Solberg calls for global response
Norwegian PM sees need for world to come together in the Paris Agreement
Photo: Nina Aldin Thune / Wikimedia
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has called for the countries with the most carbon emissions to strengthen their commitment to fight global warming by supporting the Paris Agreement.
Victoria Garza
Norway Today
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) is one of several leaders who are calling for a climate meeting characterized by ambition, action, and implementation.
“In New York in September, many countries pledged to strengthen their goals in the Paris Agreement. But we are still waiting for those countries with the most emissions to follow up,” Solberg said when she spoke at COP25, the annual climate negotiation meeting of the United Nations in Madrid on Dec. 2. “We need to have these countries on board to reach the Paris Agreement,” said Solberg.
The prime minister highlighted Norway’s efforts to reduce emissions, where the current goal is to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared with the 1990 level.
She also highlighted Norway’s contribution to the U.N. Climate Change Fund in developing countries, in addition to measures such as CO2 tax and increased funding for research and development, including industrial technology.
“Green solutions pave the way for new business opportunities, while helping us to manage the climate threat” said Solberg.
Solberg also emphasized the importance of preserving the world’s forests and oceans.
Calls for a “green revolution”
The U.N.’s annual annual climate negotiation meeting was held this year in Madrid, from Dec. 2 to 13, and in connection with the opening, several politicians called for action.
Among them was European Union President Charles Michel, who called for a green revolution.
“For centuries we have been in an unconscious war with nature,” said the Belgian politician, who took up his new post on Dec. 1. He added that the planet is now on its knees.
“We’ve had the industrial revolution, we’ve had the technological revolution and now we need a green revolution,” he said.
Pelosi: — The Unites States is still in
The head of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, says the world can still count on the United States in the fight against global warming.
Pelosi was in Madrid with 14 other members of Congress, who attended the climate meeting.
She made it clear that much of the United States is still strongly committed to living up to the goals set in the Paris Agreement of 2015, despite the political line of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We are here to tell you all, on behalf of the House of Representatives and the United States Congress, that we are still present,” Pelosi said to great applause.
“We see this as an existential threat. We have not lived up to the challenge,” she added.
This article originally appeared in the December 13, 2019, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
