MDG sharpens the time frame to phase out of Oil and Gas

MDG, Oil and GasMDG, National Convention, Photo: MDG.no

MDG sharpens the time frame to phase out of Oil and Gas

An overwhelming majority of the delegates at the Environmental Party’s (MDG) congress voted for the Green Youth’s proposal to phase out the Oil and Gas industry in 15 years.

 

It was contrary to the recommendation from the experienced forces of the MDG. Both the program- and central committee wanted to keep the original text, which supports a gradual and systematic phasing out of the oil and gas industry will take place over a period of 20 years.

Younger forces in the party however argued strongly to strengthen this point during the party’s national convention in Lillehammer Friday.

– AUF recently adopted at its national convention that they will phase out in 2035, two years before us. There is nothing to suggest that we should postpone this for five years, said Ivar Arnesen, vice chairman of Green Teens in Oslo.

20 years goal repeated

With the latter, he pointed to that the party wanted to phase out Oil & Gas over a 20-year period before the previous parliamentary elections as well.

Certain other proposals to strengthen points of consumption and production of fossil fuels were however dropped. Among them was the proposal from the minority of the program committee that 10 percent of the cars in the districts should be removed by 2030. As well as the proposal that car traffic in the major cities should be reduced by a third before 2030.

Instead the MDG will commit their resorces to work to reduce car traffic in metropolitan areas with at least 20 percent during the current parliamentary term.

Fighting the barrier limit

MDG, as well as the other so-called ‘Green’ parties are struggling to get over the 4 percent barrier limit. They are relatively stable around the 2.7 percent mark. They also find little support outside metropolitan areas. In sum this means that they will probably retain their one seat in Parliament.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today