OSLO, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A recent survey showed that a majority of Norwegians support oil and gas exploration in the country, Western Europe's biggest oil and gas producer, newspaper Klassekampen reported Wednesday.
A majority of 59 percent want Norway to look for more oil and gas, while 34 percent want to end the exploration and seven percent say they do not know, according to the survey conducted by research company Sentio Research.
But the situation is opposite among citizens of the country's capital city Oslo, where 49 percent believe it is right to stop the search for new oil and gas deposits while 44 percent want to continue.
"Oslo is completely different than the rest of the country," said Karl Eirik Schjott-Pedersen, CEO of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association.
Schjott-Pedersen emphasized necessity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and storing carbon dioxide instead of ceasing oil and gas industry activities.
Kari Elisabeth Kaski, Social Left party representative in the Norwegian parliament, expressed concern about the Norwegian economy, if it continues as before.
"The climate does not tolerate that we get more oil and gas," she said.
On the other hand, Marius Holm from environmental foundation Zero showed no surprise with the research results.
People are more positive about oil and gas exploration in western Norway, where they are closer to both workplaces and value creation, but oil industry may face an uncertain future, Holm told Klassekampen.
