Climate Barometer and Nature Barometer 2025
Awareness of progress of biodiversity loss has increased, climate solutions seen as opportunity for Finland

The impacts of both climate change and biodiversity loss can be seen in the daily lives of most Finns. This is the conclusion to be made from the answers to the 2025 Climate and Nature Barometers. In municipal policy green investments are identified as sources of vitality, but opinions diverge with respect to their environmental impacts. Climate solutions are considered to boost Finland’s competitiveness.

Among the Finns, the awareness of the global impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss is strong. A clear majority of the respondents to the Climate and Nature Barometers consider that the impacts of climate change (86% of the respondents) and biodiversity loss (88% of the respondents) can already be seen in different parts of the world. 

Most Finns have already experienced impacts of climate change in their daily lives. For example, 62% of the respondents feel that the recent winters have been milder. More than half of the respondents (55%) have observed biodiversity loss in their local environments. 

Awareness of the progress of biodiversity loss has increased, and as many as 91% of the respondents are worried about the state of nature in the world. In recent years more information has become available on the impacts of biodiversity loss on the resilience of societies. Of the Finns, 86% consider that biodiversity loss will have impacts on matters such as food production, public health, security of supply and the economy. The Finns wish for more information on how biodiversity could be taken into account in different activities. Only 36% are of the opinion that the Finns are sufficiently aware of the significance and consequences of biodiversity loss. 

The appreciation of nature brings the Finns together very strongly: as many as 97 % of the respondents to the Nature Barometer consider that nature improves people’s health and wellbeing, and 96% consider that clean nature is an important part of the Finnish identity. However, the opinions diverge with respect to nature conservation. Of the respondents, 47% consider that nature is being adequately protected at the national level, but 44% disagree with this. 

Green transition is hoped to boost vitality of municipalities – support for offsetting harm to nature 

At the local level, nature and climate issues are discussed widely especially from the perspective of the green transition. Of the respondents, 76% consider that municipalities could boost their vitality by attracting green investments to the area. At the moment the municipalities are already investing in clean energy and the circular economy. 56% of the respondents consider that clean technologies such as zero-emission power plants should be built even if this may cause harm to nature. The majority of the respondents (78%) consider that, if the state of nature is degraded, the harm to nature should be compensated for, i.e. offset, by improving the state of nature elsewhere. 

“In the discussions on the green transition in municipalities people stress the need for a thorough assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the projects. As industries and societies are moving towards carbon neutrality, we must also consider the impacts on biodiversity and state of waters, besides the economic considerations and numbers of jobs. The results of the surveys indicate that people clearly support the idea of offsetting the harm to nature caused by energy production,” says Pauliina Jalonen, Senior Policy Advisor for climate change at the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities. 

Climate and nature issues are considered important in the municipal policy. Of the respondents, 76% consider that municipalities should provide the opportunity for sustainable and climate change resilient everyday living for their residents, including by developing sustainable mobility, improving the energy efficiency of properties and promoting the use of renewable energy. 81% of the respondents see that the municipalities should be more active in preparing for the risks associated with climate change, including high temperatures, slipping and flooding.

According to 89% of the respondents, biodiversity should be taken into account in decision-making at the municipal level. About the same percentage consider that municipalities should take the positive health impacts of nature into account in planning and construction better than at present. 
Of the respondents, 64% consider that nature and climate policy should be among the main themes in the upcoming municipal elections, but less than a half (42%) would give their vote to a candidate who will promote climate and environmental actions in the municipality.

Majority supports climate actions to achieve climate neutrality target 

Finland has reduced emissions from energy production more than anticipated, and now clean technologies are seen as an export opportunity for Finland. A clear majority (86%) consider that Finland can improve its competitiveness by exporting clean technology solutions to the world. Of the respondents, 75% consider that climate change resilient solutions improve people’s wellbeing in Finland, which is 7% more than in the 2023 Climate Barometer. 

At the moment, a particular focus in the public discussion on climate policy is on achieving the climate neutrality target set in the national Climate Act and on increasing the forest carbon sinks and reservoirs. Of the respondents, 62% consider that Finland should take adequate climate actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. 75% of the respondents consider that more attention should be paid to forest felling and to management practices in order to preserve carbon sinks. 

With respect to restoration, i.e. improving the state of nature, 71% of the respondents consider that this is an important means to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Of the respondents, 68% see that habitat types degraded by human activities should be restored even if this caused financial costs to the state. 

Finns hope companies would take climate and nature impacts better into account in their activities 

Besides the state and international organisations, companies are considered to have an important role in strengthening climate actions. A clear majority (80%) consider that companies should also be required to take action to reduce emissions. 

With respect to nature measures, less than half of the respondents (41%) consider that Finnish companies and sectors take biodiversity adequately into account in their activities. Of the respondents, 90% consider that companies causing harm to nature should also bear the costs of improving the state of nature.

There are also economic opportunities associated with improving the state of nature: 74% of the respondents believe that economic benefits such as business opportunities for Finnish companies can be achieved by improving the state of nature. 

Citizens’ awareness of environmental impacts of consumption increases 

The awareness of the respondents to the Climate Barometer concerning the significance of the environmental impacts of household consumption has increased from the results two years ago. More than half of the respondents (53%) are buying less goods for environmental reasons, while two years ago this figure was 43%. As many as 91% of the respondents consider that products should be designed to last longer even if this meant that they would cost more. 

Of the respondents, 43% have changed their lifestyles to mitigate climate changed, i.e. have changed their means of mobility, eating habits or types of housing. This is 5% more than in the previous barometer.

A healthy and environmentally sustainable diet is now being widely discussed in the public especially due to the new national nutrition recommendations. Of the respondents, 69% hope that a climate sustainable, plant dominant diet should cost less that nutrition with high emissions. Two years ago this figure was 58%. However, the citizens’ opinions diverge on the question whether the society should guide the diet into a healthier and more sustainable direction by promoting a plant based diet. About half of the respondents agree with this. 

How the survey was conducted? 

Climate change and biodiversity loss are environmental problems that are intertwined with each other. This year the Climate and Nature Barometers were conducted at the same time and some of the questions have also been harmonised and coordinated with each other. 

In the barometers there is less disagreement on questions related to nature than in climate issues. Typically, the opinions diverge based on party affiliation, gender and educational background. However, the attitudes to climate actions are now more positive and, compared to the previous surveys, extreme disagreement on climate claims has decreased. 

A total of 1,026 people participated in the Climate Barometer and 1,086 in the Nature Barometer conducted by Verian. The respondents were aged 15 years or over and they came from different parts of Finland, excluding Åland. The background information for the respondents included age, gender, party affiliation, type of housing and economic situation. The results presented in the press release mainly represent the percentages for those who fully or partly agreed with the claim. The margin of error of the survey is about +/- 3 percentage points. 

The studies were commissioned by the Steering Groups of the Central Government Climate and Biodiversity Communications. The organisations participating in the studies were the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Research Council of Finland, the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of North Ostrobothnia, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Motiva, Business Finland, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Finnish Environment Institute, Parks & Wildlife Finland of Metsähallitus, the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Demos Helsinki. 

Inquiries

Laura Kotila 
Communication Specialist 
Ministry of the Environment 
tel. +358 50 572 2280 
[email protected]
 
Jaakko Hyry 
Research Director
Verian 
tel. +358 50 370 0939 
[email protected]