Prime Minister Erna Solberg was smiling as she posed at the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference. Now, however, she’s accused of ignoring the conference’s “call to action,” with young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg publicly accusing Solberg of violating UN rules against endangering the lives of children around the world. “Your government continues to […]
Mixed reaction after well comes up dry
November 27, 2019
Climate and environmental activists were jubilant and a German oil company disappointed after it abandoned a highly controversial offshore oil drilling project this week. Oil firm Wintershall DEA confirmed that it failed to find enough oil to justify the costs of developing the field near the Træna reef. “We found a little oil, but less […]
Climate change tops all political issues
November 25, 2019
Climate change has, for the first time, topped an annual list that ranks Norway’s most important political issues. It remains unclear, however, whether Norwegians and not least their political leaders will be willing to make the sacrifices needed to reverse it. The annual Klimabarometeret (Climate Barometer) was released just after the Greens Party (MDG), for example, […]
Alarms ring over Equinor pollution
November 22, 2019
Norway’s environmental directorate has uncovered serious violations at a string of Equinor facilities, ranging from chemical spills at offshore platforms to leaks of climate gasses at Equinor’s Mongstad refinery. The findings refute constant boasting by Norwegian government and oil industry officials that their oil and gas production meets the highest environmental and climate standards in the […]
Wolves shot, both killed and moved
November 22, 2019
With snow on the ground making it easier to track wolves, Norwegian authorities took to the air this week in another controversial move to control the country’s wolf population. Two wolves were shot and killed, while a third was sedated and moved to a wolf protection zone. State wildlife agency SNO (Statens Naturoppsyn) and the […]
Norway battles wild boar ‘invasion’
November 14, 2019
Norway is trying to fend off an invasion that neither border guards, police nor the military can stop: Wild boars are crossing the border from Sweden in record numbers. Now both the environmental directorate and the country’s animal and food safety authority are allowing new hunting methods aimed at stopping wild boar from establishing themselves […]
Norway rolls up the welcome mat
November 13, 2019
New studies show that a solid majority of Norwegians are fed up with mass tourism and want to impose more taxes on tourists, especially those arriving on cruiseships and arranging accommodation through Airbnb. Now even the national employers’ association NHO is calling for major cuts in cruiseship arrivals. The call comes after this week’s release […]
Oil Fund under new political pressure
November 12, 2019
Norway’s huge Oil Fund is often used as the country’s politically correct investor abroad. Now several Norwegian politicians want to also use it as a “political tool” at home to promote climate measures, over the strong objections of the Conservatives’ Prime Minister Erna Solberg. She calls any such efforts “dangerous.” Debate over how to best exploit the […]
More oil found as anti-oil trial begins
November 7, 2019
Norwegian state oil company Equinor seems to believe that the best defense is a good offense. Not only did it announce a large discovery of more oil this week, it also launched a major public relations campaign, just as climate and environmental activists were taking the state to court again in an effort to halt […]
Storm stops oil drilling protest
October 31, 2019
Stormy seas and bad weather prevented climate and environmental activists from trying to stop a large drilling rig’s controversial oil exploration efforts near a sensitive coral reef off Helgeland on Thursday. The German oil company that chartered the rig is undaunted by all the protests, and reported that drilling was getting underway. “First we’ll drill […]
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