Energy and climate change have become major issues on the international agenda - and there is particularly close co-operation between the UK and Norway on these topics. They have been discussed on several occasions recently by our Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers. Co-operation focuses on a number of specific areas:

Oil and gas 

The UK and Norway are connected by the North Sea, which is an important source of oil and gas for both countries - for export in the case of Norway and mainly for internal use in the case of the UK. As reserves on the British side mature, the UK needs to import more of the energy it needs, and Norway is a major supplier of both oil and gas. The Langeled pipeline, which connects Molde on Norway's west coast to Easington in Yorkshire on England's east coast, carries gas equivalent to around one fifth of total UK demand. Norwegian oil is very significant for UK energy security too.

Median line

The British and Norwegian governments signed in 2004 a Framework Agreement making it easier for companies wanting to develop oil and gas fields that happen to cross the median line in the North Sea between the UK and Norway. A number of developments are already underway as a result.

Climate change

The UK and Norway share a vision of an ambitious post-2012 international agreement on reducing emissions, and the Prime Ministers have agreed that the two countries should work together to achieve that goal. There is also close co-operation on a number of specific measures designed to tackle climate change:

Carbon capture and storage

In 2005, Odd Roger Enoksen, then Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, and Malcolm Wicks, UK Energy Minister, launched the North Sea Basin Taskforce. The Taskforce brings together representatives from government, industry and research institutions and has worked to identify the barriers to deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the North Sea. The Netherlands and Germany have since joined the Taskforce, which has also looked at the potential storage capacity for carbon dioxide in the North Sea. There is ongoing close contact between CCS experts in London and Oslo, and both governments have prioritised work to build support for the technology across Europe.

Deforestation

Protecting the rainforest can make an important contribution to tackling climate change. In June 2008 Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Jens Stoltenberg launched the Congo Basin Forest Fund. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales launched The Prince's Rainforest Project during the same month, and a team from the project has already visited Oslo twice.