On November 30, the 28th UN Climate Conference will be held in Dubai. “One of the crucial tasks for Norway is to ensure that a fully sustainable life can be lived here,” the interviewees wrote.
It is clearer than ever that we must mobilize for action at all levels of society, including you and me.
On November 30, the 28th UN Climate Conference will be held in Dubai. Here, the status of the world’s progress in achieving the goals agreed upon in the Paris Agreement in 2015 must be settled. Here, there is an opportunity to adjust the course if it becomes clear that we are not on the right track.
We are in the middle of a critical decade for climate action. It is clearer than ever that we must mobilize for action at all levels of society, including you and me.
Of particular importance to Norway
The COP28 Secretariat points out the obvious: to maintain a livable climate, oil, coal and gas production must be reduced as quickly as possible. One of the challenges we face as a society is how we will survive as long as the demand for fossil energy sources still exists.
Meanwhile, the UN climate panel succeeded in achieving its goal Sixth main report With brand new recommendations on the critical and untapped potential for emissions reduction. For the first time, the Climate Commission shows us how our consumption and lifestyle affect our possibility of success in the fight against climate change.
The richest 10% of the world’s population cause half of all global emissions through their consumption
In a press release, Priyadarshi Shukla, Vice-Chair of the Emissions Reduction Working Group, said: “If we have the right policy, infrastructure and technology that can make it possible to change our lifestyles and behaviour, we can achieve Target 40.” – 70 percent greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than in 2050. This is huge untapped potential. “The results also show that these lifestyle changes can improve our health and well-being.”
This recognition is particularly important for a high-income country like Norway. The UN Climate Commission has shown us that emissions from our lifestyle and consumption are very unevenly distributed across the world’s population.
The richest 10% of the world’s population Cause half All global emissions are through consumption. Hence, the key to success in bringing about a change in consumption and lifestyle lies largely in the hands of these 10 percent.
Critical mission
Most of us living in Norway belong to the 10% that the Climate Commission refers to in its analysis. Also the OECD, when they evaluated it Norwegian environmental policy in 2022He pointed out that Norway faces very big challenges with very high consumption. Similar to the conclusions reached by the UN Climate Commission, the OECD recommends that Norway adopt policy tools that make it possible to live a more sustainable life in Norway.
The future is in our hands and through this publication and through the cooperation symposium the United Nations Association is trying to contribute to the discussion on how Norway can play a positive role in the global climate transition. We now know enough about the causal relationships in climate change to realize that the crucial task for Norway is to ensure that a fully sustainable life can be lived here.
The Nordic countries, through the Nordic Council of Ministers, have taken the lead in a shared ambition to achieve success in such a transition. Denmark and Sweden have also prepared statistics and reports showing the impact of climate on a global level, through consumption and exports. It can make the global dialogue on climate change in climate negotiations more transparent, and it can open new opportunities for success in achieving our shared climate goals.
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