Economy Minister Jan Christian Vestre wants to invest more in the energy transition. But right-wing extremist political movements that deny climate change are emerging across Europe.
“If the climate action we're taking is too far removed from people's everyday lives, if they're worried about their future and that they won't be able to pay their bills or have a secure job, then that's a huge problem we have to solve,” says Vestre. Norway stepped in when the war in Ukraine threatened massive supply bottlenecks and supplied Germany with oil and gas. The country is currently creating gigantic battery production virtually out of nowhere. Most of it happens in our own country; in the medium term we want to be more independent from China, which is still the world export champion in this area. Now the focus is on offshore facilities off the coast and hydrogen technology and batteries now, said Vestre, in an interview with CNN's John Defterios in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday.