Norway is widely regarded as the most developed, happy, and democratic country in the world. It is also labeled as one of the leaders of the sustainable economy of the future. However, this environmentally friendly image conceals a reality where the country should be criticized as a symbol of global pollution. That's what James Watkins, a journalist at the Ozy news site, says.
In rich countries, only Sweden and Switzerland have an economy that operates less intensively on carbon dioxide. Still, at the same time, Norway must be one of the largest exporters of oil and gas.
The Dirty Secret Behind Green Norway: Export Of Oil Should Be Integrated Into Its Ecological Footprint
If one would integrate the export of fossil fuels into the ecological footprint of Norway, the sustainable image of the country does not have much left. At present, the country is one of the nations with the lowest levels of carbon dioxide on the entire planet, but including exports, the state would become by far the largest producer in the rich world.
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The Norwegian export of oil and gas causes about 500 million carbon dioxide annually. The domestic economy barely shows a level of 50 million tons. Per gross domestic product, Norway would even achieve the highest score in terms of emissions within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
"Of course, the other OECD countries also export fossil fuels, but that relationship shows much less extreme scores," writes James Watkins. "In Canada, the ecological footprint would increase by 115 percent, while Australia would register a tripling. In Norway, however, there is a tenfold increase." According to Watkins, these differences can have a significant impact, since they have a direct influence on how parties are thought to have the highest moral duty to deal with climate change most intensively.
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Oil Pollution Green Norway: Responsibility
"Norway accepts no responsibility for its exported emissions," says Robbie Andrew, a researcher at the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo. This can be compared to the sale of weapons to a country that is at war and commits atrocities.
According to Watkins, the Norwegian example shows that in a globalized economy, there is no point in working solely with national emission data. According to him, this can also be determined in the United States.
"Norway is faced with a unique paradox," acknowledges the journalist. "A large part of the enormous wealth of the country is built on the export of its fossil fuel. The Norwegian Oljefondet is the largest state fund in the world, with a portfolio of more than 1 trillion dollars."
Can Norway Shake its Addiction to Oil?
"I’m part of the oil generation here in Norway...We don’t even have to pay to go to the dentist" boasts oil analyst Thina Saltvedt. For decades Norwegians like Thina have savored the excellent life thanks to a bounty of oil in the Arctic Sea, even as their country leads the way as a renewable energy pioneer. "The idea of Norway being such a great contributor to solving climate change is a scam. We’re contributing to the problem much more than we’re contributing to the solution," argues Green MP Rasmus Hansson. Is it time for Norway to re-evaluate its dependency on oil?
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"This richness is also one of the elements that have led Norway to be one of the best welfare states in the world, and that does not want to endanger most people, so it's almost impossible to find a majority in Norway the production of fossil fuels intends to stop. "Defenders of the Norwegian economy also point out that the country also invests hundreds of millions of dollars in sustainable programs elsewhere in the world.
"The moral dilemma can ultimately become an existential crisis for the Norwegian economy," warns Christoffer Ringnes Klyve, chairman of the environmental association Future in Our Hands. "After all, Norway is a worldwide leader in electric cars but is also one of the engines of a trend that will eventually undermine the market for its most important export product - oil. That is a huge national dilemma."
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