The Government has already made several decisions that form the basis for a more climate-friendly development:
We have stated that all gasfired power plants shall be based on technology for carbon dioxide capture and storage.
The agreement to establish a full-scale capture plant at Mongstad and the NOK 556,5 million grant for carbon dioxide handling in the revised national budget for 2008, may be of major importance for technology development and the global search for more evironmentally friendly use of fossile fuels.
These efforts imply that Norway may take a leading role in developing technology for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide. This is an environment-friendly technology that may be of good use to other countries in their efforts to reduce emissions.
These efforts imply that Norway may take a leading role in developing technology for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide. This is an environment-friendly technology that may be of good use to other countries in their efforts to reduce emissions.
We have initiated a considerable increase in our production of renewable energy. The establishing of a basic capital fund for renewable energy and energy efficiency as of 1 January 2007, is vital to secure that Norway also in the future will have low-emission energy production and consumption.
We have increased our emphasis on the use of railway. This is a move to transfer the transport of goods and passengers from roads to railway.
An important step to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars is the work to change road licences, initiated in the state budget for 2007.
We have introduced taxation of the use of natural gas for heating purposes as of 1 July 2007.
We have introduced stricter energy demands for new housing and housing rehabilitation, which will reduce the need for heating of new housing with 25 per cent. The housing and construction sector represents as much as 40 per cent of the country’s energy consumption. It is thus an important environment and climate goal, nationally as well as internationally, to reduce this energy consumption.
We have opened up for incorporating the EU quota directive into the EEA Treaty. This will imply that the national quota system for greenhouse gases will become an integral part of the EU quota system, and that around 40 per cent of national carbon dioxide emissions will be quota bound.
In the state budget for 2007 we have earmarked NOK 100 million for state financing of Kyoto Protocol measures to reduce emissions in other countries (purchase of international quotas).
