Minister of Climate and the Environment (Norway) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway
Incumbent Andreas Bjelland Eriksen since 16 October 2023
Ministry of the Environment
Member of	Council of State
Seat	Oslo
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch with approval of Parliament
Term length	No fixed length
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Norway
Formation	8 May 1972
First holder	Olav Gjærevoll
Deputy	State secretaries at the Ministry of the Environment

The Minister of Climate and the Environment (which is Klima- og miljøministeren in Norwegian) is a very important job in Norway. This person is a Councilor of State and leads Norway's Ministry of the Environment. Think of them as the main boss for all things related to protecting our planet in Norway!

The current minister is Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. This ministry works on many environmental issues. They also make sure other government departments consider how their actions affect the environment. Some of the groups that work under this ministry include the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Environment Agency, and the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

Protecting Our Planet: The Minister's Role

The Minister of Climate and the Environment has a big responsibility. Their main goal is to protect Norway's nature and deal with climate change. This includes making rules about pollution, protecting animals and plants, and making sure Norway helps fight global warming.

A Look Back: History of the Minister's Job

The job of Minister of the Environment was created on May 8, 1972. For a long time, until 2013, it was simply called the "Minister of the Environment." Later, "Climate" was added to the title to show how important climate change has become.

Many different people have held this position. In fact, nineteen people from six different political parties have been the minister.

• Longest Serving: Thorbjørn Berntsen from the Labour Party held the job for almost seven years. That's a really long time!
• Future Prime Minister: Gro Harlem Brundtland was the minister for five years. She later became the Prime Minister, which is the top leader of the country.
• Double Duty: Erik Solheim from the Socialist Left Party held this job at the same time as being the Minister of International Development. This meant he worked on environmental issues both in Norway and around the world.

Who Has Been the Minister?

This table shows the people who have served as the Minister of Climate and the Environment. You can see their photo, name, which political party they belonged to, and when they started and left the job.

•       Centre Party
•       Conservative Party
•       Christian Democratic Party
•       Labour Party
•       Liberal Party
•       Socialist Left Party

Photo	Name	Party	Took office	Left office	Tenure	Cabinet	Ref
	Gjærevoll, OlavOlav Gjærevoll	Labour	8 May 1972	18 October 1972	163 days	Bratteli I
—	Haugeland, TrygveTrygve Haugeland	Centre	18 October 1972	5 March 1973	138 days	Korvald
—	Gitmark, HelgaHelga Gitmark	Centre	5 March 1973	16 October 1973	225 days	Korvald
—	Halvorsen, TorTor Halvorsen	Labour	16 October 1973	6 September 1974	325 days	Bratteli II
	Brundtland, Gro HarlemGro Harlem Brundtland	Labour	6 September 1974	8 October 1979	5 years, 32 days	Bratteli II Nordli
—	Hansen, Rolf ArthurRolf Arthur Hansen	Labour	8 October 1979	14 October 1981	2 years, 6 days	Nordli Brundtland I
	Sellæg, Wenche FrognWenche Frogn Sellæg	Conservative	14 October 1981	8 June 1983	1 year, 237 days	Willoch I
—	Surlien, RakelRakel Surlien	Centre	8 June 1983	9 May 1986	2 years, 335 days	Willoch II
—	Rønbeck, SisselSissel Rønbeck	Labour	9 May 1986	16 October 1989	3 years, 160 days	Brundtland II
—	Valla, Kristin HilleKristin Hille Valla	Centre	16 October 1989	3 November 1990	1 year, 18 days	Syse
	Berntsen, ThorbjørnThorbjørn Berntsen	Labour	3 November 1990	17 October 1997	6 years, 348 days	Brundtland III Jagland
—	Fjellanger, GuroGuro Fjellanger	Liberal	17 October 1997	17 March 2000	2 years, 152 days	Bondevik I
	Bjerke, SiriSiri Bjerke	Labour	17 March 2000	19 October 2001	1 year, 216 days	Stoltenberg I
	Brende, BørgeBørge Brende	Conservative	19 October 2001	18 June 2004	2 years, 243 days	Bondevik II
	Hareide, Knut ArildKnut Arild Hareide	Christian Democratic	18 June 2004	17 October 2005	1 year, 121 days	Bondevik II
	Bjørnøy, HelenHelen Bjørnøy	Socialist Left	17 October 2005	18 October 2007	2 years, 1 day	Stoltenberg II
	Solheim, ErikErik Solheim	Socialist Left	18 October 2007	23 March 2012	4 years, 157 days	Stoltenberg II
	Solhjell, Bård VegarBård Vegar Solhjell	Socialist Left	23 March 2012	16 October 2013	1 year, 207 days	Stoltenberg II
	Sundtoft, TineTine Sundtoft	Conservative	16 October 2013	16 December 2015	2 years, 61 days	Solberg
	Helgesen, VidarVidar Helgesen	Conservative	16 December 2015	17 January 2018	2 years, 32 days	Solberg
	Elvestuen, OlaOla Elvestuen	Liberal	17 January 2018	24 January 2020	2 years, 7 days	Solberg
	Rotevatn, SveinungSveinung Rotevatn	Liberal	24 January 2020	14 October 2021	1 year, 263 days	Solberg
	Espen Barth Eide	Labour	14 October 2021	16 October 2023	2 years, 2 days	Støre
	Andreas Bjelland Eriksen	Labour	16 October 2023	present	1 year, 261 days	Støre