Iceland review - 2019, Page 18

16
Iceland Review
not seem to be changing behaviour, as those surveyed
had no plans on decreasing their number of flights in
the future.
Icelanders’ flight habits might not be changing, but
many are making other efforts to minimise their carbon
footprint. In one survey, 62.6% of Icelanders said they
had changed their daily habits to lessen their impact
on the environment, mostly in regards to their daily
shopping habits. Only a small percentage stated they
had changed their daily travel habits.
Though the public is taking small steps to amend
their consumerist ways, Iceland’s industry needs to
get on board to truly make an impact – something it
appears reluctant to do, at best. A single silicon plant
which is set to resume operations after a long clo-
sure could increase the country’s CO2 emission by a
whopping 10%. While the surrounding communities
have protested the reopening, citing environmental
and health concerns, its owner Arion banki bank so far
seems uninterested in changing its plans.
Leading by example
Iceland’s government has decided to lead by example
and adopted an action plan to reduce its own carbon
emissions by 40% by the year 2030. This new pol-
icy applies to all of the government’s ten ministries,
and is intended to contribute to fulfilling the Paris
Agreement, of which Iceland is a signatory. Signed in
2016, the United Nations agreement aims to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate
change. The government’s plan includes the following
measures:
• Changing work procedures to avoid interna-
tional and domestic flights, for example by
opting for more phone conferences.
• Encouraging employees to commute to work
in a more environmentally way by providing
bicycles to employees.
• Switching to fuel-saving vehicles for work-re-
lated travel.
• Increasing recycling and reusing efforts.
• Adopting electricity and energy saving
measures.
• Increasing vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan
options in the government’s cafeteria.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has stated that
while emissions created by Iceland’s government are
small in the grand scheme of things, policy has a wider