Norway says its new giant oil field is good for the planet. Critics call it climate hyp... - 0 views
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It's not a boast you usually hear about an oil field: Norway says its huge new facility is great for the environment.
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The oil-rich nation claims the Johan Sverdrup field, which was opened with pomp by the Prime Minister last week, is helping to "reduce emissions" because it is completely powered by renewable energy.
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Its critics, however, see Norway's third-biggest oil field ever as a perfect symbol of the Scandinavian country's climate hypocrisy.
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The field, located around 87 miles off the Norwegian coast, is named after the country's first prime minister. It has reserves of 2.7 billion barrels of oil, enough to last half a century and bring more than $100 billion into Norway's pocket.
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The operation is powered by energy brought from the shore, generated mainly from hydroelectric power
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For Norway, this means that it is not responsible for the emissions caused by the burning of its oil in other places around the world.
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Norway's Minister of Climate and Environment Ola Elvestuen acknowledged that his country will need to change its ways in the future.
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The Johan Sverdrup field operation is scheduled to run until 2070 -- 20 years after global emissions must be zero, according to a pledge signed by Norway's government.
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"An expression often used by the largest parties in Norway is that the person who will 'switch the light off' on (oil production on) the Norwegian shelf has not yet been born," said Paarup Michelsen.