Government ministers arriving for the weekly Council of State at the Royal Palace on Friday were met by noisy and angry demonstrators, protesting their decision last week to allow a controversial mining and dumping operation in Finnmark. More protests were held through the weekend, in Alta, Tromsø, Hamar, Flekkefjord, Sunndal, Trondheim and Oslo. The decision […]
Sparks fly over Finnmark mining
February 14, 2019
While local elected officials were celebrating with cake, protests poured in over the Conservative state government’s decision on Thursday to finally allow mining operations on a mountain plateau in Finnmark. It’s expected to generate 300 new jobs in the area, but can also disrupt Samis’ reindeer grazing while dumping debris and tailings into the fjord […]
Stavanger plagued by rats
February 14, 2019
Pest control experts say they haven’t seen so many rats in Stavanger for 30 years. They’re questioning whether the increase in the rat population is linked to Norway’s transition to poison-free extermination efforts. The City of Stavanger doubled its funding for pest control last year, but it doesn’t seem to have helped. Newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad […]
Climate change ravages Svalbard
February 8, 2019
A new report compiled by Norway’s leading climate researchers predicts much warmer temperatures on the Arctic island group of Svalbard in the years ahead, with more rain, flooding and landslides expected. The report has been described by experts as both “very dramatic” and among the “most frightening” to be released yet. Much of the damage […]
Auditor slams oil safety regulator
January 16, 2019
Environmental activists were alarmed this week, after Norway’s state auditor general’s office all but blasted Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (Petroleumstilsynet, PTIL) for not doing a better job. The highly critical report of the regulatory agency, which was even worse than environmental activists had expected, comes just as Norway’s Oil Ministry has granted a record number […]
Norway hands out more oil licenses
January 16, 2019
While his colleagues in Parliament were reeling over a report on poor regulation of Norway’s offshore installations, and another shows that most young Norwegians oppose more oil exploration, Norwegian Oil Minister Kjell-Børge Freiberg was busy and visibly proud to be handing out a record number of new offshore oil and gas exploration licenses in Norwegian […]
Wolf debate ‘blown out of proportion’
January 12, 2019
It was the wildlife preservationists’ turn on Saturday to demonstrate by the thousands in favour of protecting Norway’s roughly 60 surviving wolves. As their demonstrations to halt a highly controversial wolf hunt took place in towns and cities around the country, researchers claim the debate over wolves in Norway has become unreasonably bitter and is […]
Anti-wolf activists howl in Oslo again
January 8, 2019
Killing two more wolves on New Year’s Day wasn’t enough to satisfy those who view the predator as a threat to their livestock or safety in the great outdoors. Nor is the fact that more wolves are being shot than ever before. Anti-wolf activists, mostly farmers and residents of rural areas, marched through Oslo again […]
Conflicts fly behind ‘Green Capital’ year
January 4, 2019
NEWS ANALYSIS: Oslo’s political leaders were basking in the spotlight on Friday, ready to officially kick off the city’s year of being hailed as Europe’s “Green Capital” in 2019. Muttering in the background are critics who claim it’s all just a big show that’s costing residents and taxpayers dearly. The critics are not limited to […]
Pollution fears rise around Svalbard
December 31, 2018
A particularly senstive area of Svalbard was under threat of oil pollution this week, after a trawler grounded in bad weather in a remote northern area of the Norwegian-administered island group in the Arctic. On board the trawler are 300,000 liters of diesel oil that may start to leak. “One drop of diesel that makes […]
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