In its first budget session, the Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo decided on solutions that will return Finland to a sustainable growth track. The Government will launch structural reforms to boost employment and growth, which will have positive impacts on general government finances in the next few years. In addition, the Government decided on consolidation measures.

During the autumn, the Government will launch a number of projects to boost the energy transition. The aim is to attract investments to Finland that reduce emissions and turn Finland into a leader in terms of clean energy and a positive climate handprint.

On 24 August 2023, the Government appointed the Sámi Climate Council for a four-year term. The Sámi Climate Council is a new independent expert body, tasked with bringing the knowledge base and perspectives of the Sámi people into the climate policy processes.

The Ministry of the Environment has awarded more than EUR 1.3 million in grants to 15 municipalities and 7 regional councils for studies and land use planning aimed to promote investment projects related to the green transition.

Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased by approximately 4% in 2022. The land use sector was a minor carbon sink. According to the Annual Climate Report, additional measures are needed particularly to strengthen the carbon sink of the land use sector to enable the achievement of the Finnish land use sector’s obligation set at the EU level. The achievement of the Finnish effort sharing sector’s obligation set at the EU level is also uncertain.

In its plenary session on 29 June, the Government appointed Päivi Nerg (Master of Science in Agriculture and Forestry), Laura Rissanen (Master of Social Sciences), Timo Jaatinen (Master of Social Sciences), Elina Laavi (Master of Public Administration), Juha Martelius (Doctor of Social Sciences) and Teija Makkonen (Master of Military Science, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Administrative Sciences) to serve as state secretaries.

As part of the Ministry of the Environment's Sustainable City programme, twelve experiments on sustainable urban development were carried out between 2022 and 2023. They focused on inclusion, interaction and solutions that cut across dimensions of sustainability. The results included, among others, a local sustainable development agreement model, a digital portal for resource wisdom work that supports cooperation within the city, and new ways of involving residents in urban planning and municipal sustainability measures.

The level of wellbeing among people in Finland may fall if we do not invest in education, social capital and the reduction of health inequalities, according to a recent policy paper by the OECD. The policy paper describes the combined effects of the sustainability of people’s wellbeing, the economy and the environment. It is possible to create solutions to the challenges of economic sustainability with the help of information.

The Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY has commissioned the Suomenoja wastewater treatment plant in Espoo to carry out an inventory of its equipment, with the aim of donating some of this to Ukrainian wastewater treatment plants. The Ministry of the Environment of Finland supports the donation.

The scientific evidence is clear: climate change is a threat to the wellbeing of humans and nature. In the report published today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC points out that urgent action is needed to ensure a liveable future for all. There is very little time for corrective actions but solutions are available.