Words by Smiley Team
When it comes to fighting climate change, Finland is the country doing the most.
The country's parliament has made history as the first country to make their commitment to reversing climate change legally binding.
The new Climate Change Act, which comes in the wake of a report by Finland’s Climate Change Panel, predicts that with this new legislation, Finland will be greenhouse gas neutral by the early 2030s, with negative emissions by 2040.
“This translates into an over 100% reduction target for 2050," stated the report, which went on to explain that the 80% reduction goal which was previously in the Finnish Climate Change Law was “highly insufficient”.
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“Proactive policies for increasing carbon sinks are also needed to achieve the required levels of emissions removals," the report added. Carbon sinks are anything which absorbs more carbon that in returns to the atmosphere – like trees, soil, and other plants.
By investing more time and money into carbon sinks around Finland, any carbon emissions – for example from raising livestock, cement production, or even natural sources such as decomposition – will be offset. In simple terms, the more trees there are in Finland, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, the less of an effect everyday emissions will have.
So what does this mean for the future of carbon reduction?
By being the first country to make reducing carbon emissions a legal issue, Finland has changed the game. Climate activists have been campaigning for urgent change for a long time now, and it seems like they are being listened to. Now that Finland has stepped things up, it won’t be long before other countries follow suit.
SUPPORT: Find your local MP and email them about carbon reduction.
DONATE: Donate to charities such as The Climate Coalition to help support a greener future.
