Sweden is moving backward on climate policy – Technologist

Sweden’s 28-year-old Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari can breathe a sigh of relief. On Wednesday, January 17, Parliament rejected the no-confidence motion filed against her by the Greens and centrists. Nevertheless, criticism of the neo-liberal conservative government’s climate policy, backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, persists. The opposition, scientists and NGOs, as well as the business sector, are worried that the country will lose its position as a leader in the climate transition. The country acquired this status in the early 1990s when it became one of the first to adopt a carbon tax.

In April 2023, the heads of 10 of Sweden’s biggest companies, including Volvo, Scania, H&M and AstraZeneca, warned that “if domestic policy does not match companies’ ambitions and the need for urgent action, Sweden will fall behind in the transition, and investment may leave for abroad.” They called on the government to “seize the last chance” by being ambitious in the climate action plan it was required by law to present by the end of 2023.

After initially considering postponing the deadline – which prompted a no-confidence motion against Pourmokhtari – the government finally unveiled the plan on December 21. However, while the minister had promised major announcements, “the plan contains no measures that could be adopted by Parliament and only proposals to be submitted for review, with no guarantee that they will ever be adopted,” complained Mikael Karlsson, an environmental scientist at Uppsala University. “In essence, we are rearranging the furniture on the Titanic, but the ship is still sinking.”

The Swedish Climate Policy Council is equally frustrated. “The plan still aims for carbon neutrality by 2045, but without explaining how Sweden will achieve its 2030 targets,” noted Asa Persson, president of the council. A research director at the Stockholm Environment Institute, she points out that the council has been calling for an acceleration in the pace of the transition for several years. But instead of going faster, “Sweden is now going backward,” Persson lamented.

‘An almost 180-degree turn’

In its latest finance bill presented in autumn 2023, the conservative government led by Ulf Kristersson admits that its policy will lead to a rise in emissions for the second year running, projecting a rise between 4.8 and 8.7 million tonnes by 2030.

“We haven’t seen anything like this for at least twenty years,” assures Persson. Mikael Karlsson confirms that the right and far-right, elected in September 2022 on the promise of boosting household purchasing power, have “de facto made a 180-degree turn on climate policy”.

You have 55% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.