The Standing Committee on Energy and Environment of the Norwegian Parliament visited India last week.
Our guest for the latest podcast is Nikolai Astrup. Nikolai is a MP, a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party. He is part of the Standing Committee on Energy and Environment of the Norwegian Parliament. Astrup - and also the first person to hold the post as minister of international development in six years.
Ties between Norway and India have deep historical roots. We all know that developments in India will have a significant impact on how successful the world is in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global climate targets. We were excited to hear what Nikolai has to share given that he just returned from India. We asked him the following questions:
Nikolai. Why a trip to India?
Can you share the highlights of your trip. Who did you meet? What were your expectations?
Are the Indians concerned with the same energy issues as Norway and Europe?
Enough energy and acceptable prices are some of the goals in the energy policy - while climate and sustainability stand on the other side. Do you see differences in approach to this issue between Norway and India?
One of the biggest differences between Norway and India is the population size. How do you think it affects the solutions India chooses and the solutions Norway chooses?
Building hydrogen procurement is a contribution. Do you see more areas where Norwegian technology and knowledge can contribute to a better climate in India and thus globally?
India is still facing a period of strong growth, which probably requires growth in energy use per capita. How can Norwegian companies contribute in this context?
In 2050, India will be among the top 3 largest economies and be the world’s largest democracy. How canIndia's future leaders in all fields take advantage of what Norway has to offer?
The common image of India in Norway is that it is as a country of snake charmers, poor people, cows roaming on the streets, ultra religious people everywhere. What do you think we need to do in Norway to change that?
