Today, the UN climate panel will present its sixth synthesis report. The purpose of the report is to survey the state of the planet and is the most comprehensive ever. Today’s report summarizes all available climate research and comes with a number of measures that must be implemented to comply with the Paris Agreement. A united young climate and environmental movement is very concerned that the politicians are ignoring the scientific consensus which concludes that we must stop looking for more fossil fuels. Young people pay the price The research clearly shows that what is lacking is political will, and we demand that Norway’s politicians take science seriously. The previous synthesis report came in 2014, the next one will come in the 2030s. Now we must listen to research’s last cry of distress. The UN climate panel, the UN nature panel, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and a number of other research institutes state unequivocally: The world has found more fossil fuels than we can burn to reach our climate goals. Looking for more fossil fuels is therefore ecological and economic madness, to quote the UN Secretary-General. New fossil investments will bring money to the treasury in the short term and billions to shareholders, but the price we young people will have to pay in the future will be so much greater. We know that climate change affects young people in the global south particularly unfairly. Despite the fact that it is rich countries in the global north that have contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions, it is people in the global south who experience the greatest consequences. This is fundamentally unfair. Greenwashing of Norwegian oil production In Norway, the government seems more concerned with finding excuses and greenwashing oil and gas in order to extend the production of fossil energy, than reacting to the UN’s warning lights. We are the world’s seventh largest exporter of oil and gas and Europe’s most aggressive oil prospector. Therefore, Norway has an enormous responsibility to speed up the fair green transition that we so badly need. We must move the debate away from myths such as that Norwegian oil is the cleanest in the world, that further oil exploration is compatible with the 1.5 degree target and avoid dangerous dead ends such as carbon capture and storage and electrification of the shelf which legitimizes increased production of oil and gas. No one in the climate movement is saying we should stop all oil production overnight, but every new investment in fossil fuels locks capital and expertise into an industry the world must end. The transition must start now, and if we look for more fossil energy, the transition will go even slower and an insane burden of cuts will be left to future generations. The future we want We have reached a point in the climate and nature crisis where profound system change must take shape within a very few years. Today’s economic system has clearly shown that consideration for the environment and people is not a priority. We consume the planet’s resources to an extent that both causes damage today and limits future generations’ opportunities to live good and safe lives. In practice, this means that we must change the basic premises and objectives of our politics and economy. If we are to have a secure future, we need to go to the root of the problem – fossil energy. We want to see Norway become an international driving force to stop oil exploration, free up manpower and money for the green shift and give us young hope. We need a future where people and the environment are put before profit, where solidarity across national borders and climate justice are fundamental values. A future where we repair, reuse and share things automatically, save when we can and put relationships with each other and nature above the pursuit of material abundance. This is not idealism. It is to ensure safe jobs and a safe place to live, for us and those who come after. It is the future we can create together if we raise our voices and demand the political course change that the researchers are calling for. If the course is not changed, the politicians are failing in their most important task: to safeguard our future. It is unforgivable. Choose our future – stop all oil exploration now! The chronicle is signed by: Elise Åsnes, leader of Spire Naja Amanda Lynge Møretrø, leader of Changemaker Benedicte Steinbakk, KFUK-KFUM Global Laura Seeger, deputy leader, Framtiden i våre händel Oslo student team Jonas Kittelsen, Extinction Rebellion Ung Gina Gylver, leader of Nature and Youth
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Climate research’s last cry of distress – Statement
