UN Climate Summit 2014

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Co-chairs, Excellences, Ladies and gentlemen, 

The international response to climate change is lagging far behind what is necessary.

The effects of climate change are being felt on all continents. Unmitigated climate change poses great risks to human health, global food security and economic development.

We have no choice but to act now.

The good news is that we have the necessary means at hand. The key message of the New Climate Economy report is that there is considerable overlap between what’s good for the economy and what’s good for the climate.

A technology shift is already taking place. Ten years ago, nobody thought the price of solar energy could ever compete with that of coal.

Transformation will be impossible without the involvement of the private sector. As global leaders, we have to put the right incentives in place. Carbon pricing will be central. Norway was one of the first countries to introduce it, and we have now signed up to the World Bank’s ‘Putting a Price on Carbon’ statement. 

Protecting the remaining tropical forests is essential to stabilise the climate. The New York Declaration on Forests, launched today, is aimed at halting tropical deforestation over the next fifteen years. For this to succeed, we must all play our part. Norway will continue to contribute approximately USD 500 million annually until 2020. Earlier today, we launched forest partnerships with Peru and Liberia.

The Green Climate Fund will be crucial for developing countries in their efforts to move towards a low-emission economy. Norway will provide around USD 33 million to the Fund in 2015. Our total contribution will be announced at the pledging meeting in November.

I encourage the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to mobilize long-term climate finance from public and private sources.

Twenty per cent of the world’s population has no access to electricity. Providing these people with access to sustainable energy is essential for promoting health, education and economic growth.

Norway supports the initiatives that have been launched here today on renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as on short-lived climate pollutants and on climate-smart agriculture.

Paris will be our test. We need a robust agreement. Limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius must be the basis for our efforts. We need an agreement that provides clear guidance and predictability for investors. Returns on low carbon investments should be high.

We have to listen to IPCC. The long-term goal of the agreement should be to reach net zero emissions by 2050. All countries must contribute to this goal. And countries must have the opportunity to contribute in different ways.

Norway will do its part. We will submit our mitigation pledges by the first quarter of 2015. We call on all major actors to do the same to bring the negotiations forward. We must now build the confidence needed to secure an ambitious agreement in Paris.