COP28 - The results

Yesterday was a day of great relief in the climate realm, and so today is a day of contemplation. On the last day of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, all the member countries could agree on the sentence: "Transition away from fossil fuels”. This is the first time fossil fuels has ever been mentioned in one of the closing agreements after a COP climate meeting.

The day prior, the first draft had removed any mentioning of fossil fuels altogether. Therefore the sorely needed phrase about the world agreeing to transition away from fossil fuels came as an early Christmas present to us all. However, in an ideal world, this Christmas present should have been delivered decades ago when the science first started to see the correlations between fossil fuels and global warming. But getting the sentence in is the first start.

At COP, the little words matter. Discussion points on using words like “phase out” or “phase down” are both considered to be stronger wordings than what was agreed. But as the UN Secretary General, António Guterres said in his closing statement: “The era of fossil fuels must end – and it must end with justice and equity” and “The world cannot afford delays, indecision, or half measures.”.

The previously mentioned Global Stocktake showed that the world is already behind in upholding the 1,5 degree target set in the Paris agreement. But not all is doom and gloom. On the first day of the summit, consensus was reached on what was thought to be a more difficult discussion point - namely the “Loss and damage” fund to the worlds low income countries and those most vulnerable to climate disaster.

There is a lot of hope that CCS - Carbon Capture Storage, will be a magical saviour in the energy mix forward. However, there is a real need to make changes in how we look at energy. If CCS were to be the only thing we changed in order to reach the 1,5 degree target, we would need to build 8000 facilities worldwide, according to the book “The world at the tipping point” by Dag O Hessen. Currently, there are only 196 CCS facilities worldwide.

Therefore another qoute worth mentioning is from the president of COP28, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber: “An agreement is only as good as its implementation. This historic consensus is only the beginning of the road". This is where the real work start.

COP28!

COP season is upon us once again, and this year is going to be exciting! This years COP is being nicknamed the “Action-COP” meaning that action must be taken. But first, let me give you some context:

COP28 , 30th of November - 12th of December is this year held in Dubai. This has been a controversial decision because the leader of COP is also the CEO of a state owned oil company with plans to expand. He claims that this makes him very suited to negotiate.

What is this years agenda?

• Loss and damage - the distribution of money to help aid vulnerable communities who have suffered loss after climate change must come be agreed upon

• Increasing the speed towards a global fund that will help low income countries tackle climate change

• Accelerate the speed towards a clean, but just transition in energy

• To close the enormous emission gap

• To make this years COP the most inclusive COP ever

News this year is also that there will be a “global climate overview”. This will close COP28, and is meant as a process to show which countries who are meeting their set targets and which ones are failing to deliver.

There is also a theme each day:

Day 1: World leaders - this is where high level roundtable conversations will take place and start the initiating conversations following up from previous meetings. There are three main trails of conversations; The climate convention trail, the Kyotoprotocol trail and the Paris agreement trail.

Day 2: Climate action is in the focus - this day, world leaders are still there and will discuss actionable next steps. There will also be a platform where local communities will hold their first ever annual youth round table talk, with focus on indigenous youth and youths from local communities.

Day 3: Health, rebuilding and peace - this is the first day where peace is a talking point. The aim is to come to consensus around the health systems response to climate change.

Day 4: Finance and trade, equality and accountability - this day will focus on closing any precious negotiations. There will be made financial suggestions on how to close the gaps where it is needed the most, and the economical challenges that hinders girls and women.

Day 5: Energy and industry, just transition and indigenous people - this day the focus will be how we can ensure decarbonisation, growth in jobs and economical possibilities and a just transition in the entire energy and industrial sector. It is also the day of ingenious people, where we acknowledge the importance of indigenous knowledge in protecting and manage the planets health.

Day 6: Multilevel negotiations, urbanisation and transportation - this day will promote solutions in all levels of society towards decarbonisation and how to build resistent environments and infrastructures.

Day 7: A day of rest and contemplation

Day 8: Youth, children, education and competence - the hope of this day is to give young people he opportunity to help shape the results of COP28. The day will feature just representations and stronger engagement mechanisms.

Day 9: Nature, use of land and ocean - conservation of nature and sustainable management of nature is essential to reach the targets in the Paris agreement.

Day 10: Food, agriculture and water - climate change is pressuring food and water supplies globally. This day will have safety of food and water as the main focus.

Day 11: Light at the end of the tunnel? There is no thematic days on the last two days of COP.

Day 12: Usually the talks go into the weekend and we must expect that from this years COP as well.

Here is your overview of the next two weeks. I would encourage you to find your passion in this and follow # on social media to see how and where you can get engaged in COP, even though you are not physically present. My hope for this years COP is that we will see action.

source: UN

The Fosencase - and why we should all care

Right now in Norway, there are major protests by both sami activists and activists from the youth climate organisation Nature and Youth. They protest in Oslo city centre, on the main road - Karl Johan, and yesterday, inside our Parliament - Stortinget. Today, they are protesting inside Statkraft, the state owned energy company in Norway.

But what are they protesting? To find out - we need to know a little bit of history:

• The sami people have used the mountain area Roan and Storheia at Fosen since before year 1500 for their reindeers to graze in the winter months.

• In 2006, Statkraft, the state owned energy company applies to build a wind turbine park in the area. In 2010 they are granted this permission. There is filed a complaint against this decision, but it is confirmed that the wind turbines will be built in 2013.

• In 2014, the sami population of Fosen take this decision to the Norwegian court system, on the basis that the wind turbines will destroy important grazing territories and violate the samis rights to exercise their own culture.

• In 2016, even thought the case has not gone through the entire Norwegian court system, the building starts to take place. The state grants permission to start the project earlier. 11 billions NOK is invested in the project.

• In the meantime in 2018, the UN asks Norway to stop the building, until the court system has made a final verdict. This is on the basis of indigenous rights. The state does not follow this request and starts the running of the wind turbines in 2020.

• In 2021 the Supreme Court in Norway, which is our highest court, unanimously states that the wind turbines violates the samis rights to exercise their culture. This is a human rights violation. The concessions to build are therefore invalid.

• In 2022, despite the verdict in the Supreme Court, the wind turbines continues to run. The Norwegian government sends a letter to the Sami parliament saying they intend to have both sami herders and wind turbines in the same area.

• When 500 days had passed, the sami- and nature and youth activists shut down several Ministries with civil disobedience.

It is now 700 days since the verdict fell in the Supreme Court and nothing has happened at Fosen with the wind turbines.

What does this have to do with the climate and environment you might ask? Don’t we need all the green energi sources we can get? A green transition can not be sustainable when it violates human rights and indigenous rights.

Greta Thunberg joined the activists today, saying Norway made a disgrace of themselves in this case.

There are so many pictures that illustrates the Fosen case, but for many high quality ones, follow this link to NRK.

So what are the demands of the protesters:

• They demand that the Norwegian government delivers a solution before the ongoing human rights violation has reached 1000 days.

• The money that has been earned since the Supreme Court made its verdict should be used to restore the land to the reindeer herders.

• The climate crisis must be solved without violating indigenous human rights.

Why you, and why now - the new IPCC synthesis report (2023)

The 20th of March, the UNs climate panel (IPCC) launched their synthesis report on climate change. This is a compilation of the main findings from the reports published between 2018-2022. Climate scientist Jan S. Fuglestvedt, who has also contributed to the reports, held a presentation in Norwegian and presented the main findings.

The IPCC reports concerns the physical climate changes and the effects they have on nature and society, climate adaptation, emission reductions, absorption of greenhouse gases and means of mitigating the effects of climate change. The special reports concerns the 1,5 degree heating target, climate change and land areas and oceans and ice. The synthesis report combines the finding of these and puts them into context.

The IPCC reports concerns the physical climate changes and the effects they have on nature and society, climate adaptation, emission reductions, absorption of greenhouse gases and means of mitigating the effects of climate change. The special reports concerns the 1,5 degree heating target, climate change and land areas and oceans and ice. The synthesis report combines the finding of these and puts them into context.

The current status is that we are already at 1,15 degrees warming.

The first arrow says “"We are here”. The second arrow says “Will be passed within the next 10 years”. The third arrow says “Paris target”, and the fourth arrow says “This is where we are headed”.

This image shows future emission scenarios. Where darker pink and purple colours indicates a higher temperature. In order to not reach those scenarios - three things must happen.

1. Global Co2 emissions must be halved within 2030 to reach the 1,5 degree target.

2. Adaptation. All sectors and systems must adapt and find where they can cut emissions.

3. Financing. Some measures are smarter and more affordable than others. See list below.

To be able to close the gap it will take drastic changes in all sectors and systems.

This graph shows measures under 100 USD per ton CO2 that can be halved within 2030.

The UNs climate panel says that we have what we need to act on the crisis - but the speed needs to increase drastically! The choices we make this decade will affect life on this planet for millenias’s to come.

This is where you come in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by these facts - put your energy into action! Here are five smart ways for you to get an outlet for your climate frustrations/anxiety/numbness etc:

1. Join an organisation - chose one that’s local to you. If you’re under 26, Nature and Youth is a good choice. If you are a student, maybe Spire. Being part of something bigger than yourself will help you channel your concerns into something more concrete, and get an outlet that will help the cause.

2. Express how you feel about the climate. Make art, write poetry, letters to the editor, letters to your local politicians (remember Norwegians - we have an important election coming up in September).

3. Vote. Of course you vote, but this year, and the coming - vote with the graphs above in mind. Vote for a living climate and a living planet, for you and those who will come after you.

4. Talk. Talk with your fellow students, your colleagues, your neighbours, your family, your community. Talk about both your concerns, but also what you both do in your every day life to make it better. We need hope and inspiration.

5. Finally - act. It feels good to contribute physically, so make your own or join a beach clean up event this spring. Make a list each month of 5 things you will do for the environment and climate that month. It might be taking old clothes to recycling, starting to mend your old clothes, making a bee hotel, using more meat free recipes or using the bus instead of your car. The list is endless, be creative with this one.

Be kind to yourself in the process. Combating climate change is a lifestyle that we must all be a part of. Find ways that are sustainable for your life situation. And celebrate your wins along the way. The seeds you plant today will be amazing in the time to come.

Wistingfeltet må aldri åpnes

Vi kan ikke på alvor finne på å åpne Wistingfeltet for oljeboring - og det når Espen Barth Eide i dag reiser til COP27 i Egypt med det som skal være Norges skjerpede klimamål!

Wistingfeltet er verdens nordligste oljefelt, som ligger bare 50 kilometer fra iskanten. Et oljeutslipp her vil ha katastrofale konsekvenser for det sårbare økosystemet i Barentshavet. Feltet ligger også 300 kilometer fra land, så skulle en ulykke skje ville hjelpen være langt unna, og høye bølger, mørke og ekstreme forhold ville gjort det ekstra utfordrende å håndtere en ulykke.

Regjeringen skal gjøre det beste for innbyggerne i Norge, og det er blant annet å redde klimaet. Ikke å bidra til å eskalere global oppvarming i lang tid fremover. Vi har også en grunnlov der det står at fremtidige generasjoner også har rett til et levelig klima.

Wistingfeltet er ikke en del av løsningen. Det er et oljefelt, ikke et gassfelt, så oljen fra Wisting ville ikke kunnet hjulpet den pågående energikrisen i Europa. Et annet moment å ta med her er at om vi hadde åpnet dette oljefeltet ville det ikke vært i drift før 2028, og med planlagt produksjonstid til 2058, altså 8 år etter at verden skal være karbonnøytral, sier det seg selv at Wisting ikke er forenelig med våre forpliktelser i Parisavtalen.

Norge kan ikke lengre drive business as usual med oljen. Vi har lovet å bidra til kampen mot eskalerende klimaendringer. Ikke å fremskynde dem. Nå er tiden inne for å skrinlegge denne tikkende bomben og begynne en reel grønn omstilling.

Interview with IPCC scientist Geir Ottersen

I was so lucky that I got to interview climate and marine scientist Geir Ottersen from the Institute of Marine Research. In 2019, he was one of the main authors in the IPCC Special report on the oceans and cryosphere, in the chapter “Polar Regions”.

IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

Following are some highlights from our conversation; how did you work on your chapter “Polar regions”? Were you out in the field?

- No, I was not in the field when I worked on this chapter. Scientists are actually not allowed to do new research when working on these reports. But the research has to be reliable. It is a long process to be chosen as a main author in the IPCC. You get a list of different points to include in the report. There are scientists at the IPCC who works on this full time, but for every new report, there are new scientists who come in each time. The topic of “ocean” is fairly new in the IPCC reports, it was first included in the AR5.

What made you interested in climate and the environment and why did you want to do research on this?

Image of Geir Ottersen, from the IMR

- There are some coincidences, for example the fact that I am from the Westcoast of Norway, means that I had a relationship with the ocean and fish, but I did not consider it as a career path before I started working at the Institute of Marine Research. The interest developed gradually in the 90s.

What are you working on at the moment?

- Comprehensive management plans for particularly vulnerable areas in the ocean. We are working towards a new paper to the Norwegian Parliament about the joint effect of different stressors to the particularly vulnerable areas. I am also in the finishing phases of EU-project, where I am charing a part of it. It is called INTAROS - The INTegrated ARctic Observation System*. Weather observations has been a part of the project, using satellites, we are also counting fish and use buoys that stand still to do continuous measurements, but there is a problem with the ice that can cause them to break.

One of the achievements when working on the comprehensive management plans was re-routing of ship traffic, where we recommended that ships that travel long distance routes outside the Norwegian coastline should take a wider circle around the coast. This has to do with the environmental impact it could cause Norway’s coastline if something went wrong. IMO, the International Maritime Organisation, supported this and it was implemented.

What has surprised you the most when working on the IPCC report?

- I was surprised by the glaciological numbers of just how much water that melted from Greenland and the Antarctic. It is hard to estimate how much that will melt, but the effect this has on sea level rise over time scares me.

Illustration from the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate of the poles

Illustration from the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate of the polar regions. According to the newest science available, we could be headed for a sea level rise of 80 centimeters by the year 2100.

…

A week has passed since the interview was conducted, but I still reflect over what Geir said. I find it inspiring that policy makers were listening to environmental advice. The decision of taking a longer route for the long distance marine traffic is one way of safeguarding our coastline. In the climate and environmental movement, there is always room for more wins. This makes it all the more uplifting when climate advice is actually listened to and made into policy. This should be the case in more areas concerning our climate and environment.

I thank Geir Ottersen for the interesting interview, and for helping spread knowledge on the state of the Earth and our oceans.

* According to their website, it is a “European Commission project aiming to help build an efficient integrated Arctic Observation System (iAOS) by extending, improving and unifying existing systems in the different regions of the Arctic”

IPCC Sixth Assessment Report

Never have I read a more clearly written IPCC report, and never have the scientists behind it been more direct in their plead. Every aspect of what we do to planet Earth matters, be it positive or negative, but what we must realise is that it is all connected and it matters.

In the latest IPCC report, which is the newest climate research available, the scientists are doing their best to have clear formulations and models to show us the current state of our joint home, and give us prospects of what is to come. I find that this report is very reader-friendly, but regardless, I will try to highlight some of the main aspects and also draw attention to how we can understand some of the illustrations.

In this first model, we can see in circle (a) the way the red arrows representing climate change are negatively impacting human society and ecosystems including biodiversity. But we are also given another option, circle (b) which shows us the way to climate resilient development and ecosystem and planetary health. A key outtake here is that when we restore nature and aid biodiversity, it directly impacts both human health, well being, equity and justice to the planet. Images like this is trying to help us understand how interconnected it all really is, and that we can not have one without the other.

In this model (a), the scientists aim is to communicate the level of probability that climate change will impact the different regions of the world and their resources. This is illustrated and explained with the colour coordinates to the right in the image, where dark blue indicates high or very high confidence that climate change will impact for example species living on land in Africa (see the grey headlines at the top). In the second model (b) a minus sign indicates more negative consequences for example see the first row with Africa and water scarcity. This way, when you follow the different columns horizontally, it becomes evident that all aspects of human life as we know it will be affected by climate change, from mental health to displacement of people.

Personally, I find that this clear language makes it just all the more evident that climate considerations needs to be at the foundation for every decision made, be it from politicians or house builders, because every little or small action will have a massive impact on a global scale. It already matters, but the significance of what we do today will increase tenfold. Which is clearly illustrated by this next image:

The horisontal line of this model (a) shows a timeline at the bottom stating the years passing. The vertical line shows the temperature rise. The different colour codes shows the very likely range of temperature rise. To understand the rest of these models (b),(c),(d) and (e), you have to look at the same vertical temperature line and read both the heading and the text at the bottom. For example model (b) shows us a coloured graph of impacts and risk of global warming assuming low or no adaptation to mitigate. You can read the coloured graph from white (undetectable), to yellow (moderate), to red (high) to purple (very high). You can then follow the different temperature rise and read for example that at 2 degrees temperature rise, there will be a very high risk to unique and threatened systems.

This last model is a picture of hope. Even though this model illustrates a path that we have already made more difficult for us to achieve, (see the “missed opportunity” line at the top), it is still possible to achieve the 1,5 degree target goal, and with it be on the path to a climate resilient future. But the model clearly states that the way to this future is by taking into account all the steps of ecosystem stewardship, equity and injustice, inclusion and knowledge diversity into all decisions being made. This is truly key for us to end up at the scenario to the top right with well being, low poverty, ecosystem health, equity and justice, low global warming levels and low risks.

The climate literature is now very clear - we adapt right now, not in 10 years time, because this coming decade will determine how the future on planet Earth will be. Most of us is not climate scientists, but all of us still have a way to make an impact in each of our communities, be it at your school, your workplace, at national level with elections or in your personal life. The sum of all the decisions we take will impact how the graph is pointing. It is not a matter of which actions to take, we must take all the right actions at this point in time. The luxury of time has passed us. It is up to all of us to make the right decisions for the climate.

Source: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.

Norge kan og bør ta på seg ledertrøya under årets COP

Årets klimatoppmøte i FN, COP26, skulle opprinnelig gått av stabelen høsten 2020, men på grunn av Covid-19 pandemien ble det utsatt til 31.oktober-12.november 2021 i Glasgow. Da Paris-avtalen ble undertegnet i 2015 ble landene enige om at under møtet fem år senere, altså årets COP, skulle landene øke ambisjonsnivåene sine for å klare målet om å holde temperaturøkningen forårsaket av menneskeskapte klimaendringer til 2 grader, og helst 1,5. Avgjørelsene verdens ledere tar dette tiåret avgjør i stor grad om hvorvidt det vil være mulig å nå målet som vi har satt oss i Paris-avtalen. På det nåværende tidspunktet er verden på vei mot en temperaturøkning på 2,7 grader. Derfor er årets COP-møte ekstra viktig. 

Utdatert dobbeltmoral 

Ifølge The Climate Action Tracker, et uavhengig klimaanalyse- og politisk institutt, er Norge på vei mot en temperaturøkning på 3 grader med de nåværende klimatiltakene. Dette er ikke tilstrekkelig for å nå målene vi har satt oss i Paris-avtalen. Regjeringen skriver selv på nettsidene at «Norges forsterkede klimamål er å redusere utslippene med minst 50 prosent og opp mot 55 prosent sammenlignet med 1990-nivå innen 2030». Likevel sier de også at de har tenkt til å fortsette med Arktisk oljeleting, selv om nyere forskning fra IEA, det internasjonale energibyrået, sier at verden ikke har råd til ny olje i karbonbudsjettet vårt om vi skal nå målene i Paris-avtalen. Denne dobbeltmoralen er utdatert og hører ikke hjemme på COP. 

Årets COP mål

Målene for årets COP er å sikre globalt netto-null utslipp innen midten av dette århundre, altså 2050, og å kunne nå målet på maks 1,5 graders oppvarming. De tre øvrige målene er klimatilpasning av samfunn og naturlige habitater, mobilisere finansieringen av et grønt fonn og å utarbeide en regelbok for hvordan landene skal nå målene fra Paris-avtalen. Alle disse målene kan sees på som måter å gjøre konsekvensene av klimaendringene mer rettferdige.

CO2-forbruk i regnskapet 

I «Mitt klimaregnskap», (Bakken Riise, 2021) skriver hun om hvordan Sverige siden 2017 har ført regnskap over CO2 utslippene på forbruket til svenskene, altså ikke bare CO2 utslippene som kommer av produksjonen i landet, som er den nåværende måten å måle CO2 utslipp, men også forbruket. Hadde Norge brukt en lignende målestokk ville for eksempel utfallet i klimarettssaken mot den norske stat antageligvis fått et annet utfall, ettersom dommen gikk på at utslippene ble sluppet ut utenfor Norges grenser. Et lignende klimaregnskap i COP ville radikalt forandret rettferdigheten der vi med historisk høye utslipp ville måtte redusert tilsvarende. 

Norsk klimalederskap 

Greta Thunberg skrev nylig i The Guardian at verden ikke har noen reelle klimaledere, og den danske avisen «Informationen» skrev etter valget i Norge på forsiden «Kjære Norge, hvis ikke dere, som har et oljefond på 12.000 milliarder kroner, kan gjennomføre et raskt grønt skifte, så kan ingen. Vi venter spent på den nye regjeringens klimaplan» . Det er sant at Norge er i en særstilling. Vi er bedre rustet enn noe annet land til å ta på oss ledertrøya under et spesielt viktig COP. Norge kan og bør spille en avgjørende rolle i å få verdens CO2 regnskap til å gå opp. Vi har verktøyene, og vi vet hva som må gjøres; vi må kutte all ny oljeleting, og hvis vi virkelig mener alvor så går vi inn for at også forbruk av CO2 utslipp skal med i de offisielle målingene til land. Først da kan Norge være en ledestjerne i kampen mot klimaendringene. 

Norsk oljeleting og klimaløfter

Årets stortingsvalg i Norge ble av mange beskrevet som et klimavalg. Valgvinnerene Ap, SV og SP har i disse dager sonderinger om hvordan en ny regjering kan se ut og da er ønsket mitt at klima og miljø blir en grønn tråd i utformingen av all ny norsk politikk.

Den nåværende regjeringen kom sist uke med nyheten om at 31 oljeselskaper har søkt om å lete etter olje i Nordsjøen, Norskehavet og Barentshavet fra 2022. Med tanke på den siste IEA rapporten, som sa at vi ikke har råd til å lete etter noe ny olje, hvis verden skal nå målene vi satt oss i Parisavtalen, virker det virkelighetsfjernt å fortsette å dele ut nye lisenser, når vi vet at dette er en industri som må fases ut med en styrt nedgang.

Heldigvis har vår nye statsminister, Jonas Gahr Støre, sagt at det ikke blir noen store nye leteoperasjoner på norsk sokkel. Jeg vil oppmuntre Ap og den fremtidige regjeringen til å tenke enda lenger enn den kommende fireårsperioden. I dagens tale av USA president Joe Biden til FN understreket han gang på gang at dette tiåret er helt avgjørende for hvordan vi som sivilisasjon skal takle klimaendringene.

Klimaendringene kjenner ikke landegrenser, så selv om Norge eksporterer mesteparten av oljen og gassen, så er det den samme atmosfæren vi ender opp med å forurense. Derfor er håpet mitt det samme som danske Informationen sa rett etter valget - hvis ikke vi kan, hvem kan?

Snart er det tid for COP, og ingenting ville vært mer fantastisk enn hvis statsminister, Jonas Gahr Støre, og vår klima- og miljøminister kunne gå på scenen i Glasgow, med tryggheten om at den politiske retningen Norge fører nå er bærekraftig og helt i ånd med Gro Harlem Brundtlands opprinnelige visjon.

Dette er tiåret, Jonas, og du er den som kan ta de riktige avgjørelsene. Bruk muligheten til å ta de rette valgene, ikke bare for vi som lever nå, men for barn og barnebarn som kommer, og for at de også skal ha en levelig klode.

IPCC report and Norwegian climate election

This week, the IPCC published the first part of the Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. The findings are alarming. The photo I have included shows our world at different temperature scenarios.

As you can see from both the 1,5, 2 and 4 C temperature rise - the warming will be more severe at the poles. It is already known that due to the albedo effect, warming of the poles will increase global warming, as the white surface reflect more heat than dark melted waters.

LUCKILY - at least in Norway, there is going to be a national election on the 13th of September. It is vital that we vote in politicians who take this report seriously and understand the consequences of a warming world.

It is necessary for the world to abandon fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. Norway is an oil and gas producing nation, that needs to turn of the oil tap and invest more in greener jobs. See the second and third picture from Our World in Data.

The report also states that we still have time - but we need to act now. Not in 15 years and not in 30, but right now. Now is the time to start making the right decisions for our common Earth. We already have the knowledge of what needs to be done. What we lack is political leadership and will to make it happen. So please, if you are Norwegian, please vote for our Earth this election. This is the time for good decisions.

World Environment Day

This years theme for the World Environment Day is biodiversity and restoration of natural habitats.

After the year we have all been through, and with the knowledge that loss of biodiversity is a contributing factor to the pandemic the world is still fighting off, - what better way to see how connected we are to nature, and how we can also help it! The official World Environment Day site offers many ideas on how we can contribute and be the #GenerationRestoration . For the same reason, the UN has called the decade we have now entered the The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

As I am always interested in how can we bring this down to earth, and make it easy to find ways to contribute to this, I want to share some ideas for how we as civil society and individuals can do our share:

• Make a seed ball and trow it somewhere on your way home from school/work/on your daily walk. Recipe in Norwegian here. For non-Norwegian readers, this is very easy. You simply make a ball of dirt/soil and put some seeds in it, and throw it in the side of the road.

• “Lazy-lawns” is one of the easiest way you can contribute to biodiversity at home. How do you do it? You simply let your grass grow, and give all the different flowers and weeds a chance to grow. This will help pollinators, like bees, have a better chance of survival. Which again helps us humans and everything in nature.

• Chose an area of nature close to your home and chose to love it and protect it. It can a an area close to water, or maybe your local walk? Make it a priority to hold this area free from plastic litter and other types of rubbish thrown in nature. If 1/5 people picks just 5 pieces of plastic in nature every day, 35 tons of plastic is removed from nature every day! Be that person.

• Plant a tree. Seeing something green from your window is very uplifting, and research tells us the benefits this can have to our mental health. Why not plant a tree from somewhere you can see every day, and enjoy watching it grow?

En iskant under press

Til helgen skal Norges største parti Arbeiderpartiet bestemme politikken de skal gå til valg med. Noe av det viktigste dere bestemmer dere for er at dere en gang for alle sier nei til oljeleting i den sårbare iskanten. 🙌💙🌍

Da kan vi være så stolte av retningen Norge nå går i; 🥳 vi velger å være ansvarlige og ikke lete for å hente opp olje som vi ikke kan brenne, om vi skal klare målene vi forpliktet oss til i Paris-avtalen.

Vi vil ikke lenger havne på lister over de mest hyklerske «klimaforkjemperne» som leter etter olje med den ene hånda, og svinger det grønne flagget med den andre. 😍

Da vil de sårbare økosystemene være sikret og marint liv trenger ikke baseres på et sjansespill, der hele årskull kunne blitt slått ut hvis det hadde kommet et oljeutslipp.😭

Høres ikke dette herlig ut Jonas Gahr Støre? 🥰 Du og dine har muligheten og makten til å skape denne fremtiden! 💪🏆 Men da må vi ofre noe. 🛢 Men ved å ta det ansvarlige valget om å ikke lete etter mer olje i Arktis, kan dere samtidig ta valget om å tilrettelegge for alle de nye klimajobbene Norge vil trenge 😊💚

Bilde: High North News

Greta

January has started the new year with several inspiring climate and environmental contents for us to get motivated by. One of them is the documentary “Greta”.

NRK recently published “Greta” where we follow Greta Thunberg from the early protests outside the Swedish Parliament, through the sailing trip over the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN climate summit in New York. This is a very close portrait of a very courageous girl who you have to admire. If more people were like Greta when it comes to the environment and climate, the world would be an even more extraordinary place.

It has been wonderful to follow her journey these last few years to see her message, which is amplifying what the climate scientific community has been trying to tell decision makers and leaders for years. However, it should not be necessary for someone to do this job. Decision makers and leaders should listen to climate scientists regardless of how it impacts their popularity or reelection opportunities. This is what separate politicians from true leaders. When I was 19, I attended the COP in Copenhagen. We used to say “Politicians talk, leaders act”. This is true in 2021 as well. We need action on behalf of the climate and environment for all living beings.

Positive climate news!

The EUs New Green Deal is finally escalating the green shift we’ve been waiting for. One of the many good things happening is that new investments will be marked as sustainable or unsustainable.

Unsustainable industries, like the petroleum industry, will therefore be less desirable to invest in. Norway will not get the stamp of sustainability on our petroleum industry, and henceforth have an added incentive to fully support renewable energy sources like wind, solar and water.

This may sound like a formality, but where the money flows, policy and action will follow. Christmas came early for the climate.

5 year anniversary of the Paris agreement

Yesterday marked the 5 year anniversary of the Paris agreement where over 180 countries committed to keep the global temperature 2 degrees and aim for 1,5.

This year we should have had a meeting in Glasgow to increase the ambition level, but because of the pandemic, it was postponed until 2021.

Instead there was a one day digital meeting where only those delegates who had news would get speaking time. The EU announced that the union will cut emissions with 55 percent by the end of 2030. Norway promised the same already in February this year.

These news, in addition to the happy news that the new US president Joe Biden will get the US back into the Paris agreement as soon as possible is some much needed good news for the climate!

Nordområdemeldingen

I regjeringens Nordområdemelding som kom ut rett før helgen legger regjering frem sine fremtidsplaner for Nord-Norge. Under punkt 5.11 står det: "Regjeringen vil: Legge til rette for lønnsom produksjon av olje og gass, blant annet gjennom forutsigbare rammevilkår og videreføring av dagens praksis med jevnlige konsesjonsrunder på norsk sokkel for å gi næringen tilgang på nye letearealer". 

Ordet «olje» kommer opp 68 ganger i dokumentet. Ordet «klimaendringer» kommer opp 37 ganger. Ikke en eneste gang er disse to knyttet til hverandre. 

Det står mye om ønske om mer forskning og kompetanseheving, men den forskningen vi allerede har som sier at vi ikke har råd til å forbrenne arktisk olje hvis vi skal nå Parisavtalens 1,5 C mål blir ikke nevnt. 

Med tittelen «Mennesker, muligheter og norske interesser i nord» som tittel er spørsmålet - muligheter for hvem? Ikke de som kommer etter oss tydeligvis.

I en fremtidsrettet nordområdemelding, som tok hensyn til det vi vet om klima og miljø ville jeg ønsket meg en gradvis nedtrappingsplan for oljeindustrien og ekte løfter om å satse stort på fornybart i nord. En grønnere fremtid er mulig, men vi er nødt til å snakke om den for å visualisere den og skape den. Ikke bare gå i våre gamle fotspor og gjenta gårsdagens feil. 

How Big Oil won access to the South-East Barents Sea on false economical promises

"...the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy asked the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to remove the information that oil drilling could become unprofitable from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s annual resource report for 2013 and asked the Directorate to withhold any reference to it from Parliament while they were considering opening the area." (see the full article here on Greenpeace website)

This is how powerful the Norwegian oil lobby is. Absolutely atrocious. It puts all our green initiatives to shame.

Hopefully with the climate court case, which is now coming up in the Supreme Court in less than two weeks, will we see that the government must be held accountable for their complete lack of environmental concern. The time period of Big Oil is over.

Picture borrowed from Greenpeace. Follow the climate court case via their Facebook page.

The extinction of species

In September 2020, this years Living Planet Report was published with the devastating key data:

• The 2020 global Living Planet Index shows an average 68 % fall in monitored populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish between 1970 and 2016. Species’ population trends are important because they are a measure of overall ecosystem health.

• 75 % of the Earths ice free surfaces is already significantly changed.

• Most oceans are polluted

• 85 % of the wetland areas in the world has been lost

• 84 % decrease in the animalpopulatioz in freshwater

• One million species (500.000 animals and plants and 500.000 insects) are in danger of extinction.

While writing this, we are still living with a pandemic that in large part was caused by the destruction of biohabitat, making the living conditions for animals severely worse.

However, there is still hope!

Sir David Attenborough released the documentary ‘A life on our planet’ where he presents the great challenges we have caused ourselves for our common Earth, but he also presents us with the ways in which we can combat it.

I can wholeheartedly recommend that you watch the documentary on Netflix, as it is more visually beautiful and impactful than written word, but for those of you who do not have access to Netflix, here are the key takeaways in an infographic from the WWF Living Planet Report:

The last half hour of the documentary, Sir David Attenborough discusses the ways we can prevent a future of further destruction:

• We must rewild nature to prevent further loss of habitat and biodiversity. I have previously written about the project “Rewilding Europe”. Rewilding means to give back land, by protecting it. This we must do both on land and in the ocean. We must vote for politicians who are ready to take this great responsibility to protect the foundations for our livelihoods.

• We must eat less meat, simple as that. If a higher percentage of the humans meals were plant based, we would need less land to produce the food and it would have a significantly lower carbon footprint. Changing your diet away from meat is one of the things we as consumers can do that have the highest impact on our carbon footprint. The EAT Lancet report can give you more indebt information about why this is better for both your health, and the Earth.

• The human population must stabilise, and the way to do this is by raising people out of poverty, giving all access to health care and enable girls in particular to stay in schools as long as possible. The way to raise the standard of living for all people in this world, without increasing our impacts on it, is by truly investing in renewable energy sources like solar, wind and water power.

Here you have the facts, but in order for this to make a lasting memory and to remember why the Earth is worth fighting for, I really recommend that you watch the documentary to see for yourself just how wonderful and vulnerable the Earth with all its life truly is. We are here together, right now, and the power is within our hands whether to protect it or not.

Again, as always, thank you for caring for our one and only common Earth.

The Amazon is burning - again

In 2019, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil had a record year of fires with 73.000 in total. The fires were so massive that they darkened the city of São Paulo in the middle of the day - several thousand kilometers away. 2019 was the worst year of deforestation in 13 years, and this year is set to be even worse.

Mato Grosso is the area in the Brazilian rainforest with the most fires so far this year, with 4437 so-called “hot-spots” between the 1st of January to the 13th of July, according to data from the INPE, Brazilian Space Research Institute. In the first two weeks of August there has been an alarming 15.000 hot-spots.

Even more alarming knowing that fires are not allowed at all in this area between July and September - making all these fires illegal. These fires are not accidents, or natural. Landowners and farmers set fire to the rainforest in order to free up more areas for cattle and industrial farming. According to this study, cattle ranching in Brazil is not even an economical sound investment, the productivity is notoriously low, and the people who want to eat the cattle live far away from where it is produced, making it an all around bad investment.

More important is the lives that are being lost, and the livelihood that won’t come back. A recent study confirmed what indigenous people has said for a long time - they are the best guardians of the rainforest - as long as they are fully protected by the property laws stating that they own their territories. But the indigenous are being forced out of their areas with fire in order to make space for more deforestation. In the Munduruku indigenous land, there was an increase of fires of 78 per cent from only last year.

So what can we do? Right now, a massive free-trade deal is being negotiated between the Mercosur countries Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay - and the EFTA countries Norway, Switzerland and Luxembourg. It is vital that we use this trade deal to come with demands on behalf of nature and the Paris-agreement. Until the deforestation is stopped, this trade deal can not happen. Please use this link and sign Greenpeace’s petition urging Norway to take responsiblilty

The Amazon has a unique and irreplaceable ecological system, vital in both stabilising the climate and water supply for the entire region. It must be preserved. This wild behaviour can not be allowed any longer. The Amazon are Earths green lungs and without our lungs we can not breathe.

Mauritius oil spill emergency

This is the oilspill in Mauritius where a ship carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July. 

The need for help is urgent. Fridaysforfuture.mauritius says Mauritan Wildlife Foundation is where we can donate money to help in the oil spill recovery! Go to their homepage and donate if you can, the situation is urgent and still not resolved: https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/home

Update: There’s also these two organisations that I got recommend who works with the Mauritius cleanup:

1. http://SmallStepMatters.org

Small Step Matters is a social fundraising platform for organisations (NGOs / Foundations) and individuals who wish to promote social and environmental projects in Mauritius or for Mauritians. Small Step Matters is a non-profit organisation whose primary purpose is to bring together project promoters and benefactors who wish to donate funds or time and to hereby contribute to the progress of the Mauritian society today and tomorrow.

https://www.smallstepmatters.org/en/projets/environnement/ref105991-ansampounoulagon-wakashio-un-desastre-ecologique-mobilisons-nous/?fbclid=IwAR30DfQEGMfFHj_O0uImk8Nsnm3EKsa6AQhbRQ5SyfTQORfBHTpsA2PsYuo

2. Eco-Sud crowdfund

Eco-Sud is an environmental NGO created by the citizens of Blue Bay-Mahébourg over 20 years ago in order to protect the environment and the biodiversity of Mauritius for the generations of today and tomorrow.

https://www.crowdfund.mu/mauritius-oil-spill-cleaning-2020-mv-wakashio-306.html?fbclid=IwAR0mA8QCglF4nCKxiHkxS5AQnVgnNKVRDPBDBbwt0tJZUhx3KPT-xAzVwwk