Table Of Content«
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Performance Reviews Environmental
NORWAY
Performance
Topics covered: Latestreviews available Reviews
Environmental Policies • Mexico 1998
Water and Waste Management • Australia 1998
Nature Conservation and Biodiversity • Switzerland 1998
Economy, Society and Environment • Belgium 1998 NORWAY
Energy, International Co-operation • Czech Republic 1999
• Denmark 1999
• Russian Federation* 1999
This book is part of the OECD Environmental • Turkey 1999
E
Performance Reviews Programme which • Hungary 2000 n ENVIRONMENT
conducts peer reviews of environmental • Greece 2000 vi
r
conditions and progress in each Member • Ireland 2000 o
n
country. It scrutinises efforts to meet both • Luxembourg 2000 m
domestic objectives and international • OECD countries 2001 e
n
commitments. The analyses presented • Germany 2001 t
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are supported by a broad range of • Iceland 2001 l
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economic and environmental data and lead to • Norway 2001 e
recommendations for further environmental • Portugal 2001 rf
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and sustainable development progress.
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* Non-OECDMember Country m
A first cycle of Environmental Performance a
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Reviews, covering all Member countries, was c
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completed in 2000.
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Environmental
Performance
Reviews
NORWAY
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960,
and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed:
– to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a
rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial
stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy;
– to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member
countries in the process of economic development; and
– to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-
discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.
The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United
Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members
subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan
(28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New
Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic
(21stDecember1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22ndNovember1996),
Korea (12th December 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14th December2000). The
Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD
(Article 13 of the OECD Convention).
Publié en français sous le titre :
EXAMENS DES PERFORMANCES ENVIRONNEMENTALES
NORVÈGE
© OECD 2001
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Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway 3
FOREWORD
The principal aim of the OECD’s Environmental Performance Reviews is to help
Member countries improve their individual and collective performances in environ-
mental management. The primary goals for this programme are:
– to help individual governments assess progress;
– to promote a continuous policy dialogue among Member countries, through a
peer review process; and
– to stimulate greater accountability from Member countries’ governments
towards their public opinion, within developed countries and beyond.
Environmental performance is assessed with regard to the degree of achievement
of domestic objectives and international commitments. Such objectives and commit-
ments may be broad aims, specific qualitative goals, precise quantitative targets or a
commitment to a set of measures to be taken. Assessment of environmental perfor-
mance is also placed within the context of historical environmental records, the
present state of the environment, the physical endowment of the country in natural
resources, its economic conditions and demographic trends.
These systematic and independent reviews have been conducted for all Member
countries as part of the first cycle of reviews. The OECD is now engaged in the
second cycle of reviews directed at promoting sustainable development, with
emphasis on implementation of domestic and international environmental policy, as
well as on the integration of economic, social and environmental decision-making.
The report was peer-reviewed by the Working Party on Environmental
Performance (Paris, July2001). The conclusions and recommendations of the report
are approved by the Working Party.
Joke Waller-Hunter
Director, Environment Directorate
© OECD 2001
Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway 5
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
This review of Norway’s environmental performance examines results in the
light of domestic objectives and international commitments. Three countries assisted
particularly with this review: Canada, Denmark and Italy.
The report is organised in three parts:
– PartI is entitled: “Environmental Management” and focuses on implementing
environmental policies, water and waste management, as well as nature
conservation and biodiversity;
– PartII is entitled: “Sustainable Development” and focuses on the environ-
mental and economic interface, environmental-social integration, and energy
and environment;
– PartIII is entitled: “International Commitments” and focuses on international
co-operation.
The OECD extends its most sincere thanks to all those who helped in the course
of this review, to the representatives of Member countries to the Working Party on
Environmental Performance, and especially to the examining countries (Canada,
Denmark and Italy) and their experts. The OECD is particularly indebted to the
Government of Norway for its co-operation in expediting the provision of infor-
mation and the organisation of the experts’ mission to Norway, and in facilitating
contacts with many individuals both inside and outside administrative and govern-
mental structures of the country.
The OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance conducted the review
at its meeting on 2-4July2001 and approved its conclusions and recommendations.
This report is published under the authority of the Secretary-General of the OECD.
© OECD 2001
Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................. 19
1. Environmental Management........................................................................ 20
Increasing the effectiveness of environmental policies................................ 20
Water............................................................................................................ 21
Waste............................................................................................................ 22
Nature and biodiversity................................................................................ 23
2. Towards Sustainable Development.............................................................. 25
Integrating environmental concerns in economic and sectoral policies....... 25
Integrating social concerns into environmental policies.............................. 26
Sectoral integration: energy.......................................................................... 27
3. International Commitments.......................................................................... 28
Part I
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
1. IMPLEMENTING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES................................. 33
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 34
1.1 Institutional and legal framework....................................................... 34
1.2 Regulatory instruments....................................................................... 34
1.3 Economic instruments........................................................................ 37
1.4 Other instruments............................................................................... 38
1.5 Overall environmental policy............................................................. 40
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 41
2.1 Roles and activities of local authorities.............................................. 41
2.2 Environmental taxes and subsidies..................................................... 42
2.3 Land-use planning.............................................................................. 45
2. WATER MANAGEMENT............................................................................. 47
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 48
1.1 Policy objectives in the1990s............................................................ 48
1.2 Trends in the use of water resources................................................... 48
1.3 Trends in water quality....................................................................... 50
1.4 Pressures on water quality from agriculture and aquaculture............. 51
1.5 Pressures on water quality from municipal waste water.................... 54
1.6 Pressures on water quality from industry........................................... 55
© OECD 2001
8 Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 56
2.1 Economics of waste water collection and treatment.......................... 56
2.2 Combating acidification..................................................................... 58
2.3 Aquaculture........................................................................................ 60
3. WASTE MANAGEMENT.............................................................................. 61
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 61
1.1 Objectives and institutional framework.............................................. 61
1.2 Waste generation trends...................................................................... 63
1.3 Management of municipal waste........................................................ 65
1.4 Management of non-municipal waste................................................. 68
1.5 Remediation of contaminated sites..................................................... 70
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 70
2.1 Policy instruments for decoupling waste generation from GDP........ 70
2.2 High recovery targets –measures to achieve them............................ 71
2.3 Legislation on scrapping of electrical and electronic products.......... 73
4. NATURE CONSERVATION ANDBIODIVERSITY................................. 75
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 76
1.1 Objectives and institutional framework.............................................. 76
1.2 Protected areas.................................................................................... 78
1.3 Biodiversity........................................................................................ 79
1.4 Conserving nature outside protected areas......................................... 80
1.5 Protecting watercourses...................................................................... 84
1.6 International agreements..................................................................... 86
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 86
2.1 Protecting large predators................................................................... 86
2.2 Protecting Atlantic salmon................................................................. 87
2.3 Sustainable forestry............................................................................ 88
Part II
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
5. ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC INTERFACE............................. 93
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 94
1.1 Decoupling of economic growth and environmental trends............... 94
1.2 Institutional integration...................................................................... 97
1.3 Market-based integration.................................................................... 101
1.4 Environmental expenditure and financing.......................................... 104
© OECD 2001
Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway 9
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 106
2.1 Economic context............................................................................... 106
2.2 Sectoral environmental integration..................................................... 108
2.3 High-level commissions: reports and modelling................................ 111
6. ENVIRONMENTAL-SOCIAL INTEGRATION........................................ 113
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 114
1.1 Environmental justice and distribution............................................... 114
1.2 Environmental employment............................................................... 118
1.3 Environmental democracy.................................................................. 119
1.4 Environmental education and awareness............................................ 122
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 124
2.1 Social context..................................................................................... 124
2.2 The Petroleum Fund........................................................................... 126
2.3 Outdoor recreation and access to nature............................................. 126
2.4 The Norwegian Environmental Education Network.......................... 127
7. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT................................................................. 129
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 130
1.1 Institutional framework and objectives.............................................. 130
1.2 Greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.............................. 130
1.3 Managing the environmental impacts of energy production.............. 134
1.4 Managing the environmental impacts of energy use.......................... 137
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 140
2.1 Trends in atmospheric emissions from energy production and use.... 140
2.2 Key energy trends............................................................................... 142
2.3 Economic signals: energy pricing and taxation.................................. 145
2.4 The national debate on natural gas-fired power plants....................... 148
Part III
INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS
8. INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION........................................................ 153
1. Evaluation of Performance........................................................................... 154
1.1 Climate change................................................................................... 154
1.2 Transboundary air pollution............................................................... 158
1.3 Marine environment........................................................................... 161
1.4 Management of living marine resources............................................ 167
1.5 Environmental development aid......................................................... 171
1.6 Bilateral and regional co-operation.................................................... 172
1.7 Other global issues............................................................................. 174
© OECD 2001
10 Environmental Performance Reviews: Norway
2. Focus on Selected Topics............................................................................. 175
2.1 Environmental impacts of offshore activities..................................... 175
2.2 Sustainable consumption of the minke whale.................................... 177
ANNEXES
I.A Selected environmental data........................................................................... 180
I.B Selected economic data.................................................................................. 182
I.C Selected social data........................................................................................ 184
II.A Selected multilateral agreements (worldwide)............................................... 186
II.B Selected multilateral agreements (regional)................................................... 192
III. Selected environmental events (1993-2000).................................................. 197
IV. The physical context....................................................................................... 201
© OECD 2001
