Norway’s Carbon Neutral Pledge Lacks Meaningful Emissions Cuts

March 26, 2008

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Not too long ago, Norway announced that it would be carbon neutral by 2030. Now, it’s becoming apparent that imaginative accounting and donations to environmental projects abroad, rather than meaningful emissions reductions, are behind the plan, The New York Times reports.

The country, like many other governments, companies, and organizations, will become carbon neutral by financing environmental projects around the world.

But, as The Times writes, “there are not enough environmental projects in poor countries to cancel out all the emissions of the developed world.”

The actual plan for reducing its own emissions is unclear and, if tackled seriously, is likely to hurt. Norway is the third largest exporter in the world. Heavy industry – oil, gas, metal refining – is the main polluter. They can’t even look at replacing coal power plants since more than 95 percent of the country’s electricity is from waterfalls.

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