Norway will build at least 30 oil and gas projects – E24
Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland defends a high pace of production by saying that Norway has lower climate emissions from the oil and gas industry than other countries. – Does not hang on, says climate researcher.
To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, emissions must peak between 2020 and no later than 2025, says a new report from the UN Climate Panel.
Norway, on the other hand, plans to expand to 36 oil and gas projects.
According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, “the Norwegian continental shelf is facing a wave of projects, and there are prospects for high activity and production in the next few years”.
E24 has asked Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland questions about how the government can defend the high number of fossil projects.
– I am concerned that we pursue a predictable and comprehensive policy that contributes to supplying Europe with energy, secures Norwegian jobs, secures the country’s income and enables us to achieve our climate goals, says Aasland.
No analyzes from Zero shows, on the other hand, that today’s policy will lead to us not reaching the climate goals.
Read on E24 +
Therefore, 2023 could be a historic peak year for Oil Norway
Believes the climate goals can be achieved
The government will continue a high level of oil and gas production despite both the UN Climate Panel and the International Energy Agency saying that there is no room for new oil and gas fields after 2021 if the world is to reach the zero emission target.
Oil and gas production emits 13.2 million tonnes of CO₂ and is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in this country.
– How will Norway contribute locally and globally to the emission stop coming no later than 2025 and then falling sharply?
– We must manage that, and the positive thing is that politics works. Take, for example, emissions from oil and gas production on the Norwegian shelf. It is declining and is lower than average emissions from other oil-producing countries. And emissions will go further down and the climate goals will be reached, says Aasland.
– Sailing under a false flag
Aasland points out that Norwegian oil and gas production has low emissions compared with other countries. But it is not the production of fossil fuels that causes climate problems, says climate researcher Helge Drange.
That is when the oils are burned by the large greenhouse gas emissions.
Only one percent of the emissions come from production, while over 90 percent of the emissions come when the oil and gas are burned, points out climate researcher Helge Drange at the University of Bergen.
– So even though Norway has lower emissions from production, it has little or no climate effect, says Drange.
When asked whether Aasland can defend Norway’s high oil and gas production by Norway having low emissions from production, Drange answers that the argument does not make sense.
– It does not make sense. It is sailing under a false flag, and not the way we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says Drange.
also read
Greenpeace on the UN climate report: – Norwegian oil stands in the way
Emissions from Norwegian oil ports abroad
Emissions from Norwegian oil and gas burned abroad are not included in Norway’s national emission spot. They end up in the consumer countries’ emissions accounts.
If you look, for example, at Equinor’s emissions accounts, the company states that it has emitted 12.1 million tonnes of CO₂ in the production of oil and gas.
But if you include the customers’ incineration of the products, Equinor contributed to emissions of 249 million tonnes, according to the company sustainability report for 2021.
– In order for emissions to go down, production and consumption must be reduced, says Drange.
also read
UN summit on new climate report: – Continued «code red»
Must cut quickly and a lot
The UN Climate Panel points out that a massive development of energy from wind, hydropower and solar power is necessary to replace energy from fossil sources.
In addition, the development of batteries, hydrogen as a fuel, carbon capture and storage and energy efficiency are necessary.
To reach the 1.5-degree target, global emissions must be cut by 43 percent from the 2019 level by 2030, according to the climate panel.
The use of coal must be cut by 95 per cent, oil by 60 per cent and gas by 45 per cent by 2050.
also read