Sweden has been an environmental pioneer, it was the first country in the world to pass an environmental protection act in 1967 and also hosted the first UN conference on the global environment in 1972. Since then, Sweden has successfully grown its economy substantially while reducing carbon emissions and limiting pollution.
Sweden aims to be the world’s first fossil-free welfare state. To achieve this, a climate policy framework has been introduced with an ambitious climate target – Sweden is to have net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2045 and should thereafter achieve negative emissions. Negative emissions will mean that Sweden overall helps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That is, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by Sweden is less than the amount of greenhouse gases reduced through the natural eco-cycle, or through supplementary measures.
Today, the Swedish government has launched many initiatives to fight climate change. One of the initiatives is called “Fossil Free Sweden” with the aim to work with actors in the form of companies, municipalities, regions and organizations in the transformation to a low-carbon, fossil free society. So far, 22 industries have produced their own roadmaps for fossil free competitiveness. Their roadmaps show the opportunities, obstacles and contain proposals for solutions both through their own commitments and through political proposals.
Sweden pursues greater cooperation and new partnerships between different actors at both the local and international levels, to implement the 2030 Agenda and contribute to the global sustainable development goals. Together, let’s pioneer the possible!