Department for Climate Change

The department consists of the following sections

• Department Secretariat

  The Department Secretariat is responsible for the Department for Climate Change's work on the national budget, financial management, grant management, reporting, closing of accounts in connection with the central government accounts, personnel management, and activity planning. The section also contributes to the management of the Norwegian Environment Agency and the maintenance and further development of management work. It also provides leadership support and coordinates many administrative matters on behalf of the Department for Climate Change.

• Section for Climate Governance

  The section is responsible for coordinating national climate policies, such as the work to reach climate targets and the reporting under the Norwegian Climate Act. The coordination of the Government’s annual Climate Status and Plan and the governance system is located in this section. The responsibility for most measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is however divided between several sections in the Ministry and in other ministries. The Section for Climate Governance is also responsible for the Ministry’s work with the EU Emissions Trading System and coordinates work on the EU’s climate regulations (‘Fit for 55’ package) and cooperation with the EU to fulfil Norwegian climate targets for 2030 under the Paris Agreement. The section has the responsibility for fluorinated greenhouse gases (f-gases). The section also coordinates the knowledge base for the development of climate policies. The section is also responsible for the Norwegian CO2 compensation scheme and emission reductions in the petroleum and onshore industry sectors.

• Section for International Climate Cooperation

  Areas of responsibility include the Norwegian Global Emission Reduction Initiative, and the development of international market mechanisms for climate cooperation, bilateral climate and environmental cooperation with China, India and South Africa, flexibility mechanisms under the EU climate framework, climate finance and short-lived climate forcers.

• Section for Carbon Storage and Bioressources

  The section works on climate-related issues concerning bioresources, agriculture, forestry, land use, and buildings. We are responsible for the biofuel sales obligations, the EUs sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions-saving criteria for renewable fuels, as well as assessment and implementation of the EU climate framework for the land use, land use change, and forestry sector (LULUCF). In addition, we manage the ban on the use of fossil oil for heating in buildings and are responsible for implementing a ban on gas for heating in buildings and a ban on peatland conversion. The section also coordinates the department's work on climate knowledge, including the assessment of reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We collaborate with other ministries in several areas. Our responsibilities include work on CO₂ capture and storage in the Langskip and Northern Lights projects. We also follow up on the climate agreement with the agricultural sector, which aims to reduce emissions by five million tonnes by 2030. Furthermore, we work on measures and instruments to increase carbon sequestration and reduce emissions in the LULUCF sector. In the building sector, we participate in the climate partnership and the development of climate and energy requirements in the building code.

• Section for Transport and Climate Adaptation

  The section works on various measures and instruments to help reduce emissions and contribute to the green transition of the transport sector (road traffic and aviation), including increased use of environmentally friendly means of transport and cleaner vehicles, infrastructure issues, construction sites and non-road machinery etc. The section is also responsible for implementing the new emissions trading system, ETS2. It also has overall responsibility for national policies and regulatory developments in the field of local air quality, climate work in the municipalities and considers objections under the Planning and Building Act in the areas of climate and local air quality. The section is responsible for coordinating Norway’s work on climate adaptation and has agency management responsibility for the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET).