During the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023, Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram signed an agreement under which Norway will present itself as the sponsoring country of a new knowledge center on climate change and security. Norway is one of the centre’s eleven sponsor countries. The sponsoring countries fill one or more positions at the center and contribute to covering part of the common costs of the center.

– As NATO now establishes a center of knowledge on climate change and security, I am pleased that it is precisely Canada that will host this center of excellence. The center will contribute to the development and sharing of knowledge on the security implications of climate change, how the alliance can adapt to climate change and how the alliance can work to reduce the climate footprint military activities, says Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp).

At the NATO summit in June 2021, there was agreement on the need to establish a COE for climate change and security. At the 2022 summit, it was decided that Canada would be the host country. The opening of the center is scheduled for August 2023.

– Participation in the center is important for Norway as it gives us the opportunity to represent Norwegian interests in NATO’s work on climate and security, in that we can help influence priority geographic and thematic issues In the center. It is also an important signal for NATO that we are contributing to the future challenges of the alliance.

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The other sponsoring countries of the center are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Latvia and Turkey, in addition to the host country, Canada.

– This government is clear that Norway’s ambitious climate goals bind all parts of society, including the armed forces. The defense sector must be an active contributor to the national effort to reduce emissions. The Norwegian Defense Force and other defense sector agencies have already agreed on a joint climate and environment strategy with an associated action plan to be updated annually, Gram concludes.