Climate Change News: Activist Greta Thunberg Rips Norway For Rising Oil Production As Threat To Humanity

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was just named Time magazine’s 2019 person of the year, criticized Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Wednesday for her country’s failure to tackle the problem of climate change, due to its huge oil industry.

“Your government continues to support new oil production,” stated a letter sent on behalf of Thunberg and other youth activists to Solberg.

The letter accused Solberg of permitting new oil production and expanding existing operations.

“Norway must honor its responsibilities to children everywhere,” Thunberg and the other activists said in the letter. “It must demonstrate how a major fossil fuels producer and exporter can transition away from these pollutants, blazing a trail for other fossil fuel-reliant economies to follow.”

Norway is also unlikely meet its goals for emission reductions by either 2020 or 2030.

Thunberg, who recently spoke at the United Nation’s climate conference in Madrid, called on Solberg to cease all oil and gas exploration and plan for a phasing out of existing production.

Michael Hausfeld, chairman of the U.S.-based Hausfeld LLP law firm that represents the youth activists, told Norwegian Broadcasting there is "a ceiling. The world can’t become more than 1.5 degrees warmer. By starting new production of oil and gas, you’re ignoring this ceiling. You’re rather pouring fuel on a world that’s already on fire.”

David R. Boyd, the United Nation’s special representative on human rights and environmental issues, also criticized Norway’s government and its oil industry, saying its increased energy production contradicts its stated desire to fight climate change.

“Norway continues to explore for oil and gas at a time when the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that meeting the vital 1.5 [centigrade] degree target in the Paris agreement requires that the majority of existing fossil fuel reserves cannot be burned,” Boyd wrote in an op-ed. “There is no doubt that major oil producers like Norway are fueling the global climate emergency and contributing to a wide range of human rights violations across the planet.”

Solberg, who also spoke at the Madid climate conference earlier, said Norway “intends to do its part,” and has established a long-term target of 90%-95% emission reduction by 2050.

“To achieve this, Norway is developing new zero- and low emission technologies, especially in the transport sector,” Solberg said at the conference. “We are electrifying our car-parks and ferries, and are now working on programs for zero-emission for the transport of goods in our country.”

Solberg also explained Norway is raising carbon taxes, paying other countries to reduce emissions, and “scaling up” renewable energy projects.”

Ola Elvestuen, Norway’s climate minister, told the Dagsavisen newspaper his job is to make sure “Norway manages to cut its emissions at a much greater tempo in the future.” Elvestuen also declared Norway will cut its emissions by 40% by 2030.

“I believe that we must set a clear limit to petroleum activity and let the oil lie in the northern portion of the Barents Sea, precisely out of consideration for the climate and the nature,” Elvestuen told Dagsavisen.

Norway, which is the largest oil and gas producer in western Europe, has seen three years of declines in crude production. However, output is expected to jump next year due to the huge Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea.

Johan Sverdrup holds up to 2.7 billion barrels of oil equivalents. Production at this property launched in early October and is expected to reach 600,000 barrels per day.

Overall, in the next four years, Norway’s petroleum production is expected to increase by 40%.

Despite its small size (population of 5.3 million), Norway is the world’s seventh biggest exporter of carbon dioxide emissions. Norway’s total exported greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas are 10 times larger than its domestic emissions.

Truls Gulowsen, head of Greenpeace Norway, told the Barents Observer newspaper: “If the rights to a healthy environment for future generations shall be upheld, Norway and other fossil fuel nations must stop licensing new oilfields.”