Une Bastholm believes Jonas Gahr Støre completely misunderstands the UN Secretary-General.
What consequences should the UN’s alarming climate report have for Norwegian oil policy? The question divides the red-green parties a month before the election.
Now MDG leader Bastholm reacts strongly to statements Labor leader Støre gave to Aftenposten this week. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the report must be a death knell for coal and fossil energy sources.
Støre said that it is “Guterre’s job to speak in very large letters, so people perceive it. I experience that he addresses countries that build one coal-fired power plant a month.
Bastholm strongly disagrees.
– The statement was quite shocking and embarrassing, to be completely honest. It is very difficult to understand that Støre can mean it, says the MDG leader.
Bastholm says she added all goodwill and read Støre’s statements several times. It did not help.
She believes the UN Secretary-General points directly to Norway. MDG requires a complete halt in all exploration for oil and gas.
– We can not say that he did not mean us. Of course he did. He says that this must be the death knell for fossil energy, and that everyone must stop looking immediately. He had, of course, only said coal if that was what he meant.
–– We can not pretend
Støre also said that Norway must listen to what Guterres says.
– But I think we have good answers. We have committed ourselves to reducing emissions, the Labor Party says with 55 percent, Støre said.
For Bastholm it was not enough. She believes Støre now legitimizes what she calls the line to the Center Party and Frp.
– They point to China and Poland and emissions in other countries, she says.
– I understand that the Labor Party and others who want to continue for a long time with oil and gas have an explanation problem, but we can not pretend that the UN says anything else to Norway than to the rest of the world.
Bastholm believes it would be wrong to only look at emissions in this country, when Norway is one of the largest exporters of oil and gas.
She believes Norway needs a prime minister who takes the lead in the great climate challenge. However, she will not point to another prime ministerial candidate than Støre.
– We are going to the election of a new government, and we will talk to the Labor Party and the Socialist People’s Party first. But this is a reminder of why the MDGs need to be large, so we can see a different attitude from Støre than the one he shows here.
– Do not Støre have points? As long as the world needs the energy, must it be much better that it comes from an electrified, Norwegian shelf than from a coal-fired power plant?
– It is a Norwegian story, something we have made for ourselves in Norway. There is no one else in the UN or other business-neutral organizations who supports that this is relevant anymore, Bastholm believes.
She says research shows that if Norway stops producing oil and gas, then something will be replaced by other fossils, but the total emissions will go down globally.
– Støre and I probably disagree on whether it is at all profitable for Norway to continue investing in oil and gas, since the market is now changing rapidly.
– Are you surprised that there is no greater willingness on the red-green side to stop looking for oil?
– Yes, I am worried about a government with the Center Party in it, and about a government with the Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Socialist People’s Party, which is not dependent on the MDGs.
Støre: Labor has the best policy
Støre said in the same interview that “a decision to stop looking overnight will not change anything”.
– We will make wise assessments about the scope of exploration and where it is being explored, he said. The Labor Party leader will use professional assessments as a basis.
Financial risk for the state and climate risk must be emphasized.
Støre does not agree that the Labor Party is failing the climate fight.
– It is important for me to mark this: Climate is a main issue for me in this election. Labor has the best climate policy. This is because we also have a policy for industry and work, which makes it possible to make the changes that reduce emissions, Støre said.
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