"Climate Agreement" to make
Norway a green leader
A compromise agreement reached between Norway’s ruling and opposition political parties will make Norway a leader in cutting CO2 emissions while hiking already steep prices at the pumps. Political parties in Norway presented a new "climate agreement" on Thursday morning. PHOTO: CORNELIUS POPPE |
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The Norwegian political parties have reached a compromise agreement about the climate that will require Norway to reduce its CO2 emissions by 15 to 17 million tons by 2020.
The various parties in parliament had been earlier unable to agree on the concrete goals in terms of emissions. Now the ruling Labour Party has agreed with three opposition parties on the issue, it was announced Thursday morning.
A key aspect of the agreement is that Norway will aim to be "carbon-neutral" by 2030 (instead of the government’s original goal of 2050).
As a result, the already sky-high prices for diesel and petrol will increase further.
Regular gas for automobiles currently costs approximately NOK 12 per litre (USD 8.50 per gallon). The new tax will only add about a cent or two to the price.
More budget money will also be devoted to research into climate-related issues and renewable energy sources.
All the major political parties except for the populist Progress Party were included in the negotiations
Catherine Stein
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