Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hefty Carbon Tax Raised Norway's Emissions

Greenhouse gases up 15% despite system aimed to curb them

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 30, 2008 4:07 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – In 1991, Norway enacted a punishing carbon tax, but things haven’t turned out quite as expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. Greenhouse-gas emissions have actually risen 15%, and industries deemed vital to the nation’s economy or image were spared the tax or given sweet deals. Though the oil and gas industry has become more eco-friendly, Norwegians are driving more than ever.

Norway puts a positive spin on the admitted failure of the tax. The country has seen unprecedented economic growth since 1990, with GDP up 70%. And the government receives almost a third of its funding from taxes on petrodollars. But in a rural nation, even with gas prices around $10 a gallon, there are more cars on the road than ever.

The loading buoy foreground with the Statfjord A platform behind.
The loading buoy foreground with the Statfjord A platform behind.   (AP Photo)
Norway's Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen signs on to the EU's cap and trade plan, in 2007.
Norway's Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen signs on to the EU's cap and trade plan, in 2007.   (AP Photo)
A tanker taking on oil from a loading bay at the Statfjord A-platform, background, in the North Sea.
A tanker taking on oil from a loading bay at the Statfjord A-platform, background, in the North Sea.   (AP Photo)
A floating oil production, storage and offloading unit -- shown under construction -- that can process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day and store 300,000 barrels.
A floating oil production, storage and offloading unit -- shown under construction -- that can process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day and store 300,000 barrels.   (AP Photo)
The Statfjord A-platform in the North Sea.
The Statfjord A-platform in the North Sea.   (AP Photo)
Nobel Peace Prize Center in Oslo, on Thursday Dec, 6, 2007, next to Oslo town Hall where the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laurates Al Gore and Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, are representing the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) and will receive the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10., the...
Nobel Peace Prize Center in Oslo, on Thursday Dec, 6, 2007, next to Oslo town Hall where the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laurates Al Gore and Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, are representing the Intergovermental...   (AP Photo)
Citadelle d'Akershus
Citadelle d'Akershus   ((c) Jérémy Couture)
Greenhouse gas emissions are up 15% since Norway implemented a cap-and-trade system aimed at taxing them lower.
Greenhouse gas emissions are up 15% since Norway implemented a cap-and-trade system aimed at taxing them lower.   ((c) Jérémy Couture)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Could politics be to blame?
Wall Street Journal

Tiny Norway responsible for a third of world's offshore polluting
Scandinavian Oil Gas Magazine

On the efficacy of a carbon tax
New York Times

World • Green • Money

 
environment • greenhouse gases • cap and trade • European Union • Norway • petrodollar • carbon emissions

More Newser Stories

Greenhouse Gases Surging: US Report

California OKs Cap-and-Trade

London Ditches Carbon Offsets for 2012 Olympics

2010 Saw Shock Rise in Carbon Emissions

'Earth Hour' Is a Joke
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne