Swedish Climate Policy – Lessons learned
There is great international interest in Swedish energy and climate
policy. Sweden is one of few countries in the world that has succeeded
in combining economic growth with reduced greenhouse emissions. How was
this possible? Ahead of Rio+20, science journalist Jenny Jewert has, on
Global Utmaning’s behalf, written an overview of Swedish climate policy
from the 1970s onward. Her analysis shows that the greatest pro-climate
achievements were made long before anybody spoke of “climate policy” at
all
Jenny Jewert’s overview “Swedish climate policy – lessons learned” reveals that the driving force behind emission reductions in Sweden
have been domestic energy security concerns rather than an ambitious
climate or environment agenda. Successful investment in everything from
waste disposal to large-scale district heating schemes have primarily
aimed to lower energy costs, something that in turn has brought down
CO2-emissions
Collaboration between public and private actors
A recurring theme in Sweden’s energy policy is the strategic interaction between the public sector as a farsighted procurer and various different private actors as innovative suppliers.
A recurring theme in Sweden’s energy policy is the strategic interaction between the public sector as a farsighted procurer and various different private actors as innovative suppliers.
“Is this perhaps the Swedish and Nordic example that we should share
with an increasingly interested world?” writes Kristina Persson,
Chairperson of Global Utmaning, in the preface to the report. The
Swedish climate policy is by no means a modern success story. It is the
result of strategic long-term choices made long before the climate issue
topped government agendas. It appears to have been the economy, rather
than the climate and the environment, that has stood in the foreground
Production and consumption leave global footprints
Sweden still leaves a large ecological footprint through our high consumption of goods produced elsewhere in the world. When environmental economists sum up Sweden’s total consumption and include the emissions it generates in other countries, studies of individual years indicate that emissions of greenhouse gases are up to 25 per cent higher than what is found using the production perspective alone.
Sweden still leaves a large ecological footprint through our high consumption of goods produced elsewhere in the world. When environmental economists sum up Sweden’s total consumption and include the emissions it generates in other countries, studies of individual years indicate that emissions of greenhouse gases are up to 25 per cent higher than what is found using the production perspective alone.
“But there is no rule of nature saying that the goods we import must
be CO2-intensive” remarks Kristina Persson. If others switched their
production as efficiently as we have done, our imports, too, would
involve lowered CO2-emissions. This is just what the UN proceedings and
the climate efforts of the European Union are all about: getting
everybody to introduce the regulations that would enable a global
transition
.
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