Today, the government is holding a long-promised climate meeting, but is now receiving criticism from the environmental movement. Of the nearly 300 people who have been invited to attend the conference, only three environmental organizations are represented. Greenpeace, with 130,000 contributors, is one of those not invited.
The purpose of the climate conference is that the government wants to have input into the climate policy action plan which, according to the Climate Act, must be made every four years and submitted to the Riksdag. The government’s focus for the meeting is that business needs the right conditions to invest even more in renewable energy and the green transition. “The new environmental movement” has previously been said by the government about the business world.
Greenpeace is one of the environmental organizations that are not welcome at the climate meeting.
– Of course it is good if business takes a step in the right direction, it is something that we also applaud. But if you look at the list of participants at the meeting, it is above all the heavy industries that sit and will listen to all the seminars. And it is they who are behind the biggest emissions. And today we haven’t even seen that they are trying to change, it’s going far too slowly, says Erika Bjureby, Sweden manager at Greenpeace.
“A little shocking”
The environmental organizations that are welcome at the climate meeting are the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Nature Conservation Society and the lesser-known association Ekomodernisterna is. But Greenpeace – which has 130,000 contributors in Sweden – does not have the government’s ear.
On several occasions, Greenpeace has tried to arrange a meeting with the Minister of the Environment, without success.
– Yes, we have tried a number of times, for example sent requests to our minister of the environment but unfortunately received a flat no. This is a big difference to previous governments. It’s a bit shocking, says Erika Bjureby.