– It will happen. The only question is whether it will happen in time, so that the world avoids the worst consequences of the climate crisis. That’s what climate expert John Kerry says about the green shift in the USA in an interview with news. The US special envoy for climate is this week in Norway in connection with the Oslo Energy Forum. This winter, Kerry is stepping down from his post as climate envoy to run an election campaign for President Joe Biden. Misinformation and conflict of interest On November 5, 2024, there will be a new presidential election in the United States. Both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden have announced their candidacies. The two candidates are far apart when it comes to climate policy. Former President Donald Trump holds up a “Trump digs coal” sign in October 2020. Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP Kerry himself was central to the efforts to negotiate the Paris Agreement in 2015, an agreement former US President Donald Trump withdrew the country from in 2020. The following year, on his first day as president, Biden signed a presidential order on that the USA should once again participate in international climate cooperation. There is much discussion about climate in the United States. But the climate debate is disrupted by lies and conflicts of interest, says Kerry. Demonstrations for the climate in New York in 2020. Photo: Saad Amer – There are several challenges. First, it is those who do not want to believe it, who spread misinformation. These are people who will not give up their sources of income and the way they do business, says Kerry. He believes there is far too much “business as usual”. Furthermore, he points to those who, for ideological or political reasons, try to turn people against what he himself refers to as “common sense”. Optimistic despite – It’s not easy, and nobody says it’s going to be easy, Kerry says seriously. At the same time, he is optimistic that there is a new market for investing in renewable energy in his home country. – There are several challenges, says John Kerry about the climate debate in the USA. Photo: Daniel Tengs – Many more jobs are created in the US in clean energy than in fossil energy, and this will continue. There is no reason why we should be dependent on fossil energy. We can do it in other ways. And we must now ensure that everyone chooses to do it in other ways. Proud of Norwegian oil policy The climate debate and allegations of disinformation are also ongoing in Norway. On Wednesday morning, a bunch of climate activists from Extinction Rebellion demonstrated outside Scandic Holmenkollen Park, where the forum took place. – Støre has just handed out 62 oil licences, points out spokesperson for the movement Jonas Kittelsen. He refers to the forum as a “greenwashing conference” and believes that the purpose of the meeting is not to promote climate change. Activists in XR are not satisfied with the forum taking place in Oslo this week. Photo: Eivind Molde / news In his opening speech, Støre said that we will not implement the green shift by closing one door and opening another, but that there must be a transition. – Does Norway contribute to reaching the 1.5 degree target in a good way when the government distributes oil licenses on a large scale? – We contribute because we have to go through this shift. We will see in the 2030s that oil and gas declines in Norway quite significantly. And it is part of a transition where we will also bring up renewables from onshore wind, offshore wind and solar. Støre tells news that he is proud of Norwegian oil policy. Photo: Daniel Tengs Støre also highlights Norway’s contribution to capturing and storing CO₂. – Are you proud of Norwegian oil policy in light of the climate challenges? – Yes I am. Because it is an oil and gas policy that is going over a peak and is on its way down. In a few years, Equinor will spend as much to invest in renewables as in oil and gas, according to Støre. Parts of the interview with John Kerry will be broadcast on Nyhetsmorgen on news P2 on Thursday morning.
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The question is whether the change will happen in time – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
