These Finnish solutions help cut global emissions

Finland offers several solutions for a global application that could significantly help achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement: keeping a global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Over the past few years, Sitra and its collaboration partners have together sought and created solutions to meet the needs of the public as well as businesses and government. The biggest challenge of our time requires action from all. We need policy and business solutions for the everyday as well as local and national decision-making and international forums. The solutions are applicable to other countries as they are or can be scaled to the local conditions.

There is great demand for immediate solutions that help cut emissions rapidly. The European Commission, for example, has in its recent long-term climate strategy stressed that profound changes must be adopted by societies to reach set goals. Sitra has shown that Finland could reduce emissions cost-efficiently by 60 per cent by 2030.

At the same time, we must make sure that the foundations of our society support a lifestyle that is sustainable and adjusted to what our planet can bear. Sitra has urged Finns to choose ways to reduce emissions that are suitable for themselves, and has challenged Finnish society to adopt a strategic and cost-efficient climate policy and circular economy, in which growth is not based on excessive consumption of natural resources and volume-based sales targets for products. According to a Sitra report, the global goals of the Paris Agreement are unattainable without a circular economy for the four sectors causing the most emissions.

“These solutions may see an unprecedented demand if the climate conference in Poland is successful in agreeing on the rules for the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” says Mari Pantsar, the director of carbon-neutral circular economy at Sitra.

“Finland could be a world leader in climate solutions, but this will take even more concerted efforts at the national level. Finland’s forthcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union presents us with a real opportunity to step up to the plate in climate protection in Europe,” she says.

Sitra is following the Katowice Climate Change Conference live in Poland 2-14 December. Oras Tynkkynen, Sitra’s senior advisor on the carbon-neutral circular economy, is available on location for interviews throughout the conference: oras.tynkkynen@sitra.fi; tel. +358 50 512 1584. During the second week of the conference, 10-15 December, Tuuli Hietaniemi, Sitra’s specialist on the Climate Solutions team, will also be reporting from Poland: tuuli.hietaniemi@sitra.fi; tel. +358 50 516 8115.

To read the latest updates from Sitra’s contribution to the Katowice Climate Change Conference, visit our website https://www.sitra.fi/tapahtumat/sitra-seuraa-ykn-ilmastoneuvotteluja-puolassa/.

Further information about Sitra’s climate work and specialists

Media contacts:

Sanna Autere, Specialist, Communications, Sitra, tel. +358 50 331 7510, sanna.autere@sitra.fi
Samuli Laita, Specialist, Communications, Sitra, tel. +358 40 536 8650, samuli.laita@sitra.fi

Sitra’s climate specialists reporting on the Katowice Climate Change Conference from Helsinki:

Mari Pantsar
Circular economy as a solution for climate change
Director, Carbon-neutral circular economy, Sitra, tel. +358 50 382 0755, mari.pantsar@sitra.fi

Janne Peljo
Climate solutions and investments
Project Director, Climate Solutions, Sitra, tel. +358 40 528 5754, janne.peljo@sitra.fi

Saara Tamminen
Economic steering, ecological tax reform and competitiveness
tel. +358 50 516 8135, saara.tamminen@sitra.fi

Outi Haanperä
Economic steering, emissions trading
tel. +358 50 572 2169, outi.haanpera@sitra.fi

Mariko Landström
Emissions reduction and technology solutions
tel. +358 45 845 0075, mariko.landstrom@sitra.fi