Iceland review - 2016, Qupperneq 48

46 ICELAND REVIEW
food waste. Despite the climate and historic lack of infrastruc-
ture, cycling really started taking off in the capital several years
ago, and Reykjavík City Council has since been developing
bike paths, lanes and bridges. When it comes to food waste, as
in other western countries, more than a third of food is thrown
out. “There are clearly more people biking than before, and
people are also realizing that food
has a climate footprint.” Again, Hugi
stresses the importance of present-
ing paths of action in a positive way.
“Often the discussion [centers on
the claim that] a climate-friendly
lifestyle would deprive us of life’s
pleasures and conveniences, but liv-
ing a more frugal and responsible
life is often good for the health and
the household budget, as well as the
conscience.”
The debate on nature protection
has evolved tremendously in Iceland,
Hugi says. “Things have changed
very much. I think it is pretty much
the general view now that we need
to use natural resources with respect,
in a sustainable way. People have
always been aware of the unique
nature, the natural beauty [of the
country], but it used to be main-
ly something that poets and artists
praised. Now, we are seeing that it is one of our main economic
assets, we are seeing an explosion in tourism, so not only have
attitudes changed, but the weight of environmental aspects has
increased.”
The debate on climate change has not been as prominent
though, Hugi says. “We have had less discussion on it than in
some other countries, partly because we possibly think we are
star pupils since we don’t have any coal-fired power plants and
we have this abundant renewable energy.” But a clear growth
in interest among politicians, the media and businesses was
seen in the lead up to the Paris meeting, Hugi notes: “It has
become part of the mainstream debate, even if people have
different opinions, nobody thinks the issue is not important.
Climate change is not as high on the agenda as nature protec-
tion and protection of the highlands but, especially last year,
we saw a big increase in interest from many sectors. So I am
very optimistic that we have succeeded in moving it to a higher
level.”
GREEN IMAGE
Iceland has an image of being pure and green—something
which has been actively used to market the country. This
assertion has been challenged by local environmental groups,
primarily due to the country’s aluminum industry and envi-
ronmental destruction to make way for dams and other con-
struction projects. Does Iceland truly deserve its green image?
I ask Hugi. “Almost 100 percent of our electricity and heating
comes from renewables. No other country can say that, so
that is clearly a positive, but we are not simply saying ‘this is a
great statistic.’ We said in Paris that now we want to go further
because we need to, because we have made commitments and
because we need to show good global citizenship—and simply
because we want to. But it is for oth-
ers to judge how well we are doing.”
Some people have also questioned
whether geothermal energy can real-
ly be defined as ‘renewable.’ Hugi
clarifies his position: “From a climate
perspective, it’s clearly low emis-
sion. It is also generally classified as
renewable because it relies on the
Earth’s internal heat, which is for all
intents and purposes infinite for our
use. But then there is the question of
individual fields. You can use them
wisely or aggressively, which means
that if you deplete the water table
it has to renew itself and that is an
entire sort of study in itself.”
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Following three years in journal-
ism, Hugi joined the Ministry for
the Environment in 1995; a logical
move for him, he says. “I have always been interested in the
environment and have an unusual background in education. I
studied geology and political science. When I was interviewed
for a job here I said that this combination of degrees made
no sense whatsoever except perhaps at the Ministry for the
Environment, because I could say that I knew a little bit about
the natural environment and I had some understanding of
policymaking and politics,” Hugi says smiling.
During his 20 years at the ministry, he’s seen significant
changes in political and public attitudes toward the environ-
ment and has worked with governing parties from across the
political spectrum. “I think there was some debate when the
ministry was formed around 1990 about whether [such a min-
istry] was necessary. Essentially, no one debates that anymore,
and I think no one debates that environmental issues matter.
Of course there are different parties and different approaches
but that’s just how democracy works and the general trend has
been a growing awareness of the need for good environmental
policy,” he states.
Career highlights, he says, include the recent Paris meeting
and working on the Arctic Council, while bringing environ-
mental issues into the mainstream is what he’s most pleased
about. “This has been very visible. You have people from all
sectors, all levels of society, discussing environmental issues.
It’s no longer just a small niche, a technical group of people.
This has been very rewarding.” *
ENVIRONMENT
Hugi Ólafsson, director of the Department of
Climate at the Ministry for the Environment.