The Climate Policy Council examines the government's overall policy with regard to the Swedish climate goals. This year's report focuses in particular on how best to harness synergies and manage conflicting objectives to guide the climate transition through turbulent times.
The report launch was broadcasted live. Henrik Smith participated in one of the panels discussing the synergies and conflicts that can arise in the green transition, and the role of the state in this transition that the industry is undergoing and will undergo. Henrik Smith mainly highlighted that:
- We have two major conflicts to deal with: the acute climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. However, as the climate transition accelerates, the issues of ecosystem services and biodiversity risk being pushed into the background. Climate change requires more and more resources such as metals, biomass and space for power generation - which risks triggering an environmental crisis. Therefore, we need to shift a one-sided focus from the supply of resources in the transition, to also increase our focus on efficiency and a reduced use och resources.
- As there are no simple ways to put an economic value to biodiversity, Henrik also highlights the difficulties of measuring its values and losses in the work with, among other things, the permit processes that authorities carry out that are relevant to the green transition.
- Finally, Henrik points out that we need an overall story about a transition that includes both climate policy and other green policies, not least to gain acceptance for some of the painful choices that must be made ahead.
You can download the report and watch the full broadcast of yesterday's report release on the following page (In Swedish):
