Document 3:15 (2023−2024) / Published 11.06.2024 The authorities’ governance and coordination to achieve the climate targets adopted by the Parliament

Overall assessment: Objectionable

• There has been an awareness of climate problems for years and Norway is facing a comprehensive societal transformation. It is objectionable that the responsible government ministries have not established governance and coordination adapted to one of the greatest cross-sectoral societal challenges of our time.
• It is unsatisfactory that the emission projections in the annual reporting fail to clearly show the extent of the uncertainty. Inadequate information regarding uncertainty weakens the basis for decision making when the Storting and the Government are to assess the need for changes in
  the use of policy instruments.

Conclusions

• Much work remains in developing measures to achieve the climate targets.
• The climate targets are vaguely specified and worded in a non-binding manner in the governance of the individual government ministries.
• A system for improved governance and coordination has been established, but the actual coordination is inadequate.
• It is uncertain to what extent it will be possible to purchase emission reduction units, forest absorption credits, and carbon credits abroad to attain Norway’s climate targets.
• The reporting does not provide sufficient information on progress and how Norway will achieve the climate targets.

Recommendations

The National Audit Office of Norway recommends that:

• The Ministry of Climate and Environment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and Ministry of Transport
  • strengthen the coordination between the government ministries so that the further development of measures and policy instruments becomes effective
  • ensure the necessary progress and direction in climate policy by further specifying and highlighting the planned progress in the work to develop and implement relevant measures in The Government’s Climate Status and Plan
    
    
• The Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Transport specify how the various sectors will contribute to achieving the climate targets, e.g., by providing clearer instructions to subordinate agencies and assessing the need for sector-specific strategies.
  
  
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment increasingly highlights the choices and uncertainties surrounding the opportunities to purchase allowances through the Paris Agreement and emission reduction units and forest absorption credits through the climate agreement with the EU
  
  
• The Ministry of Finance highlights uncertainties in emission projections in line with UN guidelines, in order for the Government and the Storting to have a better basis for assessing the status and progress of climate policy