The Climate Strategy for Sweden

In September 2007, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), provided input to the Ministry of Environment regarding Swedish Climate Policy.

SSNC is of the opinion that the Swedish environmental objective concerning climate change should be as follows: “The Swedish environmental objective concerning a limitation of the climate impact implies that the average global temperature shall not increase by more than maximum 2 °C above the pre industrial level. Sweden shall work for the achievement of this goal both within the EU as well as the UN since serious environmental effects can occur already at low increases of the average global temperature. This implies the long term stabilization of greenhouse gases at maximum 400 ppmv carbon dioxide equivalents.

A decrease by 40 per cent by 2020

The opinion of Swedish Society for Nature Conservation is that the Swedish emission reductions of greenhouse gases should decrease with 90% until 2050, which is in line with the recommendation given by the Scientific Council on Climate Issues of a decrease by 70-85% until 2050. However, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation proposition is for a steady decrease at 3,4% a year instead of leaving it to the next generation as proposed by the Climate Committee and the Scientific Council on Climate Issues.

Furthermore, according to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the goal should be to decrease the emissions of greenhouse gases with at least 40% until 2020. This decrease includes the emissions from emissions permits distributed/auctioned to the trading sector but excludes CDM, JI and Carbon sinks.

Two primary climate goals

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation proposes two different climate goals:

• A primary goal concerning to reduce Sweden´s own emissions of greenhouse gases with 40% (to be achieved in Sweden) as well as a second goal concerning the support to developing countries to do technology leapfrogging.
  The second goal is to ensure that resources and thus technology will be transferred to developing countries enabling technology leapfrogging, hence insuring that they can avoid making the same mistake as the industrialised countries and avoid being dependent upon fossil fuels.
• The transfer of technology is of great importance and hence the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation proposes an economic goal of at least 3 billion Swedish Kronor (SEK) approximately 320 million euros to for example the UN Environmental Fund (GEF) and Climate Technology Fund in support of the developing countries. This support to technological cooperation equals a decrease of emissions of 20 million tons of greenhouse gas equivalents. This should of course be financed outside the national fund for aid to developing countries.