Norway signs environmental deal with Indonesia
Indonesia and Norway signed a deal Monday to reward deforestation reduction months after the collapse of a similar $1-billion agreement that was part of a UN-backed global initiative criticised for its ineffectiveness.
Protecting trees is key to meeting climate goals. Still, environmentalists blame Indonesia — home to the world’s third-largest rainforest area — for a deforestation-free-for-all by allowing companies to clear land for plantations.
Jakarta has made some progress by reducing the rate of primary forest loss for five straight years up to 2021, according to monitor Global Forest Watch, and in 2020 claimed its lowest deforestation rate for two decades.
Oslo will now reward Indonesia with “results-based contributions” for cutting deforestation and emissions, Norway’s ministry of climate and environment said in a statement.
Teachers strike escalates
A further 3,000 teachers from the Education Association in Norway will head out on strike. This will take the total number of education professionals on strike to around 6,600.
Yesterday, the national mediator said that the union representing teachers and The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) were far apart from any potential agreement.
Illegal drone use becoming an issue for Norwegian airports
Enthusiasts using drones near airports is becoming an issue for operators, Avinor has said. At Oslo Airport, illegal drone use occurs around 50 times per month, public broadcaster NRK reports.
Currently, drone use is prohibited within five kilometres of airports unless otherwise agreed.
Illegal drone flying has, in several cases, severely disrupted air traffic at several of Avinor’s airports.
Mats Gjertsen, head of traffic management and detection of drones at Avinor, told NRK.
“In the worst case, a collision between a plane and a drone can lead to a plane crash. At Avinor, we take the use of drones around the airports very seriously and will report to the police any case where drones pose a danger to air traffic,” Gjertsen.
Weather in Norway to get wetter
Large parts of the country will set wet weather from Tuesday, according to forecasters.
“It will rain throughout the week. It is Western Norway, Central Norway and Nordland that may receive the most. Eastern Norway is slightly sheltered from this northerly wind, so there will be lighter weather throughout the week. Tuesday is the wettest there,” Magni Svanevik at the Meteorological Institute told Norwegian newswire NTB.
A yellow danger warning was in place for the south-west and east until Tuesday morning.