KEY AREAS OF FOCUS
CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Climate change is one of the biggest threats both humans and animals are faced with today. High-income countries and companies in the Global North are mainly responsible for today’s environmental and climate crisis. Still, they are not the ones who suffer most of the consequences. In the last couple of years, the Earth has experienced extreme weather such as floods, hurricanes, storms, and drought more frequently and more intensely than ever. Levels of biodiversity are also dropping at record speed.
People in low-income countries in the Global South are already experiencing decreasing conditions of life as a consequence of the climate crisis and will continue to suffer in the future. This is unjust. Spire believes that high-income countries need to take more responsibility and action to reduce the destruction of nature and the climate crisis that we are faced with today. Low-income countries in the global south cannot continue to suffer as a result of our never-ending pursuit of profit.
Spire works to figure out how the world can reduce enough greenhouse gas emissions in a way that does not destroy the environment along the way. We seek to change the underlying structures in society that not only contribute to increasing inequality, but also to the climate crisis.
FOOD SECURITY
Everyone should have enough, safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable food. The challenge is to produce this food sustainably and to ensure its fair distribution. When 800 million people go hungry, at the same time as we throw away 1/3 of the food produced, there is something wrong with the entire food system. We are working to change this.
We believe that the principles of food security and food sovereignty should form the basis for all political decisions made within the agricultural industry in Norway and internationally. Norway has an important responsibility to contribute to food security in the world, which can also be done through national policies. In a world where food production becomes more and more vulnerable and the global food market increasingly unpredictable, every country must utilize local resources as much as possible to ensure food security globally.
There are big opportunities within agriculture to help solve the climate crisis that is not yet utilized. By using methods such as regenerative agriculture, we can produce enough safe food in the future, restore biodiversity, and increase carbon capture and storage in the soil. Spire believes that we must move away from industrial farming, and instead prioritize sustainable small-scale farming, as small-scale farming takes better care of the soil and restores biodiversity.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
More than half of all people live in cities, and the proportion is increasing. By 2050, more than 66% of the world population will live in urban areas. We work to secure real participation in urban development, create sustainable cities, ensure everyone a safe place to live, and increase urban food production.
With increasing urbanization, cities are being planned and developed at high speed to meet the increasing pressure for new infrastructure, housing, commercial property, and public service buildings. For cities to stay inclusive and diverse, everyone must be seen and heard. Market forces are a key driving force for urban development, and this means that local participation and involvement in urban development planning is often lost and under-represented. Spire wants to change this. We want to create sustainable cities that are inclusive and environmentally friendly, as we believe that sustainable cities are crucial for a green future!
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
It's not something you notice much, but large parts of your everyday life are governed by international trade agreements. We believe that trade should not be an end in itself, but a tool for creating a better world. Today's rules of the game are unfair and punish countries in the South. We want to change the rules, and prevent trade agreements resulting in both inequality and environmental degradation.
Spire believes we need a new framework for international trade, which to a greater extend considers the differences between rich and poor countries, different needs, different rights, and different obligations (special and differential treatment). Overriding goals for international trade should be poverty reduction and environmental protection. The new framework should primarily focus on production, employment, and environmental management.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats both humans and animals are faced with today. High-income countries and companies in the Global North are mainly responsible for today’s environmental and climate crisis. Still, they are not the ones who suffer most of the consequences. In the last couple of years, the Earth has experienced extreme weather such as floods, hurricanes, storms, and drought more frequently and more intensely than ever. Levels of biodiversity are also dropping at record speed.
People in low-income countries in the Global South are already experiencing decreasing conditions of life as a consequence of the climate crisis and will continue to suffer in the future. This is unjust. Spire believes that high-income countries need to take more responsibility and action to reduce the destruction of nature and the climate crisis that we are faced with today. Low-income countries in the global south cannot continue to suffer as a result of our never-ending pursuit of profit.
Spire works to figure out how the world can reduce enough greenhouse gas emissions in a way that does not destroy the environment along the way. We seek to change the underlying structures in society that not only contribute to increasing inequality, but also to the climate crisis.
FOOD SECURITY
Everyone should have enough, safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable food. The challenge is to produce this food sustainably and to ensure its fair distribution. When 800 million people go hungry, at the same time as we throw away 1/3 of the food produced, there is something wrong with the entire food system. We are working to change this.
We believe that the principles of food security and food sovereignty should form the basis for all political decisions made within the agricultural industry in Norway and internationally. Norway has an important responsibility to contribute to food security in the world, which can also be done through national policies. In a world where food production becomes more and more vulnerable and the global food market increasingly unpredictable, every country must utilize local resources as much as possible to ensure food security globally.
There are big opportunities within agriculture to help solve the climate crisis that is not yet utilized. By using methods such as regenerative agriculture, we can produce enough safe food in the future, restore biodiversity, and increase carbon capture and storage in the soil. Spire believes that we must move away from industrial farming, and instead prioritize sustainable small-scale farming, as small-scale farming takes better care of the soil and restores biodiversity.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
More than half of all people live in cities, and the proportion is increasing. By 2050, more than 66% of the world population will live in urban areas. We work to secure real participation in urban development, create sustainable cities, ensure everyone a safe place to live, and increase urban food production.
With increasing urbanization, cities are being planned and developed at high speed to meet the increasing pressure for new infrastructure, housing, commercial property, and public service buildings. For cities to stay inclusive and diverse, everyone must be seen and heard. Market forces are a key driving force for urban development, and this means that local participation and involvement in urban development planning is often lost and under-represented. Spire wants to change this. We want to create sustainable cities that are inclusive and environmentally friendly, as we believe that sustainable cities are crucial for a green future!
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
It's not something you notice much, but large parts of your everyday life are governed by international trade agreements. We believe that trade should not be an end in itself, but a tool for creating a better world. Today's rules of the game are unfair and punish countries in the South. We want to change the rules, and prevent trade agreements resulting in both inequality and environmental degradation.
Spire believes we need a new framework for international trade, which to a greater extend considers the differences between rich and poor countries, different needs, different rights, and different obligations (special and differential treatment). Overriding goals for international trade should be poverty reduction and environmental protection. The new framework should primarily focus on production, employment, and environmental management.