A subject of intriguing interest has caught up Finland and has been doing the rounds of debate and discussion in educational, economic and political corridors. How can Finland become carbon neutral by 2035? Everyone wants to know as to how can Finland become carbon neutral by 2035 and therefore attain, a long-standing objective that it seriously seeks to attain?
But up first a context and the truth to the matter that birthed the ambitious goal. The famous Nordic nation hit headlines in early 2019 when the incoming government in the famous European nation announced the objective: a target of zero net carbon emissions by the year 2035.
In the sphere of climate change, Finland- which has created outstanding international headlines for pioneering sustainable architecture- has already blazed a trail. The fact that the country is widely acknowledged as being a trailblazer of sorts in the realm of climate change and efforts made in the direction- already position the country as a nation that others can look up to.
But the futuristic target that the country aims to scale seems rather daunting, not to say that it is unattainable: how can Finland become carbon neutral by 2035?
But earlier this year when the existing president made a poignant and heartwrenching speech at the United Nations General Assembly, it appeared that the Nordic nation hadn’t set out for just any goal under the rays of the sun but was in fact, seriously targeting to attain a realistic endeavor.
President Sauli Niinisto addressed the esteemed gathering of world leaders and caught their attention by bearing his heart out, submitting the futuristic goal of his country when he stated the following:
Even if we were able to stop all of our CO2 emissions tomorrow, we would have to live, for decades to come, with the climate change we have already caused,” Niinistö told the assembled world leaders.
“We are no longer able to avoid the climate crisis completely. We also have to achieve concrete results in adapting to the inevitable.”
But while an articulate speech and a compelling situation only heighten the excitement among the people to anticipate the great verve of change, there needs to be a realistic course of action to attain a goal, isn’t it?
So one wonders, what is the country doing in that regard, in the aim to achieve the daunting goal: how can Finland become carbon neutral by 2035?
Even as the concrete results are yet to be seen and therefore, achieved, the country has already formalized a set of plan with which it seeks to complete the end-result
The government’s budget for 2020 included higher taxes on petrol
There is also a plan for some additional funding for environmental measures but also continued to fund subsidies for carbon-intensive peat burning.
In addition to the above, it is also worthwhile noting that in its own set of budgets, the government has already identified around 3.5 billion euros of subsidies that are harmful to the environment.
To add further, as on September 27, 2019- noted Finnish news portal YLE reported a simple fact that submits the earnest idea as to how simple, everyday individuals at the grass-root levels are mobilizing support to raise a voice toward the climate change efforts.
The news outlet stated: Finland’s latest climate strike hits on Friday 27 September, with schoolchildren and students set to leave their classrooms and take to the streets to demand quicker action on carbon emissions.