Posted on 12/17/2007 12:39:47 PM PST by gridlock
Just as Norwegian delegates to the UN's conference on climate change started heading home from Bali, came news that Norway's own carbon emissions rose 80 percent from 1990 to 2004. Statoil's refinery at Mongstad is the biggest contributor.
Environmental group Zero has made a list of the 25 largest generators of emissions in Norway. Not surprisingly, the country's oil and gas industry figures heavily on the list.
The Mongstad refinery on Norway's west coast spews out the most carbon, followed by the new gas power plant Naturkraft at Kårstø in Rogaland County.
Then comes the Statfjord oil platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, now operated by StatoilHydro. Gassco's gas terminal is in fourth place.
The first non-oil offender landed in 10th place, the Norcem Brevik cement plant at Grenland on the coast of Telemark County. Yara's fertilizer plant at Porsgrunn was 12th and Hydro's aluminium plants at Sunndalsøra and Karmøy in 14th and 15th place respectively.
Erik Solheim, the government minister in charge of environmental issues who was in Bali last week, admits that Norway's own high level of emissions is "embarrassing." That's why the government plans to donate NOK 15 billion (nearly USD 3 billion) over the next five years to help preserve the world's rain forests. That's viewed as an efficient way of offsetting carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, some politicians found themselves in embarrassing spots as well. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg had to admit to newspaper Dagsavisen that he still uses an old-fashioned and emission-generating oil heater in his home, even though his own government is strongly encouraging Norwegian households to replace such heating systems.
"We'll see, we haven't made any decisions yet," Stoltenberg said, when asked why he hasn't replaced the oil heater. "I don't really want to say any more about it."
Meanwhile, the excoriate the United States...
Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 7,075.6 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2006, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the 2005 level according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2006, a report released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of 0.9 percent. The 2006 emissions decrease is only the third decline in annual emissions since 1990.
Is there any other industrialized nation that has had recent declines in CO2 emissions, other than the members of the former Eastern Bloc, who have failed their way to success?
Looks as if the silly Norveegians will have to shut down their refinery and quit driving cars, eh ?
Nobody is going to bother to break the Norweigians’ chops over greenhouse gases. They will just be assumed to be green. Meanwhile, the US could slash emissions, and still be beat up on by the entire World.
Which should give you a clue that it is not about greenhouse gases, after all.
Please turn off the Statoil refinery until further notice. Citizens shall use horse and mule power and travel by sled, skis and bicycles. Oh, walking is acceptable as long as you make your own boots.
The irony of all of this and Kyoto is that the United States has had a smaller increase in carbon emissions than those who agreed to Kyoto, and our economy has grown more than theirs!
And as long as you don't exhale. :=)
I believe that France did pretty well, but Germany and Italy are going to pay large fines.
Industrial efficiency, including energy conservation, is tied to profit. Efficiency is a constant process in the U.S. despite Kyoto.
The U.S. also has vast carbon sinks in its forests, grazing lands and farm acreage for which it gets no credit. Meanwhile much of the Third World are destroying their forests through logging and slash-and-burn agriculture with no system of reforestation.
Yes, but they feel so much better about themselves...
After the UN gets their pass-thru cut approximately $100,000 should be left to benefit the rain forrests.
I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today -- Wimpy
Oil for Food II
Why don’t they just sink the $3 Billion into making their own processes more efficient?
And sanctimony is by far the most profitable of the three...
I'm sure theirs have skyrocketed since about 2000 or so but will probably never be as dirty as it was under communism.
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