PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURESHow can we integrate the different stakeholders?How to achieve a cross-sectorial approach?

Lars Egeland, MP and Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment, Norway

 

Reality imposes harsh demands

Norwegian Climate policy: 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions within 2020, 2/3 domesticCarbon neutral in 2050

•

Where are we going to cut?

• There will be a need for emission reductions in all sectors

• The three biggest souces of greenhouse gas emissions in Norway are: • Transport (32 %)• Oil and gas sector (27 %)• Industry (26 %).

Energy

• Norway has a lot of electric energy which is mainly fossil-free.

• But only half of Norways use of energy is fossil-free

• We need more renewable energy

• We need to be more economic with our use of energy

• We need a transmission from fossil energy to electric energy

Task nr 1: Replace fossil energy with renewable• Electric energy will be

scarce:• New energy from

wind, sun, tide, waterfalls + bioenergy, biogas, district heating

• Replace fossil energy at oil and gas installations offshore

• Reduce fossil energy in transport and replace with electricity

The best electricity is the one that is not used• Huge potensial for

reductions• 10 TWh in private

homes• Passivhouse in

2015• Almost zeroenergy

in 2020 • Heating with fossil

energy banned from 2020

Transport

• Cut emissions from new cars – 85 gr/CO2

• Transition from car to collective transport

• No increase in traffic in towns

• Cartaxes shall reduce transport and promote emission cuts

• Norway is nr 1 in electric cars

..so then everyting should be OK , the government takes the neccesarily steps..

Challenges:

• The overall policy is decided, but the work is not done..

• The government need popular support for an active climate policy

• The publics interest in climate policy is decreasing

• Why?

Some reasons..

• The public has been demoralised and demobilised

• «The polluter shall pay» has turned to «the polluter demands to be payed»

• Climate policy is for experts, and the solutions are technologial

• Everybody is talking, nobody is acting..

• Warmer climate is not negative..

Real conflicts renewable energy - biodiversity• Windturbines , roads

and power lines harm birds, animals (reindeer), biodiversity

• Water-energy harms wild fish and nature

• But: Taking care of nature and of climate is two sides of the same cause

What can we do?

• We need to engage people

• Integrate people in climate actions

• Climate must be an important subject in the 2013 election

How to engage people

• A vision of the lowcarbon-society that they like and believe in.

• We cannot frighten people to act

• Knowledge instead of moralism

• Climate issues must be something that effects their daily life

• Local engagement – local solutions

Two experiences:

• How Tønsberg became the first city in Norway with waste sorting in all households

• Knowledge: A report that described experiences in other countries, how to do it etc.

• Steadily political work• When the time was in:• Political teamwork – owned by all

the party leaders• Political pride: The Eco-city

Tønsberg

The Local Agenda 21 approach

• Challenge people to use their experiences

• Put up reachable goals

• Show the results• Give the

stakeholders pride through credit

Experience two: How we managed to achieve a political unity on Climate policy In Norway• White paper from the

majority-government in May 2012

• Environment-organisations advocated a sustainable political compromise for the policy towards 2020.

• Negotiations broke down• Petions from environment-organisations,

Church-leaders, other well knowned people, created a demand for unity for an offencive climate-policy

• Long and hard negotiations on at least two fronts: Within the goverment, among the minstries, towards the opposition.

• Negotiations with the party leaders - a key to success

• This does not mean that climate policy is neutralized as a field of political struggle

Summary

• The important people must have ownership – through getting credit

• What is in it for me: Let everybody win something

• Look for solutions, not problems

We need a vision, and it is not about technology – it is also about consumption and first of all that the low emission society is a good society for everyone