John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

DIPLOMATICA|diplomatic agendaNorway’s oil explorers move to the High NorthThe strong Norwegian interest inglobal energy affairs stems from thefact that Norway is a major energynation. With just five million people, ourcountry is the world’s second-largestnatural gas exporter, the fifth-largestpetroleum exporter (oil and gas together)and sixth in the world in terms of hydropowerproduction.We provide Europe with 35 per cent ofits gas imports, a significant contributionto European energy security.Our country is among the very few thatare net exporters of energy. Statoil, partlyowned by the Norwegian government, isamong the world’s leaders in deep-wateroffshore oil and gas production, and anotherNorwegian company, Statkraft, isEurope’s largest renewable energy company.The revenues and taxes from oiland gas production are channeled to theGovernment Pension Fund Global, whichis among the largest sovereign wealthfunds in the world, with a value close toUS$550 billion.In addition, Norway runs the world’smost comprehensive petroleum technologyassistance program. “Oil for Development”provides experience and advice tomore than 20 oil and gas countries in thedeveloping world. And Norway is currentlydeveloping renewable energy supportprograms in such countries.FIRST NAME: Else BeritLAST NAME: Eikelandworldwide if weare to stop globalwarming fromescalating. Norway’slong-termsustainable energypolicy laysthe foundationfor a low-carbonpathwayfor our society.This combinestwo responsibilities— todevelop fossilfuelresources in the most sustainableway possible, and to develop renewableenergy sources.Norway will offer some solutions byproducing carbon-neutral energy such ashydro or wind power, and by providingless carbon-intensive solutions (such asrelatively cleaner gas) and carbon captureand storage (CCS) technology. For countriessuch as Canada and Norway, whichCITIZENSHIP: NorwegianPRESENTED CREDENTIALS ASAMBASSADOR: Oct. 2, 2009previous postings: Philippines,San Francisco and London.will depend on fossil fuels for decades, itis essential to decarbonize natural gas andcoal. Co-operation between Canada andNorway, reconfirmed by the recent visitof Norwegian Energy Minister Ola BortenMoe, is crucial in making more advancedCCS technologies to do so economically— in order to bring CCS technologies tomarket.Energy production in the ArcticThe International Energy Agency expectsenergy demand to increase by at least30 percent by 2030, and the Arctic couldbe among the most promising untappedenergy regions in the world. Accordingto estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey,the Arctic may hold as much as 22percent of the world’s remaining oil andgas reserves, though there is, of course,considerable uncertainty attached to thisnumber.To balance environmental and climateconcerns in this framework is a challengefor Arctic nations such as Russia, Norway,Climate change and energy policyEnergy policy cannot be separated fromthe global efforts to combat climatechange. For Norway, this is the overreachingperspective — global warming is amajor global concern for our government.The energy sector is a key to this and webelieve big emission cuts must be takenA Statoil platform in the Troll gas field, off Norway’s west coast.Øyvind Hagen / Statoil.26WINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR