The Left and Right Drop Nordic Engagement at COP

Centre Group: “The Right and Left Are Silencing the Nordic Voice”

Almost all parties in the Nordic Council voted against sending a Nordic Council representative to the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. The Centre Group expressed strong dissatisfaction, calling it a surrender of the Nordic voice in global climate efforts.

At the committee meeting in Oslo, the Centre Group was the only party group that believed the Nordic Council should participate in the climate summit in Belém. In recent years, the Nordic region has had its own pavilion at COP, where parliamentarians have been able to debate how some of the world’s wealthiest and most prosperous countries have reduced emissions while maintaining economic growth—alongside representatives from other parts of the world. This exceptional opportunity for political dialogue and leadership must be preserved, says Ola Elvestuen from Norway, former Minister of Climate and Environment and now Vice Chair of the committee from the Centre Group.

– The world is at a crossroads, and several major powers seem to have lost interest in a multilateral, rules-based global order. Nordic participation and leadership are needed at the climate conference.

Elvestuen believes the Nordic region can advance the climate debate:

– There is tremendous added value in the Nordic Council organizing debates during the conferences and supporting global networks in ways that national delegations cannot. Now it seems we are letting that debate fall silent.

Halla Hrund Logadóttir from Iceland, also a member of the Committee for a Sustainable Nordic Region, argues that COP climate conferences are equally important and that practical challenges should not be a reason to abstain from participation when others are attending.

– The Nordic region has a special role in the world. Our Arctic areas are warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. We also have unique technical expertise and can both teach and contribute in many ways. The Nordic Council should be committed to consistently participating in COP climate conferences, regardless of location. Energy supply, efficiency, and security are high on the agenda in our countries right now, and we in the Nordic region should be part of the global shift toward a greener future.

The Nordic Council had previously decided to participate in climate negotiations in both 2025 and 2026, but now funds will be reserved for next year’s biodiversity conference COP17 and the 2026 climate conference COP31.

– The Nordic region has much to gain from participating in global biodiversity conferences, as environmental issues are largely a national competence. But I fear we are now sending the wrong signal by not attending COP30, says Krista Mikkonen from the Centre Group, former Minister of the Environment and Climate from Finland.

– I’m glad that funding is being reserved for next year’s biodiversity and climate conferences, but it would have been critical to clearly communicate our high climate ambitions now and take the leadership the world needs—by being present in Belém, says Rebecka Le Moine.

The Nordic Council will now evaluate its participation in COP and CSW meetings—energy that should be spent maintaining an equally ambitious and internationally respected agenda at these events.

– We see it now: the right and the left are silencing the Nordic voice. Nordic leadership for ambitious global climate policy and gender equality is non-negotiable, and our presence is needed more than ever, says Jouni Ovaska, Chair of the Centre Group.

Photo (from left): Konsta Lindi (UNR), Halla Hrund Logadóttir, Ola Elvestuen, Krista Mikkonen, Rebecka Le Moine.