Deep sea mining

In Norway, the 12th of April this year, it was decided that the seabed outside of the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea will be opened up for deep sea mining. See the map at the bottom.

The reason why this decision was made is to find more minerals, as they can be needed when the world community transitions to a greener economy. But the many reasons why we are not ready yet is what I will highlight here.

According to a recent article in Aftenposten Innsikt, where they interviews numerous scientists working on deep sea research, one researcher at UiB claims that the positivism around deep sea mining in Norway can be compared to that of the American space exploration program of Apollo, where 400 000 people worked and 25,4 billion dollars where invested in order to fill the knowledge gaps.

Another scientist, explains how the Mareano mapping of the sea bed has not gone deeper than 3000 meters yet, and that some trial and error must be expected, and at the earliest can start in 2025. Yet another scientist who works with creatures found on the sea bed states that it is hard to investigate in one area, when we do not know what is in the surrounding areas. With this she means that it is hard to know anything about their specific functions, when we do not have adequate knowledge of surrounding areas.

If we dive even deeper, another scientist working on biotechnology who focuses his research on enzymes, tells us that every enzyme that we find can have an enormous potential, and we have just scratched the surface of what is to come. At the moment he is researching an enzyme that can break down plastic. His worry is that if we start drilling in the sea bed, enzymes that could help us solve the plastic crisis can get lost forever, before we even found it.

Both The Norwegian Environment Agency and the joint environmental movement has protested the sea bed mining, and WWF has even taken the Norwegian state to court over this decision. The EU has asked for a pause, until we know more about the risks and alternatives to mining in the sea bed. The bank Storebrand states that they do not wish to help fund this industry, and also points out that the demand for minerals may decline when we improve the current recycling systems for the minerals we already have.

If Norway opens up for deep sea mining, it will be as the first country in the world to do so. There are numerous reasons to show precaution and let the science explore first. One scientist states that if the politicians does not come with tough enough guidelines, before we know what kind of values that may lie at the sea bed, it can look like the politicians are just biding their time. This is not the politics we want. We want responsible politicians that will put the safety of our planetary health before profit.

We do not yet know what kinds of life that live in these areas, and these spectacular images from the sea bed only show us the tip of the iceberg. We do not know what we are destroying.

The red is the search area

The Story is in our bones

How worldviews and climate justice can remake a world in crisis.

This is a book unlike most other climate books I have ever read. That is because it is not solely a book about climate, but about how different indigenous people all over the world have world views that needs to be heard, and as the title say - remake a world in crisis.

The author, Osprey Orielle Lake, is also a friend of me. It was one of my greatest privileges at my time in Greenpeace to spend time with the delegation of indigenous women coming to Norway to confront among others the Ethical Council, about divesting from the dirty oil pipeline that went through the drinking waters, also known as Dakota Access Pipeline.

Therefore, when I was gifted this book and asked to review it, it was with awe and respect of the author, as I know Osprey to be very insightful and considerate as a human being.

The book starts out explaining what is meant with a world view and how the stories we tell shape how we view the world we live in. Also, how the dominant culture, meaning the Western world view, has completely dominated that which was once many different ways to view and interpret the world. We see how capitalism entered into how we began viewing our nature, from a view where it was once an integral part of us and who we are, to be something that could be put a price on and traded away.

For this reason, the chapter on trees resonated very strongly with me. I too feel passionately that we lose ourself when we lose nature, and especially trees. It’s heartbreaking to learn about all the World Trees or Trees of Life that has been cut down. The fact that forrest lands  tended by indigenous people are better taken care of should become general knowledge. When these areas are tended by indigenous and controled fires are executed, we can avoid those devastating wild fire the world saw for example in California in 2018.

Osprey’s words are so deliberately chosen and with both a highly academical approach but also that of indigenous traditional knowledge, makes the reader experience quite unique. I hope this beautifully written book will find many readers, because it should appeal to all of us. If you are either interested in indigenous people in general, or which role the patriarchy and racism plays into how the world has gotten to the stage we are in today with both the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, this book is for you. If you want to know more about the role capitalism and colonisation has played, this book is also for you. If you want to learn about living in balance with the natural laws of the Earth and how our language and memories are part of healing our relationship with nature, this is the book for you. It has been a delight to read this book, and I hope it will open many new conversations on the way forward to a world in better balance.

Varmeste sommer på 2000 år!

En ny tysk studie som har sett på årringene til trær viser at fjorårets sommer var den varmeste på minst 2000 år! Hva skal du gjøre med denne informasjonen?

💚 Hvis du har stemmerett -> stem på partier som vil kjempe for klimaet

💚 Hvis du skal ut å reise -> tenk på om du må fly?✈️ finnes det alternativer? 🚄

💚 Hvis du er aksjonær i si, et større oljeselskap -> husk at en styrt nedfasing av norsk oljeindustri og omlegging til fornybare løsninger er det forskerne sier vil være best for både økonomien vår og klimaet.

Sy om!

Når du er hvertfall 10 cm lengre enn den feilkjøpte badedrakten, men vil prøve å gi den et nytt liv. Se bildene under: Først klippet jeg den i to, planen var å lage en bikini, så råkantene måtte syes inn. Så lagde jeg et nytt feste i ryggen og voila - noe jeg før ikke kunne bruke kan nå brukes! Vi tror ofte det er vanskeligere enn det er å gjøre tilpassinger som får et plagg til å ha en funksjon igjen. Dagens oppfordring; hva i din garderobe kan du gjøre noe om på som gjør at du kan bruke det igjen?

Earth Day "Planet vs. Plastics"

Årets #earthday tema var «Planet vs. Plastics» Kan du se plastledningen som ligger her? Se bilde under. Jeg sa ifra til kommunen om forsøplingen, og de herlige menneskene sendte noen ut samme dag! Jeg var tilfeldigvis ute der da de kom så jeg fikk vist dem ledningen.

Det nytter å si ifra om store ting man ser i naturen som ikke skal være der. Sjekk med din kommune om du ser noe forsøpling.

For en gledesfølelse å se kabelen bli tatt med! I verste fall kunne dette jorde blitt slått og det skumle avfallet kunne kommet i høyet som dyr skal spise

Dagens oppmuntring; velg deg et område i ditt nærområde som du tar litt ekstra ansvar for. Det føles veldig godt å vite at du bidrar og naturen takker deg.

Ny EU-lov om restaurering av natur

Dagens gode naturnyhet! EU har vedtatt en naturrestaureringslov som sier at innen 2030 skal 30 prosent av naturen være gjenopprettet i ødelagte grøntområder og våtmarker! 

Innen 2050 skal 90 prosent av økosystemet være brakt i balanse. I tillegg kommer klare mål for biodiversitet i landbruket. Hva med å feire med en tur i skogen i dag?

Bokanbefaling av "Mitt klimaregnskap"

Boka “Mitt klimaregnskap” av Anja Bakken Riise er for alle oss som noen gang har lurt på hvor mye vi kan gjøre for klimaet ved å kutte våre egne utslipp.

“Mitt klimaregnskap” er svært detaljert og gir deg innblikk i hvordan alt fra valg du tar om mat, transport og bolig påvirker ditt personlige CO2-utslipp. Dette burde ligge på 2,5 tonn CO2 per person, hvis vi skal nå målene i Parisavtalen. I dag ligger det norske gjennomsnittet på 11 tonn CO2 per person, noe som åpenbart ikke er bærekraftig. Spesielt kapittelet om klær engasjerte meg veldig, siden dette er noe jeg har brukt mye tid på.

Likevel er jeg glad Bakken Riise stiller spørsmålet “hvem skal ta ansvar for mitt klimaregnskap?”. Dette fører oss rett til kjernen i det hun selv også konkluderer med etter å ha målt sine egne CO2 utslipp i et halv år. Selv om hun tar alle de rette valgene og lever tilnærmet eksemplarisk så kan hun ikke nå grensen på maks 2,5 topp CO2 fordi de offentlige utslippene som går inn i regnestykket er så høye. Her kommer vi tilbake til den fiktive diskusjonen der individet blir satt opp mot stater og store bedrifter. Du som enkeltperson har ikke det samme ansvaret som for eksempel et oljeselskap eller en stat. Bakken Riise konkluderer også med at vi enkeltindivider kan ikke få ned CO2 utslippene våre alene, vi trenger at de folkevalgte politikerne våre tilrettelegger så de gode valgene for klimaet også blir de lette valgene.

Bokens siste kapittel kommer også med en rekke konkrete tiltak som er så konkrete og så enkle å gjennomføre, at alle på Stortinget burde få hvert sitt eksemplar av denne boka så de kan følge opp tiltakene. Alternativt som boka foreslår selv, at flere skal lese samme kopi. Uansett er det handling som må til for å gjøre det lettere å leve mer i tråd med ønske om å ta bærekraftige valg.

Dette er også en fin påminnelse, når man vurderer om det er en ren asketisk livsstil som er det eneste du kan gjøre for klimaet, så kan du også melde deg inn i en miljøorganisasjon. Da vil du oppleve å ikke stå like alene bak klimaforslagene dine.

Bilde av boka “Mitt klimaregnskap”

Bokanbefaling av "Verden på vippepunktet"

Dette er boka for deg som føler du må ha mer fakta for å kunne delta i klimadebatten. “Verden på vippepunktet” av Dag O. Hessen gir deg nettopp det. Hvis du av en eller annen grunn ikke følte at du hadde grunnlag for å uttale deg, eller at du ikke hadde det store bilde, så får du det av denne boka. Som en klimaformidler synes jeg åpenbart det er topp med bøker som kan åpne opp debatten for flere.

Inndelingen i kapitler hjelper også til for å forstå de ulike krisene, som naturkrisen i kapittelet “naturtap”. Hessen er kanskje best når han går i debatt med seg selv og setter ulike synspunkter opp mot hverandre. I kapittelet “trollmenn og profeter” fikk jeg et gjensyn med de to retningene som begge ønsker å løse klimakrisen der den ene sier vekst- og konsumkritikk og den andre er svært teknologioptimistisk. Denne typen historisk kontekst for å forstå hvorfor vi er der vi er i dag, tenker jeg er helt nødvendig for å forstå hvorfor politikerne vi velger sier det de sier.

Er dette en dommedagsbok? Jeg vil ikke si det. Men det er en bok som gir oss mer innsikt i hvor det haster mest å sette i gang tiltak. Noen bøker jeg leser er sånne jeg tenker at alle burde ha lest. Denne boken skulle jeg hvertfall ønske at alle på Stortinget hadde lest, og ideelt sett at den ble oversatt til engelsk så den nådde enda lenger.

Verden på vippepunktet

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.

Klimaboka

Nytt år, mye nytt bra klimalesestoff! Jeg kommer nok til å bruke lang tid på denne.

Bekymringen for klima hos unge har visstnok gått ned ifølge en ny undersøkelse, men realiteten er der fremdeles. En levelig klode er grunnlaget vårt for alt det fine vi kan få til sammen som mennesker. Jeg håper derfor for 2023 at vi legger bort tanken om at klima- og naturkrisen er separate problemer, men heller inkluderer dem i alt arbeide vi gjør.

Det er mange innganger til å bli engasjert i klima og miljøspørsmål. Ut fra en rask oversikt ser denne boka ut til å tilby mange! Jeg vil derfor anbefale den til alle som ønsker nye perspektiv på klimaspørsmål.

Godt nytt miljø og klimavennlig år.

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.

Bokanbefaling av "Varm is"

Ole Mathismoen har skrevet en liten perle av en bok om det spennende temaet is og da spesielt is som smelter på grunn av klimaendringene. Med “Varm is” klarer Mathismoen i sin alltid rolige og pedagogiske stil å formidle svært komplekse systemer i naturen og det skiftende klimaet på en enkel og oversiktlig måte.

Boken er bygget opp på en sånn måte at du ikke trenger forkunnskaper for å kunne sette deg inn i stoffet. På elegant vis knytter Mathismoen det han kaller iskrisen til de to store krisene vi allerede kjenner til - klimakrisen og naturkrisen. På denne måten blir alt fra tining av permafrosten til forgrønning av Arktis sett i en større kontekst.

Personlig har jeg vært spesielt interessert i Arktis og de dramatiske endringene som skjer der allerede før jeg skrev masteren min om det. Jeg håper virkelig denne boken blir lest av mange, så flere får øyene opp for hva som allerede skjer, og hva som kan skje. Spesielt kapittelet som omhandler hvor mye havet vil stige er svært skummelt. På side 99 i boka skriver Mathismoen: “Panelets (IPCC) konklusjoner om havnivået er svært dramatiske. Fordi smeltingen vil fortsette i hundreår og tusenår også om vi skulle klare store utslippskutt, tar de med hvilke svar scenarioene gir: Stopper vi oppvarmingen på 1,5 grader, vil havnivåstigningen bli begrenset til mellom to og tre meter de neste 2000 årene, og til mellom to og seks meter hvis vi klarer togradersmålet. Skulle det ryke, vil havet om et par tusen år stå mellom 19 og 22 meter over dagens nivå”. Og det er ikke bare i det lange perspektivet at ting blir skummelt. Mathismoen forteller om ulike vippepunkt der issmelting og effektene av det vil bli umulige for oss å gjøre noe med.

Det er nødvendig å vite om hvordan hvite polområder beskytter klimaet og hvordan isen her spiller en større rolle i reguleringen av klodens klima. Jeg føler dette er en bok som burde leses av alle, men spesielt politikere og andre med makt til å reversere oljepolitikken som føres i dag. Boken burde også oversettes til engelsk, for å nå flere.

For meg er Mathismoen et litterært forbilde i klimaformidlingens navn og her har han skrevet en sånn bok som du ikke vil skal ta slutt. Anbefales på det varmeste.

Review of Bonnie Wrights "Go Gently"

Climate activist and actress, Bonnie Wright, most known for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter universe, has written a book that sets out to be “Actionable steps to nurture yourself and the planet”.

The book has a logical build up, from the “Go learn” chapter, where Wright highlights several aspects concerning the global climate movement, to chapters as “Go see” where the focus is more inwards to your own habits and lifestyle choices. Bonnie Wright writes that she has herself been involved with climate and social issues the past decade, and the book invites us intimately along her own journey, as she also has changed habits and practises at home in order to align with her values. I think the book is at its best when she writes in long form, in stead of the many short factual boxes. Wright also holds space for other voices in her book, which gives us many interesting perspectives, ranging from indigenous voices to members of the queer community.

Book cover of “Go gently” by Bonnie Wright

The following chapters, “Go organise”, “Go shop” and “Go cook” is exactly what they sets out to be - ways in which to incorporate our values as climate concerned humans in our daily activities. The chapters “Go keep” and “Go make” is very much centred around activities you can do at home. Bonnie Wright writes that she found that when she started to incorporate more of her values, like her passion for the ocean, by trying to reduce single use plastic in her own everyday life, it made her feel more aligned with her values.

In the last two chapters, I felt that the book was the most unique of the climate books I have read so far - “Go enjoy” which is about exercises to cultivate joy and connect with the planet and the last chapter “Go beyond”, which was the main reason why I bought the book - about finding your place in the climate movement. This last chapter offers several questions to reflect on. Bonnie Wrights main thought here is that there is not one right way to act when you are concerned and want to do something for the climate. There are luckily several, and as she highlights that different aspects of the book will hopefully spark some interest for you as a reader.

I think this book is a good introduction for someone who would like to find their place within the climate movement, or re-find it. And as Bonnie Wright says - remember to “go gently” on yourself while doing so. <3

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.