Summary:
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö commented on the recent climate report by IPCC in a climate conference in Rovaniemi. The President pointed out that everyone in the world is in the same boat. If the temperature rises more than 1.5 celcius degrees, it will make life difficult.

He pointed out that the arctic region is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world, and if we lose it, we will lose the world.

The President said that he has noticed that there is increasing will among countries to start working against climate change. For example, few countries ignored the topic at the UN summit in New York and particularly the French President Emmanuel Macron actively brought up the topic in discussions.

President Niinistö added that there are means to prevent climate change, but the most important thing is that major countries are able to agree on measures. He also called for national measures and praised the fact that the Prime Minister has taken initiative to discuss climate change with all party chairs.

According to Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, the IPCC report’s message was clear: Finland must do more and faster to battle climate change, and not all means to reduce emissions will be easy in Finland. The Prime Minister pointed out that the decisions require courage, consensus and long-term approach from political decision makers.

President Niinistö thinks that the reduction of black carbon use is the fastest way to slow down climate change in the Nordic region. The discussions with Russia and the United States on the issue have developed well, and the problem is recognised in the Arctic Council.

To combat climate change, the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland has made a decision to reduce its carbon footpring to a third from the current figures by February 2024. The Office announced its plan with a press release, but it mentioned no means how it plans to reach the goal.

In the project, the Office and its staff will be helped by Climate Leadership Coalition. The initiative on the new climate programme came from President Niinistö. The previous programme dates back from 2016, and it is now used as a comparison year for the project’s results.

Media:  Lapin Kansa , Turun Sanomat , YLE Uutiset, YLE Uutiset
Date: 9.10.2018
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