Norway highlights green transition expertise at Shanghai Climate Week

Norway can offer Shanghai valuable experiences in green energy and sustainable development, particularly in the maritime sector and carbon capture and storage, according to Tobias Svenningsen, consul general of Norway in Shanghai.

Svenningsen made the remarks on April 21 during the opening ceremony of Shanghai Climate Week 2025 held at the Shanghai Expo Culture Park in Pudong New Area, Shanghai.

The event, themed "Climate Community: Spring", brought together over 100 representatives from government, academia, business, and international organizations to discuss climate change solutions and sustainable development.

According to Svenningsen, Norway's industrial development has been rooted in hydropower, granting it extensive experience in electrifying its economy. He emphasized Norway's pioneering role in hydrogen and ammonia production, crucial for the green transition.

"Norway has a lot to offer," he said, highlighting opportunities for collaboration in greening inland water transport, given Norway's advanced work in this area compared with China.

Svenningsen also noted Norway's significant investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. He explained that Norway's offshore oil and gas industry provides unique reservoirs for long-term carbon storage. Norwegian companies are developing business models to transport carbon dioxide from European industries to the North Sea for underground storage.

"The climate panel of the United Nations has concluded that we will not achieve our Paris goals without CCS," Svenningsen said, stressing the necessity of CCS for industries where decarbonization is challenging.

Commending Shanghai's rapid progress in green initiatives, such as the metro system and electric vehicles, Svenningsen highlighted the pivotal role of cities in reducing carbon emissions. "Shanghai, as a global megacity, is really in the seat to provide concrete results and solutions that can help other cities," he said.

Svenningsen pointed to the friendship city relationship between Shanghai and Oslo and the recent memorandum of understanding signed between Norway and China on the green transition and oceans cooperation as springboards for collaboration.

He identified the maritime sector as a particularly promising area, noting that most Norwegian ships are built in China. "Industrial cooperation between Norwegian and Chinese companies here in the shipbuilding industry can actually accelerate the green transition, and this is beneficial not only for Norway and China and our businesses but also globally," he added.

To further enhance Shanghai's green and sustainable development, Svenningsen recommended establishing clear, long-term frameworks to incentivize the private sector and the public. He emphasized the importance of making climate-friendly alternatives better and cheaper. Svenningsen also lauded the carbon quota system based in Shanghai, a collaborative effort between Norway and China.

Luo Bin contributed to this story.