Climate

Human action warms up the climate, with severe consequences. The target set in the UN climate change negotiations is to keep the rise in global average temperature below two degrees, and even to limit it to below 1.5 degrees. Strong and fast emission reductions are needed to stay within these limits. Climate warming will continue despite the efforts to mitigate it, which means that adaptation is also needed.

In Finland, the Ministry of the Environment leads the climate negotiations under the UN Convention on Climate Change and negotiations within the European Union on climate matters. In Finland’s national climate policy, the Ministry is responsible for the overall coordination between the Government ministries and for legislative and policy preparation and reporting within its own sphere of activities. The Ministry of the Environment also serves as the secretariat of the Ministerial Working Group on Climate and Energy Policy.

The responsibilities of the Ministry of the Environment include land use and regional planning policy, construction, waste policy and promoting a circular economy, which are all closely linked to emission reductions and climate change adaptation. In addition, the Ministry’s mandate includes biodiversity – and loss of biodiversity is also interconnected with the progress of climate change.

Government’s climate policy »

According to Sanna Marin’s Government Programme in 2019 Finland will be carbon-neutral by 2035, and the world’s first fossil-free welfare society.
Annual Climate Report »

The Annual Climate Report sums up information on the trends in emissions in Finland, implementation of climate policy and achievement of emission reduction targets.
Climate change legislation »

Finland aims to be carbon neutral by 2035. The Climate Change Act has been reformed and strengthened to achieve this target.
EU climate policy »

The climate policy of the European Union guides the actions to mitigate climate change and adapt to it, both within the EU as a whole and in individual Member States.
What is the green transition? »

The green transition means a shift towards economically sustainable growth and an economy that is not based on fossil fuels and overconsumption of natural resources.
Circular Economy »

Finland is preparing a strategic programme to promote a circular economy. The aim is to transform the economy into one that is based on the principles of circular economy by 2035.