This week opened the first ever climate summit in Africa. In Kenya’s capital Nairobi, top leaders from all over the world have gathered, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, US climate envoy John Kerry and Norway’s Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (Sp). Suffering the most from the climate crisis The fact that a climate summit is being organized in Africa for the first time is important in itself, says senior adviser at the Joint Council in Africa, Hilde Hunnålvatn. – We have seen that grassroots activists, and especially young people in African countries, do not get along at the various meetings. In this way, they are excluded from the dialogue, she says. The continent is the area that has accounted for the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. At the same time, Africa is the part of the world that suffers the most from the climate crisis, was the conclusion of a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The temperature is rising faster in Africa than in the rest of the world as a result of climate change and natural disasters, says the report. Now the African activists are visible to both the international media and top leaders, who are at these meetings. Critical of Norwegian oil investment Climate activist Evelyn Acham is from Uganda. She has gone to Nairobi to be present at the climate summit. She and several other activists from Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya are marching in the streets with banners that say “stop the neo-colonial pursuit of oil and gas in Africa”. Acham says Norway’s climate policy reminds her of colonialism in a new guise. – Oil investments that Norway and other countries make are a new form of colonialism. Ultimately, it is the rich nations that actually profit from extracting the oil. The answer to Africa’s challenges is not oil and gas, says Acham, and emphasizes Africa’s potential in renewable energy. She claims people are being displaced from their homes and land due to oil and gas projects. Climate activist Evelyn Acham (left) from Uganda is critical of the extraction of oil and gas in Africa. – It is good that civil society is getting involved in the climate fight and that there is a lively debate about these issues in African countries, says Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (Sp) about the criticism. She says there was an opportunity-oriented atmosphere during the climate summit. – In my conversations with African leaders, I feel that support from Norway for both climate adaptation and climate financing is in great demand. This cooperation is crucial so that the countries can adapt to climate change, and be better equipped to handle the consequences, says Tvinnereim. Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (Sp) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: news Calls the policy double standards The Norwegian environmental organization Spire supports the criticism of climate activist Evelyn Acham. – Today we see that the burden for climate measures is also being eased onto the most vulnerable groups, while Norway continues to make us rich from the very thing that causes and amplifies the climate crisis, says leader of Spire, Elise Åsnes. – On the one hand, we say that we must be a leader in climate. At the same time, the government is working to “develop – not liquidate” the oil and gas industry. Norway loses all legitimacy on climate when we have such a double standard policy, says Åsnes. The term “climate colonialist” implies that countries or large corporations take control of new areas. – Just that now it is the climate that is being used as an argument, explains Åsnes. The Ministry of Finance rejects that Norwegian climate policy is colonialist. – We are surprised by criticism. The management of the Government Pension Fund abroad (SPU) has one goal. It is the highest possible return within acceptable risk, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Ellen Reitan (Ap) to news. She emphasizes that the fund is not an instrument in foreign or climate policy. Norway’s climate financing was NOK 15.5 billion last year. It is the result of, among other things, the mobilization of private capital. At Africa’s first climate summit, Kenyan President William Ruto declared that climate change is “eating away at Africa’s economic progress”. Photo: Khalil Senosi / AP Claims the oil tax goes to the elite It is difficult to find concrete information about how much Africa as a continent earns from its oil and gas activities compared to Norway, says senior researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Odd-Helge Fjeldstad. Nevertheless, it is known that several African countries benefit from tax revenues from Norwegian Equinor. Among other things, Equinor paid over NOK 32 billion in taxes to Algeria, Angola, Libya and Nigeria in 2022. Nevertheless, Fjeldstad claims that these tax revenues are rarely distributed to the rest of the population. – These enormous oil tax revenues are largely hijacked by a small elite and to a small extent benefit the population. The oil companies here contribute to maintaining – and strengthening – regimes that are undemocratic, Fjeldstad believes. Researcher and professor Odd-Helge Fjeldstad believes that Norwegian oil investments are helping to strengthen an undemocratic elite. Photo: Chr. Michelsen Institute Investing heavily in fossil fuels in Africa The oil fund can invest up to 2 percent of the fund in “unlisted infrastructure renewable energy”. Today, the oil fund amounts to over NOK 14,000 billion. At the same time, a survey shows that the Oil Fund is the third largest investor in fossil energy in Africa. The investigation was carried out by the German interest organization Urgewald, writes E24. Some of the largest oil and gas companies operating in African countries are France’s TotalEnergies, Italy’s Eni, America’s Exxon Mobile Corp and India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd. Oljefondet has ownership in all these companies. One of the projects that has caused reactions is the 1,443 kilometer long oil pipeline project “East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline” by French TotalEnergies, which stretches between Uganda and Tanzania. The oil fund, which is managed by the Ministry of Finance, says that it primarily has a financial objective. Read their full response at the bottom of the case. Equinor stands out in oil and gas investments in countries in Africa. Photo: DADO RUVIC / Reuters Demanding more from northern countries The UN has estimated that losses and damages in Africa as a result of climate change will amount to between 290 and 440 billion dollars in the period 2020-2030, depending on the degree of warming. In the final declaration, which was adopted at the climate summit on Wednesday, rich countries with large emissions are encouraged to do more to contribute to climate change in poor countries. The proposals will be taken to the COP28 summit in November, which will take place in Dubai. This is the Ministry of Finance’s answer regarding oil investments in Africa – As a long-term investor with holdings in a large number of companies globally, it is in the fund’s financial interest that the world economy is adjusted to a low-emission society in an orderly manner. Norges Bank’s work with responsible management must be based on a long-term goal that the companies in which the fund is invested adjust their operations so that it is compatible with global net zero emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. – By being a responsible and active owner with clear expectations of the companies regarding climate risk management and credible plans for restructuring, Norges Bank will contribute to a more orderly transition and thereby support the fund’s long-term financial goals. – The government’s ambition is that SPU, within the framework of being a large, national, global and long-term fund, should be a leader in responsible management. The assumption that responsible management must be central to the handling of climate risk does not change the fact that the fund has one overarching, financial objective, but supports this. This is what State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance State Secretary Ellen Reitan (Ap) tells news.
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Calls Norwegian oil investments neo-colonialist – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
