Speech at seminar on energy management and efficiency, climate challenges and related technologies

Excellencies, Madame Chair, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to visit this great country. It is with deep respect, admiration and humility that we have come here to see what China has achieved in recent years.  We are impressed with the social and economic progress that is the hallmark of China today. 

Our delegation of ministers, officials, companies, and social partners testifies to the importance that Norway attaches to its relations with China.

I am confident that China will only continue to grow and prosper. And the direction that this development takes is going to affect the rest of the world profoundly.

Every single individual.

Every job market.

Every stock market

and every country’s trade balance will be affected in some way.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese are joining the work force of a shared, globalised economy.

And several hundred million people are being lifted out of poverty. This is the single most important contribution to global welfare and prosperity in our lifetime, and probably in all of history.

Many sectors in western countries feel challenged by China’s new and competitive industries. True, there are those who are negatively affected. But the overall positive results for development, poverty alleviation and well-being are tremendous.

In only a few decades China will achieve what it took the western world centuries to accomplish. When we turn the page to the next Century, China may well be in the lead.

What China does, changes the world.

The technology choices, political choices and social choices that China makes will have a substantial impact on human progress.

We Norwegians are among the greatest beneficiaries of the new ascent of China.

We experience a “double China effect”.

Chinese demand drives up the prices for our exports, not least of oil.

And China’s supply of high quality consumer goods lower the prices of our imports.

We are relatively few in number, and located a long flight - and a substantial jet lag – to the west.

However, Norway and China face the same fundamental global challenges: The world needs economic development to lift millions out of poverty. And we must address the threat of climate change.

Energy is essential to economic development. But not at expense of the environment.

I believe it is possible to have both. Technology is the key.

We have done it before. Technology has helped us save the threatened ozone layer.

Emissions of heavy metals and toxins from industry have been reduced to virtually zero in Norway and in many other countries At the same time we have increased productivity.

Substantial gains can be made in public health by reducing pollution. An investment in new and clean energy and water will offer high returns in the form of human well-being.

China has set ambitious targets to cover even more of its energy needs by renewable resources and through energy efficiency.  This is where Norwegian industries could make a significant contribution.

Norway has developed perhaps the most environmentally benign energy technology in the world.

Today’s seminar is all about finding win-win solutions to these problems.

Or as you say in Chinese, Suang-yin – you gain, I gain, we both gain.

We have come to offer the people of China our renewed friendship and a long-term partnership.

We are well placed to work with China in the fields of energy, environmental technology, maritime transport, fisheries and services. We are among the leading countries in the world in all these fields. We offer tested technology, trust, predictability and transparency.

Norway is now embarking on a major new initiative to develop groundbreaking technologies to capture CO2 from gas-fired power plants. In the future this technology could be applied to coal-fired power plants in China as well. Norway wishes to contribute to making this technology a commercially viable and attractive option.

 

The Report from the United Nations Panel on Climate Change leaves no doubt that global warming is taking place. We have to prepare for more extreme weather, such as drought, floods, heat waves and storms.

People living in low-lying, coastal areas will see and feel the rising tide and there is no sign that it will ebb.

Climate change is expected to severely affect poor people.

The United Nations climate change system allows developed countries to meet their emission targets in different ways, for example by combining emission reductions at home with financing reductions in other countries.

The effect on the global climate would ultimately be more favourable, at a significantly lower cost, than if every country had to finance all reductions at home.

The developed world has a major responsibility for emissions leading to climate change. We also have responsibility to take the necessary steps for reducing emissions, both at home and in the developing countries.

The Norwegian government has recently introduced a quota system that forces our CO2-emitting industries to either reduce their own emissions, or to buy quotas – many of them abroad.

This is a major incentive for direct foreign investment, and transfer of technology.

The winners are the countries and the commercial partners. But also indeed the earth, the atmosphere, and all of us who depend on it.

I believe there is great potential for cooperation between Norway and China in this area. 

China has the potential to be home to half the global market for such investments.

It is a suang-yin situation. A win-win-situation.

This is why I will propose to Prime Minister Wen that we initiate an agreement between our two governments on the development of projects in this field. A partnership within the framework of the UN Clean Development Mechanism would benefit us all. 

Today’s seminar is a step towards such a partnership.

In closing, I wish you all a successful seminar and a productive collaboration.

Thank you.