In the new government’s budget for 2023, for the first time in a long time, investment in the environment and climate is reduced.
You save four billion kroner or 17 percent in the first year. The following year, the budget is reduced even more. From SEK 23.7 billion in 2022 to SEK 9.9 billion in 2025 in planned expenses, a reduction of 58 percent in three years.
“Working differently”
Major savings can be found in the area of ”measures and protection for valuable nature”, where the government saves 1.5 billion kroner already by next year, by 2024 they save even more.
SEK 600 million will be saved on measures for the marine and water environment by 2025.
– We will work very differently to the previous government with climate issues. There are also areas where we make big investments. We can say that there will be less whip and more carrot, says Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) to SVT.
But the biggest saving in money is the decision to completely abolish the green car bonus. It costs 7.4 billion this year. Already placed orders for cars that will receive bonuses means that one expects continued high costs of SEK 5.9 billion for 2023, but then it will be zero.
Industry gets money
Not all areas receive less money, but with regard to the few items that receive increased grants, it is a matter of smaller amounts, the government doubles “International climate investments”, but in amount it will only be 100 million new kroner.
Environmental research is an area that largely keeps its money. The industrial sector receives a couple of hundred million kroner in increased grants.
Climate investments will increase for two years, from 2.7 to over four billion kroner in 2024. This is one of the investments the climate minister is pointing to and where the government has invested 500 million per year in addition to previous decisions. But this support has been temporary, and by 2025 it is expected to be drastically cut, as it only amounts to one billion kroner.
An item for “climate premiums” which cost 1.7 billion in 2022, will decrease steeply and almost disappear by 2025.
The professor: “Small bets”
Professor Göran Finnveden at KTH tells SVT that it can be good to think in terms of efficiency, but that the problem is that the investments are small.
– At the same time, you pay much more for measures that will increase emissions.
Hear more of Göran Finnveden’s criticism in the clip above.