He is a former Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, a role which he held jointly with Fisheries and Agriculture until Sigrún Magnúsdóttir was appointed Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources at the end of 2014.
Sebelumnya ia menjabat Menteri Lingkungan dan Sumber Daya Alam merangkap Perikanan dan Pertanian sampai Sigrún Magnúsdóttir diangkat sebagai Menteri Lingkungan dan Sumber Daya Alam pada akhir 2014.