2.3 Norway - a low-emission society in 2050 Describing the future is always an exercise in uncertainty, regardless of whether we are looking five, ten or fifty years ahead. Descriptions of the future are always based on circumstances at the time when they are made. It is now 30 years till we reach 2050. With such a long time horizon, it is not possible to give a correct or complete picture of what Norwegian society will be like. Even assuming that the world as a whole and Norway have achieved their climate targets by 2050, and that Norway has become a low-emission society, it is uncertain how the remaining emissions will be split between sectors and which technologies will have been successful. There are many other factors not related to the climate policy framework that will also play a part in determining what a low-emission society is like in 2050. These add to the level of uncertainty of descriptions of a low-emission future for the world as a whole and for Norway. Norway's transition to a low-emission society will be dependent on a similar shift globally if it is to maintain its ability to make full, effective use of labour and other resources and achieve its climate and environmental policy goals. If global emissions in the years ahead do not approach a pathway consistent with achieving the long-term temperature target of the Paris Agreement, the development of low-emission technologies could be slow. This would result in high costs for reducing emissions in Norway, and make it more difficult to achieve Norway's climate targets. At the same time, it would become more urgent to adapt to the effects of a changing climate, such as extreme weather events and flooding, and the costs of doing so will rise. However, if global emissions are in line with the long-term temperature target of the Paris Agreement, emissions in Norway will also be low in all sectors. Considering the uncertainties ahead, the Climate Change Act describes a low-emission society as 'one where greenhouse gas emissions, on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge, global emission trends and national circumstances, have been reduced in order to avert adverse impacts of global warming' as described in the Paris Agreement. The effect of Norway's participation in the EU ETS is to be taken into account in assessing progress towards this target.