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offsetting its annual carbon dioxide emissions by purchasing carbon credits on internation-
al markets. The government also agreed to cut actual emissions by 30% by 2030.
In 2009, Norway's annual emissions stood at 50.8 million tonnes, a fall of 5.4% com-
pared to 2008 and the lowest figure since 1995. Although some of this reduction can, by
the government's own admission, be attributed to the global financial crisis and reduced
levels of industrial production, the longer-term downward trend is encouraging. Over 99%
of Norway's electricity supplies come from renewable (primarily hydro power) sources,
with fossil fuels accounting for just 0.4%. Norway also has targeted tax regimes on carbon
dioxide emissions, and allocates billions of kroner to carbon dioxide capture and storage
schemes and climate-related initiatives, both within Norway and overseas.
For all such good news, it is worth remembering that the average Norwegian emits 7.85
tonnesofgreenhousegases,twicetheworldaveragealthoughinlinewithmostotherdeve-
loped countries. Environmental groups have criticised Norway's promises on emissions as
hypocritical, with Greenpeace arguing that 'Norway should take responsibility for the 500
million tonnes of emissions caused by its exports of oil and gas'.
Climate change in Norway is most evident in the worrying signs that its glaciers may
be under threat ( Click here ). Norway has also been a leading international advocate for
addressing the impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems (from pollution to the threat
posed to polar bears by retreating sea ice in Arctic waters). As ever, Norway's principled
position on Arctic pollution is undermined by its production (if not consumption) of fossil
fuels-thegovernment'sstrictprovisionsprotectingtheenvironmentinSvalbardhavewon
praise, even as it continues to make exemptions for coal production on the archipelago.
Glaciers & Climate Change - A Meteorologist's View by J Oerlemans can be a tad heavy-going, but it
does tell you everything you need to know about why glaciers have become a cause célèbre for environ-
mentalists across the world.
Other touchstones of environmental health are more encouraging, with a detailed 2007
study of Arctic plant life on Svalbard by the University of Oslo (published in the pres-
tigious journal Science ) suggesting that the plants have proved more resilient than first
thought, adapting and largely weathering the big climate swings of the past 20,000 years.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (see the boxed text, Click here ) is also seen as an import-
ant resource in protecting biodiversity in the event of a large rise in global temperatures.
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