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COP28’s official record claims greater than 97,000 contributors are attending the local weather summit in Dubai in individual.
Certainly one of them is Karen Ellemann, Secretary Normal of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
This weekend she’s going to jet to Dubai for talks about local weather affect from meals manufacturing within the Nordic Pavilion, the place her organisation hosts over 70 occasions through the two week local weather summit.
“We now have honesty in our method in the direction of local weather change – and lots to point out”, she advised EUobserver earlier than departing.
Nordic CO2 emissions have been lowered by 26 % since 1990, in response to her organisation’s current local weather report, titled Nordic Stocktake — Pathways to Local weather Neutrality.
“We now have primarily proven progress on vitality provide and consumption as these have been the main target of plenty of studies, plenty of funding in analysis and growth and many improvements. It is a big Nordic success, due to an insistence on delivering in cooperation,” she says, including that additionally “there are such a lot of different areas the place we have now not acted but”.
“The report exhibits that agriculture is one such space, the place the Nordics can enhance”, Ellemann says. She additionally mentions transport and forestry as industries with room for enchancment.
“These are the issues that aren’t so good. However being trustworthy about that’s good”, she provides.
Meals on the agenda
Her personal local weather awakening began at COP10 in Nagoya, Japan in 2010, which targeted on biodiversity.
“I used to be speaking to biologists and scientists who defined the red-list of threatened species. That significantly began affecting my manner of working within the political subject”, she recollects.
On the time she was Denmark’s minister of atmosphere representing the liberal social gathering, Venstre, which historically defends the pursuits of farmers and fishermen.
“My very own meals consumption has positively modified. I have not develop into one hundred pc vegetarian, however my consumption of meat and particularly processed meat has plummeted”, she says.
Earlier this 12 months, the sixth replace of the Nordic Diet Suggestions (NNR) was printed, recommending to eat much less meat for the sake of well being and atmosphere.
“To minimise environmental affect, meat consumption needs to be changed by elevated consumption of plant meals, akin to legumes and fish from sustainably managed shares,” the 391-page scientific report advises.
The suggestions kind the idea of the Nordic and Baltic state’s dietary recommendation for colleges, hospitals and aged care. It’s as much as the person Nordic governments implement — or ignore — the recommendation, however the suggestions are usually broadly carried out.
“That is additionally why I’m travelling to Dubai, the place we have now meals on the agenda this weekend. The Nordic diet suggestions should not solely affecting Nordic kitchens, however hopefully the entire world”, Ellemann says.
“One factor that I’m not as happy with is my carbon footprint from travelling. I’m head of a global organisation and conferences should not carried out on-line on a regular basis. This 12 months Iceland has the presidency [of the Nordic Council of ministers] so I journey backwards and forwards to Reykjavik two or thrice per thirty days. That is a heavy footprint”, Ellemann says.
However different issues have modified within the Nordic headquarter within the centre of Copenhagen.
“After we organise a convention or occasion, we arrange targets and demand eco-labelled or swan-labelled companies as a better customary. So sure, we’re altering however we aren’t there but. However change additionally begins with consciousness, reflection and dialogue,” Ellemann says.
Cooling enterprise
Whereas the Nordic space has targeted on saving vitality in heating properties, many different components of the world face the other downside and want cooling.
The World Cooling Watch report launched in Dubai on 5 December, exhibiting demand for cooling is heading in the right direction to triple by 2050.
It will lead emissions from cooling to surge to six.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide equal (CO2e) in 2050, equal to greater than 10 % of worldwide projected emissions that 12 months.
This fast enhance in cooling will pressure energy grids in lots of international locations, presenting a serious hurdle to the continued transition from fossil fuels to renewable vitality sources, in response to the report. It is going to nonetheless additionally present enterprise alternatives.
The cooling report has Nordic fingerprints throughout, stating that monetary help got here from the Danish Worldwide Improvement Company (DANIDA), CONCITO, a Danish suppose tank, and the Clear Cooling Collaborative. It additionally incorporates trade voices, akin to from the Danish refrigeration multinational Danfoss.
“Danfoss has the potential, the information, and the power to be on the scene. I would not say it’s only a Nordic model, however we’re all the time very eager on having shut cooperation with the companies, with the analysis, science and the political stage. Enterprise is admittedly serving to drive the agenda right here and Danfoss is a lovely instance of that”, Ellemann commented.
Nordic paper tiger
When Karen Ellemann was appointed secretary normal of the Nordic cooperation in 2022, the media rapidly plucked a 10-year outdated newspaper op-ed from their archives.
Within the article Ellemann proposed to shut the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers and bid farewell to the Nordic “paper tiger primary”.
“The full worth for the 2 Nordic espresso golf equipment is slightly below 1 billion krone. That is a variety of tax-krone”, she wrote in Berlingske Tidende on 25 October 2013.
How does she see issues at present, heading up the identical organisation that she as soon as proposed to close down?
“Once they determined to supply me this place, the ministers of Nordic cooperation naturally knew about my place again then. Learn intently, my article praised Nordic cooperation as too vital to simply accept an excessive amount of shifting of papers — the numerous suggestions shifting backwards and forwards between the Nordic council’s parliamentarians and the Nordic council of ministers.”
“I’m not heading a gathering machine right here. I’m accountable for a suppose tank. A suppose tank that may ship political ideas to our governments to make sure that we’re delivering the very best accessible information and the very best ideas on mainly all political issues, whether or not it’s atmosphere, gender equality, training, tradition or different societal points”.
“I nonetheless suppose you must train the Nordic muscle and never drown it in paper processes”.
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