Vestlands politicians have received a report on the climate effect of six planned ferry replacement projects on their county roads. The conclusion is as follows: Replacing the ferries with bridges will in all cases lead to greater greenhouse gas emissions in the 40-year period after the bridge’s opening. But for now, there are no signs that the report will have political consequences, because the majority is skeptical of the conclusion. – It cannot be the case that the inhabitants of these places should be punished for meeting the climate targets. That’s according to group leader for the Labor Party in Vestland, Arve Helle. He believes that the ambitions for climate cuts must not hinder development on the island communities. – The point is to drive social development, too. Some conclude that the best thing to do is to do nothing. I’m definitely not on that planet. Arve Helle (Ap) wants community development on the islands and puts the climate report “way down in the pile”. Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news Yes, but no It is not only on the islands in Vestland that ideals about the future of the planet must give way to “everyday needs” and practical politics. Most Norwegians and their politicians say yes to greenhouse gas cuts. But, for example, no to wind turbines on land. No to stopping oil exploration. No to nuclear power. No to vegetarian food and fuel taxes. No to flight shame. On paper, Norway’s goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, compared to emissions in 1990. The government and the Storting have decided and promised the international community that through the Paris Agreement. But Norway is far behind schedule in reaching the climate targets, for example in the transport sector and on the continental shelf. In over 30 years, Norwegian emissions have barely changed. The latest statistics from Statistics Norway show that emissions in 2021 were 4.5 per cent lower than in 1990. The decrease from 2020 was 0.3 per cent. The goal for the next seven years is therefore to cut greenhouse gas emissions eleven times more than Norway has managed to cut in the last 30 years. Ferry operation for forty years results in lower greenhouse gas emissions than the combined emissions from bridge construction and increased traffic in the same period, concludes Multiconsult. Photo: Kjell Arvid stølen / news Still want to build a bridge The county politicians in the west are in the same dilemma between setting goals and measures. Before Christmas, the county council adopted an even more ambitious climate goal than the nation of Norway: Vestland must become climate neutral by 2030. This means that the businesses, activities and offers to the county municipality must have net zero emissions. For example, “climate-friendly county roads” is a goal. Nevertheless, a political majority now says yes to new county road bridges, even if this will result in higher greenhouse gas emissions than ferry operations. – All types of road projects will have a negative impact on the climate. So there are a whole host of other reasons – such as ferry replacement or race protection – why we decided to carry out the project anyway. That’s what Silja Ekeland Bjørkly, group leader for Høgre, says. Silja Ekeland Bjørkly (H) says all road construction has a negative climate effect, but that many other arguments speak in favor of construction nonetheless. Photo: Høyre – The ferry cancellation plans in Vestland are great projects that tie the coast together. Frank Willy Djuvik in the Progress Party thinks so. He is accompanied by group leader for KrF, Trude Brosvik. – You can’t stop all investments in Vestland, where you really need improvement, while elsewhere in the country you have to drive on with a four-lane motorway, she believes. Both Djuvik and Helle say they put this report “down in the pile” when they have to assess the knowledge base for the various projects. – Why order a report if they do not want to emphasize the conclusion? – It was not me who ordered the report, say both Helle in Ap and Brosvik in KrF. – So they say: “thanks for the knowledge, but no thanks”? – Not necessarily, but ferry replacement is very important for the local communities involved, says Bjørkly. According to the report, Sunnfast is the project in Vestland that will give the biggest increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the current ferry operation. Photo: Sunnfast AS – Deficient report Frp and KrF believe the report is based on uncertain estimates and assumptions. – It has a number of weaknesses and shortcomings, according to Djuvik. – The researchers also point to that, even if the trend is clear. So the conclusions may not have much value when it comes to prioritizing, says Brosvik. – But political decisions are often based on scenarios that are not certain knowledge? – Then political discretion comes in, she says. Djuvik says one must assess whether the individual projects can be positive for both the climate and social development. Marthe Hammer (SV) believes that a politician cannot ignore knowledge about climate effects. Photo: Nikita Solenov/SV Skuffa Marthe Hammer (SV) is disappointed with the party which will now put the report “in the drawer”. – We cannot simply ignore knowledge about greenhouse gas emissions in a serious situation that the world is facing. – What about the large greenhouse gas emissions from a development SV wants, for example a new railway and E16 between Bergen and Voss? – Rail is the most climate-friendly form of transport, but we must be willing to look at all the calculations for all transport projects. If the ferry replacement project is carried out, she believes that the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions must be cut elsewhere.
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Promise climate cuts, but will give islanders bridges that produce more emissions than ferries – news Vestland
