Sweden, an environmentally-friendly leader.
Key dates
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1967: Sweden was the first country to establish an environmental protection agency.
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1969: first to introduce an environmental protection act
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1972: Sweden leaded the first UN conference on the environment, bringing about the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
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1998 and 2002: one of the first nations to sign and ratify the international climate change treaty Kyoto Protocol.
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2001: The Stockholm Convention: global treaty to withdraw the production and use of persistent organic pollutants.
According to the Global Green Economy Index of 2014 (the leading international measure of the green economic performance of sixty countries), defined by four main dimensions which are leadership and climate change, efficiency sectors, markets and investment and environment and natural capital, Sweden had impressive results in every aspect.
Getting the first rank and being in the top 5 of the overall ranking, this country has become an impressive green leader and received a global recognition for it, thanks to its less than 0,2% of total global emissions this previous year.
How can this country, unlike the United States or China for instance, be so environmentally-friendly while having a highly developed and industrialized economy?
Sweden is a very wealthy country with a high national GPD and industrial, economic, natural and social resources, who tries to be as innovative as possible regarding energy and climate.
In the Sweden’s total supply of energy, 30% is Bioenergy coming from the forestry sector, most of which is used in industrial processes and district heating.
Swedish releases the lowest carbon emissions, with an average of 5,1 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year into the atmosphere, compared with the EU average of 7.9 tonnes and the US average of 19.1 tonnes. This is possible because carbon emissions are avoided as much as possible, thanks to the use of nuclear power and hydroelectric power for 78% of Sweden’s electricity.
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The government and corporations are highly committed.
What makes the special feature of Sweden is the outstanding involvement of the Government, of the national agencies, corporations and of the whole society.
The Swedish Government has a leading role in the process. For example, from 2011 to 2014, it has granted SEK 400 million in funding to promote research and innovation in environmental technology.
This sustainability has also been favoured by the government by the setting up of regulations concerning cycling in 2011 in order to develop cycling in the country. For instance, a famous Swedish city where one out four trips is by bike, Malmö, was named Cycling Promotion City of the Year.
Another example is the total support by the government for the use of only renewable electricity from hydropower or wind power for the Swedish trains, to avoid maximal emissions. A sustainable transportation is encouraged. The entire subway system runs on green electricity and the goal is to to have all buses running on renewable, environmentally-friendly fuel by 2025.
The Swedish companies actively follow the government’s footsteps and invest in renewable energy. One of the most famous examples would be the Wallenstam property company, which has decided to use in its own operations green electricity produced by its 41 hydroelectric and wind power plants owned around Sweden, in the aim of becoming entirely self-sufficient in renewable energy.
Moreover, there are many agencies trying to promote this sustainability, as the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which task is to present ideas for environmental policy and legislation to the Swedish government. There is also the Mistra foundation, which invests around SEK 200 million in research every year, into environmental issues that contribute to a sustainable society.
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Measures to encourage sustainability.
1- A recycling leader
Apart from the commitment of the Heads, sustainability seems to be a way of life for the Swedish society. Indeed, Sweden is the country that uses the most organic foods, that leads the way in recycling drinks, cans and bottles and that gets the highest share of its energy from renewable sources.
The recycling company Returpack has set up measures to encourage people to recycle more, by doubling the number of containers and advertising campaigns, even if its statistics showed that Swedes return approximatively 146 cans and bottles per persons.
2- Innovative strategies
Sweden has developed a way to reduce energy consumption by building passive houses in many communities across the country. This strategy consists in heating the residences with energy already created, such as the energy from people’s body heat, electrical appliances, lighting and sunlight. For instance, in 2011, the first Nordic passive residence was built in Stockholm. Including 36 apartments, the residence produces half the carbon dioxide emissions of a regular apartment building. Statistics showed that 7 out of 10 Swedes want to live in an eco-labeled house and would consider paying more for it.
Another example would be the Swedish company named Plantagon, which promotes the vertical greenhouses in Linköping. The aim is to show that it is possible to grow food efficiently and safely in a large city, through urban agriculture. These plants will generate an excess of heat and carbon dioxide, and the wste from the greenhouse will be used in the biogas plant. The construction will begin at the end of this year
"How a small country became big in cleantech"
The Swedish parliament wishes to achieve by 2020 16 objectives for environmental quality in Sweden.
1. Reduced climate impact
2. Clean air
3. Natural acidification only
4. A non-toxic environment
5. A protective ozone layer
6. A safe radiation environment
7. Zero eutrophication
8. Flourishing lakes and streams
9. Good-quality groundwater
10. A balanced marine environment, flourishing coastal areas and archipelagos
11. Thriving wetlands
12. Sustainable forests
13. A varied agricultural landscape
14. A magnificent mountain landscape
15. A good built environment
16. A rich diversity of plant and animal life
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