Forest owners welcome AP’s climate skepticism

Erik Lahnstein, former State Secretary from Norway. BSPC 19 Mariehamn Åland Photo: Johannes Jansson / norden.org, CC BY 2.5 dk

Norwegian forest owners welcome Støre’s climate skepticism

The EU’s proposal for joint implementation of climate commitments will hit Norwegian forestry hard, Norway’s Forestry Federation believes. They are happy about Labour and the Centre Party’s climate skepticism on the matter.

 

– If there are no significant changes in the models currently available, it will be better both for climate and for the ability to develop new industry not to join the EU Joint Implementation Plan, says Erik Lahnstein, Managing Director of Norway’s Forestry Federation.

The Federation organizes forest owners and businesses that account for more than 80 percent of all logging in Norway.

Lahnstein believes that the climate proposal as it is currently presented by the EU will have negative consequences for Norway.

– We will increase greenhouse gas emissions and weaken the possibilities of developing new green industry, says Lahnstein.

Pleased with Labour and Centre Party initiative

Lahnstein points to that there are large amounts of unused renewable resources in Norwegian forests. By taking this into use in place of steel and concrete, and getting started with the production of bioplastics and biofuels, he believes Norwegian forest industry can contribute to several million tons of reduced emissions each year.

According to Lahnstein, the European Commission’s proposal will put an end to this. The proposal is based on the forest coverage as it was in the period from 1990 to 2009. Based on this, one should calculate a so-called reference level for the coming years.

If development stays below this level, you incur an emission debt that you have to make up for.

– We are therefore very pleased that the Labor Party and the Centre Party announce that a possible new Government does not automatically want a common implementation mechanism with the EU, says Lahnstein.

Must be based on misunderstanding

State Secretary Lars Andreas Lunde (Conservatives) in the Ministry of Climate and Environment believes forest owners are wrong and that their concern must be based on a misunderstanding. He points out that the proposal for a regulation for forests is aimed at national authorities and not the individual forest owners.

– The proposal does not impose any restrictions on Norwegian forest policy and therefore has no consequences for Norwegian forest owners, says the State Secretary to NTB.

Lunde points out that the European Commission’s proposals have met resistance among other large forest countries that have the same interests as Norway.

– The Government therefore follows the discussion in the EU with great interest and participates in all relevant forums, he says.

About Erik Lahnstein (Wikipedia)

Erik Lahnstein (born June 23, 1972) is a Norwegian organization man and politician (Centre Party) from Oslo.

He is a cand. mag. From the University of Oslo and the University of Utrecht and a Master of European Science and Technology Studies from the University of Oslo from 1997. He was a consultant and investigator in the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association 1998-2005 as well as the Project Manager in Maritime Development (MARUT) in 2005. In 2014 Lahnstein became CEO of the Norwegian Forestry Association.

Erik Lahnstein is the son of former Minister and County Governor Anne Enger (Centre party).

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today