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RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNY #0064/01 0321644
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011641Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0008
INFO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KTIA ENRG NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY ASSOCIATES WITH COPENHAGEN ACCORD, ANNOUNCES 30 - 40% 
EMISSION TARGET 
 
REF: Oslo 00030 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The GoN announced its support for the Copenhagen 
Accord and presented a 30-40 percent emissions reduction target by 
2020, based on 1990 levels. Minister for Environment and 
Development Erik Solheim will travel to Washington D.C. February 
¶11. End Summary 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) On January 25, the Ministry of Environment formally 
announced the GoN's support of the Copenhagen Accord, confirmed by 
a letter to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 
Minister of Environment and Development Eric Solheim said that "the 
Norwegian Government will do its best to build upon this agreement 
to achieve an ambitious result at the climate change conference in 
Mexico this year." 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) The GoN announced its emission target Friday, January 29, 
requiring a 30-40 percent cut in emissions by 2020, based on 1990 
levels. The GoN had previously pledged to the 30 percent target, 
but appears willing to shift to 40 percent if part of a 
comprehensive and legally binding 2012 agreement involving all 
major emitters. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Media coverage of Norway's association with the Copenhagen 
Accord has generally been positive, and the emission target numbers 
were expected. Norwegian NGO Nature and Youth criticized the 
incentive mechanism in the flexible 30-40 percent target, noting 
that leading the way with a commitment to 40 percent would have 
been more effective than conditioning the final number on the 
participation of other nations. Commentators have also pointed to 
the lack of a clear roadmap for how these ambitious targets would 
be met in a relatively short time. In a widely sourced statement, 
researchers at the Dutch climate group EcoFys said that all 
industrial nations, bar Norway and Japan, have not submitted 
sufficiently high targets. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Minister of Environment and Development Erik Solheim and 
Acting Chief Negotiator Audun Rosland plan to stop in Washington 
D.C. on February 11  en route to Mexico.  Rosland told PolOff 
February 1 that Solheim would like to meet with U.S. Climate Envoy 
Todd Stern and Deputy Climate Envoy Jonathan Pershing while in D.C. 
 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Begin text of Norway's submission to UNFCCC: 
 
 
 
UNFCCC Secretariat 
 
P.O. Box 260124 
 
D-53153 Bonn 
 
Germany 
 
201000101 
 
 
 
The Copenhagen Accord - Norway`s emissions targets 
 
 
 
Norway officially announced its willingness to be associated with 
the Copenhagen Accord in my letter to the UNFCCC Secretariat dated 
¶25. January 2010. 
 
 
 
I hereby submit information on Norway's quantified economy-wide 
emissions targets for 2020 for inclusion in Annex I pursuant to 
paragraph 4 of the Copenhagen Accord. 
 
 
 
The targets are put forward under the understanding that the 
Copenhagen Accord is not a legally binding document, but 
 
OSLO 00000064  002 OF 002 
 
 
constitutes a political platform giving direction for further 
negotiations. Norway will do its utmost to achieve a legally 
binding agreement for emission reduction commitments beyond 2012 
including all major emitters. As part of a global and comprehensive 
agreement for the period beyond 2012 where major emitting Parties 
agree on emission reductions in line with the 2 degrees Celsius 
target, Norway will move to a level of 40 per cent reduction for 
2020 based on 1990 levels. 
 
 
 
The Norwegian pledge on emissions targets was presented in October 
2009 at the meetings of the ad hoc working groups in Bangkok, when 
Norway officially announced its preparedness to increase the 
initial pledge of 30 per cent to 40 per cent, provided that major 
emitting Parties agree on adequate emission reductions in line with 
the 2 degrees Celsius target. Further information related to 
Norway`s limitation and reduction objectives has been made 
available to Parties through the AWG-KP document "Compilation of 
information relating to possible quantified emission limitation and 
reduction objectives as submitted by Parties", informal note by the 
secretariat 8. December 2009. 
 
 
 
An important feature of Norwegian climate change policy is the 
flexible and cost effective Kyoto Protocol approach. The 
continuation of the Kyoto Protocol or its basic elements, in 
particular the availability of flexible mechanisms for compliance 
with emission reduction commitments, as part of a future framework, 
is therefore an underlying premise for Norway`s emissions targets. 
Norway underlines the importance of pursuing various approaches, 
including opportunities to use markets, as stated in paragraph 7 of 
the Copenhagen Accord. 
 
 
 
On this background, and pursuant to paragraph 4 of the Copenhagen 
Accord, Norway submits the following information in the format 
given in Appendix I of the Copenhagen Accord for compilation in an 
INF document: 
 
 
 
Annex I Parties 
 
Quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020 
 
Emissions reduction in 2020: -30 to - 40 % * 
 
Base year: 1990 
 
 
 
* As part of a global and comprehensive agreement for the period 
beyond 2012 where major emitting Parties agree on emission 
reductions in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target, Norway will 
move to a level of 40 % reduction for 2020. 
 
I reconfirm Norway`s commitment to a negotiating process that 
should lead to an agreement that aims to reduce global emissions in 
order to keep the increase in global average temperature below 2 
degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, as recognized by 
the Copenhagen Accord and based on the findings of the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 
 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Erik Solheim 
 
 
 
End text. 
WHITE