No(r)way they're doing that

Welcome back to The Strawman, the daily climate newsletter that’s like the feeling you get after a first date - that’s right baby, we’re giving you butterflies.

Today, we’re looking at Norway - a country known for it’s beautiful natural scenery - if you look closely though, the waters are looking murkier than usual.

Let’s dive in

A balancing act

Rock, hard place. All that needs to be said - Norway’s got a dilemma on it’s hands.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is navigating the choppy waters between advancing the green transition and protecting Mother Nature. Thing is, Mother Nature has a rebellious teen daughter (that’s right, Greta Thunberg’s weighing in).

See, because of it’s location, Norway has access to a bunch of Arctic waters - and hiding underneath all the beautiful blue goodness?

A whole buncha minerals and metals - a tonne of which could be incredibly helpful for batteries, and electronics that we need as part of the green transition.

It’s like buying a new house and finding out the previous owners left a safe in the basement - you gotta open it up to see what’s inside.

The catch? Environmentalists aren't thrilled, warning of potential marine life disruption, not to mention some seriously peeved fish. Støre assures us, though, no mining licenses will be issued until the eco-impacts are better understood. Fair enough, but I don’t think Nemo’s gonna be thrilled we’re digging in his house.

Green colonialism

You can chuck the word green in front of anything these days and make it about the climate. Transitions? Green. Washing? Green. Colonialism? Green.

Wait. What?

That’s right - the push towards green energy isn't all windmills and sunshine, especially when it infringes upon indigenous lands and rights.

This is what's being dubbed as 'green colonialism'. And it's as sinister as it sounds. Imagine having a wind farm sprout up in your backyard, disrupting your way of life, all in the name of 'progress'. This is the predicament facing the Norwegian Sámi community, who are seeing their reindeer-grazing lands being transformed into wind farms. Even Greta Thunberg has stepped in, joining the Sámi in protests against this green colonialism.

It’s a fine balance to tread - and sounds like Norway’s on a tightrope.

Welcome to the circus.

See ya tomorrow,

The Strawman