also a major fossil fuels exporter. And it plans to keep it that way for a long time to come.
Norway isn't the only country preaching sustainability while simultaneously cashing in on the very thing that is causing climate change. The UK is hosting a major climate summit later this year. At the same time, it is contemplating opening a new coal mine. Canada, a self-proclaimed climate leader, is pouring tax dollars into a doomed oil pipeline project.
Many countries produce fossil fuels despite committing to combat climate change. But Canada, Norway and the UK stand out because they are doing that while positioning themselves as climate champions.
"The UK is leading the world in the fight against climate change," a spokesperson from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, told CNN in an email. "We were the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050, and have cut emissions by 43% since 1990 -- the best in the G7."
Extinction Rebellion activists protest against Norway's climate policy, proclaiming: "There's an elephant in the room that we aren't talking about."
The UK government can make these claims, because under international agreements, each country is only responsible for greenhouse gas emissions produced within its territory. That means the UK, Canada, Norway and others don't need to worry about the emissions caused by the burning of their oil, gas and coal in other places around the world.
Burning fossil fuels emits CO2, which traps solar radiation in the atmosphere, just like glass traps heat in a greenhouse. This causes temperatures to rise, which in turn drives more extreme weather, ice melt and sea level rise.
It's a simple equation: The more fossil fuels we burn, the more CO2 is released into the atmosphere and the larger the greenhouse effect.
The goal of the Paris Climate Accord is to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. To achieve that, the world needs to cut fossil fuel production by roughly 6% per year between 2020 and 2030. Yet current projections show an annual increase of 2%.
"We just can't afford to burn the majority of existing fossil fuel reserves in order to stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius," said Ploy Achakulwisut, a scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Analysis: Norway, the UK and Canada are not climate champions. They are climate hypocrites
In Oslo, street lamps are powered by renewables. To conserve energy, the smart lights dim when nobody is around. The Norwegian capital, like the rest of the country, is proud of its exceptional green credentials. Its public transportation system too is powered entirely by renewable energy. Two...
edition.cnn.com
