Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Environmental Issues
Norwayandtheenvironmentarelikeeveryone'smodelcouple-fromtheoutside,theyseem
like aperfect match evenifyoususpect that theyconceal theoccasional darksecret. Indeed,
the story of how Norway has been acclaimed for promoting environmental sustainability
while being one of the world's largest producers of fossil fuels (oil is the elephant in the
room) is a fascinating tale.
On the one hand, the Norwegian government has made an unprecedented commitment to
cut its greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, Norway is one of the world ' s largest
oil exporters and a major player in the fishing industry.
State of the Environment Norway ( www.environment.no ) is a comprehensive site covering everything from
biodiversity and international agreements to statistics and Svalbard.
When it comes to Norway's micromanagement of the environment, there is much to be
praised. Industrial waste is highly regulated, recycling is almost universal, there's little rub-
bish along roadsides and general tidiness takes a high priority in both urban and rural envir-
onments.
Andyetlossofhabitathasplacedhundredsofplantandanimalspeciesontheendangered
or threatened species lists. Although many animals are now protected, sport-hunting and
fishing are more popular here than in most other European countries. Norway's unpopular
stance on whaling and sealing has raised international ire and resulted in boycotts on Nor-
wegian products.
In short, it's a complicated picture.
In the respected Environmental Performance Index for 2010, operated by the Yale Center for Environmental
Law and Policy ( http://epi.yale.edu ) , Norway ranked fifth out of 163 countries (down from second in
2008). Above Norway in the 2010 rankings were Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Sweden.
Climate Change
Global warming is by no means a solely Norwegian problem, but few countries have com-
mittedtodoingasmuchaboutitasNorway.In2007theNorwegiangovernmentpromisedto
'be at the forefront of the international climate effort' and announced plans to become 'car-
bonneutral' andcut net greenhouse gasemissions tozero by2050.This will mostly involve
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