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Finland must take new climate measures in all areas to achieve the carbon neutrality target for 2035 set out in the Climate Act. This is the main message of the government’s annual climate report presented by the Minister of Climate and Environment Kai Mikkanen (NCP) said on Thursday.
Greenhouse gas emissions fell 11% last year from the year before. The land use sector, which includes agriculture and forestry, constitutes a small net sink in 2023, meaning it absorbs slightly more emissions than it produces.
But the report notes that this pace is not enough.
Every year, the Ministry of the Environment prepares a report to Parliament on Finland’s emissions and progress towards its climate targets. This is a requirement of the Climate Act, which was originally passed in 2015 and supported by the Prime Minister’s Government. Real Marines (Singapore Democratic Party) two years ago.
Emissions falling, but more action needed
Emissions fell faster than expected last year, particularly in the energy and heat production sector, where emissions fell 19 percent compared to the previous year.
This is due to a reduction in coal and peat consumption and an increase in nuclear and wind power, the report said. Finland’s electricity production is already almost emission-free.
On the other hand, emissions from the so-called effort-sharing sectors are falling more slowly and, according to the report, Finland may have difficulty staying within its emissions quota.
Effort-sharing sectors include transport, some aspects of agriculture, building heating, waste management, machinery, and small-scale industrial and heating plants.
Under EU requirements, Finland must halve emissions from these industries by 2030.
Under Finland’s national climate law, by that year total emissions must be reduced by 60 percent compared to 1990 levels.
To achieve this target, additional measures are needed to reduce emissions by a further 1.3 million tonnes.
’20 million tons of headache’
For Finland to become carbon neutral by 2035, emissions and carbon sinks must at least be in balance.
The emissions that would require additional measures total around 19 million tonnes per year, equivalent to half of Finland’s current total emissions.
Although greenhouse gas emissions are decreasing at a good rate by 2035, carbon sinks are far from the levels needed for Finland to meet its carbon neutrality target – mainly because of increased logging. The increase in logging is partly due to the halt in timber imports from Russia since the 2022 Russian attack on Ukraine.
Carbon sinks in the land use sector have been declining for 15 consecutive years. Net emission sources This situation has continued for several years, and until last year, it was actually because logging increased while forest growth slowed down.
Mikkanen believes that this trend must be reversed and Finland must achieve sustainable forest use within a reasonable time frame.
“If we are to achieve carbon neutrality within a decade, we have to reverse this trend,” he said on Thursday. “This is a 20 million tonne mess.”
Without significant additional measures, Finland may not be able to meet its carbon sequestration obligations under the EU.
Under the Union’s LULUCF rules, member states must ensure that the land-use sector generates no net emissions in the period 2021-25.
If Finland does not meet its obligations, it could be forced to buy carbon credits from other member states.
Mikkanen suggests limiting logging
The government plan mentions moderately extending the logging cycle, intervening in over-logging, and reducing emissions from peatlands.
However, the minister said the biggest impact in the short term would be the annual logging volume.
“The fact is that, according to current forecast models, carbon sinks in the land-use sector can only fully recover if logging is reduced significantly from current levels. It is a major societal question whether this is desirable and what guiding tools the country needs to achieve this,” he said.
The minister noted that the Finnish government has not yet taken a decision to limit logging. The forestry industry has always been one of Finland’s largest export industries.
Currently, authorities cannot even impose limits on how much timber forest owners can sell each year.
“These decisions are not easy for any government, that’s obvious. It’s not easy to close two or three pulp mills in eastern Finland. These are people’s jobs. It’s difficult to find alternative jobs in these areas, but we have to work in this direction,” he said.
New climate measures to come into effect next autumn
Next winter the government will present an energy and climate strategy to Parliament outlining its key climate measures.
The cabinet is also likely to take a position on whether Finland should start buying carbon credits to meet its climate obligations.
Mikkanen said governments still needed to find ways to strengthen carbon sinks, but he noted that emissions reduction measures must also be coordinated with other challenges facing society.
For example, there is great pressure to reduce emissions from agriculture, but he said emissions reduction measures must not hinder food production.
“People’s freedom to do business and day-to-day cost issues must also be taken into account,” he said.
The government is likely to face internal struggles over the issue, particularly between its two main coalition partners: Prime Minister Petri OrpoThe pro-business National Coalition Party, which includes Mikkanen, and the Finns Party, led by the finance minister Rika PraLast year, he described the carbon neutrality goal as “Extremely stupid“.
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