Speech: Ministerial meeting, ADP

Honorable ministers, ladies and gentlemen,

The IPCC has told us that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are the highest in at least 800 000 years.

Global temperatures are increasing. Sea level is rising.

The consequences can be devastating for all of us.

There will be more heatwaves, drought and flood. Some livelihoods will face lack of water, reduced production of food, and extreme weather events. The poor will be hardest hit.

But the IPCC tells us that we can reduce this risk.

We can adapt to climate change, increase adaptive capacities and build resilience.

But more importantly, we can slow down climate change by limiting global emissions.

We need to approach zero net emissions by the middle of the century.

This is very ambitious. We all have to contribute, to the best of our abilities.

I want to mention three ways of meeting this goal:

 We should complete what we have already decided, we should deliver more action in the near term and we should deliver an ambitious climate agreement in Paris next year.

Under the Cancún agreement,  99 countries have agreed to implement emission reduction targets and actions by 2020.

Making sure that all these pledges will be implemented is an important signal.  It builds trust. It shows that the targets for 2020 are only a first step.

But we must also deliver more climate action before the agreement takes effect in 2020.  More countries should set climate targets for 2020.

But we can also do more together:

We need increased efforts on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Reducing emissions of HFCs is cost effective. The technological options are there, and there is a willingness to support action.

This is an opportunity that should not be missed.

REDD+ is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to close the emissions gap.  An ambitious partnership between governments and the private sector is needed. Scaling up results-based finance for REDD+ before 2020 will be necessary.

But most important: We must deliver an ambitious and forward-looking climate agreement in Paris next year.

We all want an ambitious and effective climate agreement in Paris.

It should be guided by the two degree target.

It should be a durable agreement. It should build on green growth and climate resilience. The agreement must be both ambitious and fair.

To be ambitious, every country should be on board.

To be fair, we must take into account that countries are different.

We can all contribute, but in different ways.

It will also be different how much support we need from others.

Low emission development is the key to get high ambitions in each of our countries. Flexible mechanisms are an important tool to achieve higher ambitions. We should include this tool in the new agreement.

We have started preparations in Norway, for our contribution to the 2015 agreement.

Norway will develop a carbon budget type commitment. I believe this is the right response to the climate problem.  It is about limiting the total emissions.

Our long term goal is that Norway should be a low emission society in 2050.

I want an agreement that has a minimum level of common standards and rules.

We need predictability. We need to be able to compare. This builds trust and domestic support for ambitious climate policies.

It is possible to meet the climate challenge and put the world on a safe path. This requires clear focus and a strong will.

We have a window of opportunity from now on and until Paris.

Let us use it well!

Thank you!