An Open Letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg
On the Arctic and Our Common Future.
"The decision to license further oil extraction in the Barents Sea, if executed, gives oil companies access to enormous reserves of oil and gas in the very ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change. Science shows that we must leave these resources in the ground or consign our children and grandchildren to a dismal future on a planet that will become less and less habitable and governable."
Climatologist and Adjunct Professor James Hansen at Columbia University Earth Institute writes this in an open letter to the Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg, published in Huffington Post. He continues:
"As a grandfather, I urge you to consider our common future, giving it more weight than shortsighted extension of your country's dependence on oil. Norway has know-how and technology to become a major economic player in the sustainable low-carbon world of the future. Such a world cannot be attained if Arctic oil reserves are extracted and burned. Leaving Norway's share of these resources untouched is an act of leadership that would resound around the world and in history."
Read more in Huffington Post.