Carbon traded and a famous Swede

In his Prime Minister's New Year address Norway's Jens Stoltenberg announced "The government has decided that when state employees travel by plane abroad, we will buy quotas for the emissions caused by the trip." (BBC Online)

He said the scheme was thought to be the most ambitious of its kind in the world and hoped others would follow. Under the scheme the government will buy credits to be invested in projects which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Norwegian Gubment would not give any figures but according to the Norwegian news agency NTB the estimated cost of the scheme would be around 2.5 million kroner ($400,000, £200,000) per year.

He described the plan as "an example" for Norway's companies and other countries.

Oddly the UK Gubment have also wasted the taxpayers money in the same way, but there has been (remarkably) zero publicity - except when Lord Patel published it on Tuesday, January 9 2007 Carbon Black hole - ETS price drops 23% in one day. - to point out that the price of carbon credits they had purchased had since being bought dropped by 40%. Learn more about this nonsense here.

Count Axel Oxenstiern (1583–1654)took his 13 year old son to watch the Swedish Parliament in session, which he explained to him was to illustrate ..."with how little wisdom the world is governed".

Axel Oxenstierna is not a well known figure but he was influential with Gustavus Adolphus in the 30 years wars, and took over when he was killed at the Battle of Lutzen November 6th 1632. It must be remembered that the Realm of Sweden had reached its greatest territorial extent at this time and was one of the great powers of Europe and included what is today Sweden, Finland along with parts of modern Russia, Poland, Germany, Estonia, and Latvia. Axel wasn't made a Count until 1645 by Queen Kristina but is almost always ennobled too soon in the text books. This was the year in which the Ordinari Post Tijdender newspaper was first published, the first one in Sweden.

One thing the Swedes are to this day grateful for was the decision arrived at by the Count and the Queen in 1649 on Sweden's first true School Law, establishing a distinction between grammar schools and elementary schools - that survives today.

It is said that the the Count was responsible for sending the two Swedish/Dutch ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip,which arrived on March 29th 1638 at the Delaware river (although it was known for many years as Swenskes Revier) in North America who soon bought land from the Indians, and Nova Svecia (New Sweden - now Wilmington ) was established. (see pic of tapestry of first Swedes stealing land from the native Indians) This was a commercial attempt to expand the Swedish empire and not the flight of people from religious persecution.

Oxenstierna died in February 1654 and the son whom he had so early in life exposed to the dunces of the Swedish Parliament became the new Chancellor.

(More here and here on the early Swedish development of North America)

Mona Sahlin, Swedish Minister of sustainable development announced in February 2006 the inention that Sweden (pop 6Mn ish) would by 2020 be free of using oil. (Guradian) Only 32% of Swedish energy came from oil - down from 77% in 1970.

The Swedish government works with vehicle builders Saab and Volvo to develop cars and lorries that burn ethanol and other biofuels. Swedish energy agency plan to get the public sector to move out of using oil. Its health and library services are being given grants to convert from oil use and homeowners are being encouraged with green taxes. The paper and pulp industries use bark to produce energy, and sawmills burn wood chips and sawdust to generate power.

They don't play at swapping carbon credits in a finamciers casino - they fucking do something about stopping the use of fossil fuels.