Today’s ESG Updates
- Norway Vows to Drill the Arctic Regardless of EU Objections: Energy Minister Terje Aasland says Norway will keep developing Barents Sea oil and gas no matter what the EU decides.
- Indonesia Opens Airspace to Malaysia for Cloud Seeding as Haze Worsens: Indonesia has granted Malaysian agencies permission to conduct cloud seeding along their shared border, as forest haze forces school closures and air quality reaches unhealthy levels across the region.
- Stockholm Rallies for Climate Action Ahead of September Election: More than 10,000 people, including Greta Thunberg, marched through Stockholm demanding stronger climate policy.
- Europeans Would Rather Cool Down than Cut Emissions: A new poll shows most Europeans now favor promoting air conditioning over cutting carbon emissions.
Norway vows to drill the Arctic regardless of EU objections
Norway is set to continue developing oil and gas in the Barents Sea, regardless of the EU’s support for a moratorium, with Energy Minister Terje Aasland calling the country’s “green battery” branding “a flawed idea.” Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Norway has supplied 30% of EU and UK gas demand, with gas output near record levels and oil production at its highest since 2009. However, with production forecasted to fall sharply after 2030 without new resources, Aasland says Barents Sea development serves “both Norwegian and European interests.”
The EU backs a ban on new Arctic drilling on environmental grounds but is reviewing that position amid energy security concerns. The CEO of Norway’s largest oil company, Equinor, states Barents Sea oil and gas could be exported globally regardless, warning that European security, not Norway’s, “will suffer.” The International Energy Agency has urged Brussels to reconsider its stance, though critics argue new Arctic projects would not ease Europe’s near-term energy pressures.
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Indonesia opens airspace to Malaysia for cloud seeding as haze worsens
Indonesia granted permission for Malaysian agencies to enter its airspace for cloud seeding operations, Malaysia’s environment minister said, as both countries work to combat the haze from forest and land fires spreading across the region. The haze has already forced dozens of school closures this month, hitting Malaysia’s Sarawak state hardest, with six districts recording unhealthy air pollution index (API) readings, along with eight more districts across the Malaysian peninsula. Coordinated with the Indonesian military, cloud seeding schedules for shared border areas are now being prepared.
Malaysia has also offered to help tackle the fires directly, with specific requests awaiting cabinet approval. Ahead of national holidays in the coming weeks, including the Malaysia Day celebrations on September 16, both countries plan to escalate their firefighting and prevention efforts.
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Stockholm rallies for climate action ahead of September election
On Sunday, more than 10,000 people marched through Stockholm demanding stronger climate policy just weeks ahead of Sweden’s general election. Greta Thunberg attended the march organised by youth groups, unions and rights organisations, telling protesters no Swedish party is proposing anything close to what science demands to avoid climate disaster. The protests come as experts have warned that the government’s climate policy is jeopardising the country’s climate goals to cut transport emissions by 70% from 2010 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2045.
A poll by the broadcaster SVT, presented Sweden’s centre-left opposition currently holding a 10% point lead over the ruling right-wing coalition, with climate being voters top concern at 37%. “The climate crisis is very real, and it is here,” said rally co-organiser Beatrice Rindevall.
Europeans would rather cool down than cut emissions, survey finds
Europeans are now more likely to favor the adoption of air conditioning over cutting carbon emissions, a new YouGov survey finds, after four extreme heatwaves led to thousands of excess deaths across the continent. Up to 52% of respondents in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK feared for their household’s health as temperatures climbed to near 40°C. Despite the excessive heat, air conditioning ownership ranges widely from 63% in Italy to just 11% in the UK, with most people blaming cost, rather than climate concern, for going without.
Air conditioning has become a new front in Europe’s culture wars, with far-right parties advocating it and established governments accused of blocking it for environmental protection. As heatwaves intensify, the question is not about whether Europe adapts, instead how much warming that adaptation will cost.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Hubert Neufeld on Unsplash
