On Thursday, the Climate Policy Council presented its annual report in which the government was criticized for not answering how the climate goals are to be reached, neither in the long nor in the short term.
Part of the criticism is that the government’s action plan focuses too unilaterally on electricity production, which Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari refutes.
– Our climate action plan puts Sweden on the right course. I don’t see that going back to high fuel prices is an option, she says and continues:
– I believe that our action plan is a strong plan because it welcomes all fossil-free power types and I believe that we do not overestimate nuclear power.
Not enough
But she agrees that current measures are not sufficient.
– We also note that. We have not solved the climate crisis in Sweden, Europe and the world, but we work to do so every day.
The government has just begun a restructuring of climate policy, therefore there are conditions for reaching net zero emissions in 2045, according to the minister.
– If we reach zero in 2045, no one can predict. But with electricity production where we welcome all types of fossil power, we are getting closer to that goal.
The goals are fixed
Both SD representatives and the Christian Democrats’ party leader Ebba Busch have opened up that the climate goals will not be reached.
– The goals are decided. Talking about us going forward undoing decisions made, the Sweden Democrats will not succeed in that.
In the short term, the government wants, among other things, to restore the wetlands. They also want to help companies that want to change, partly through Klimatklivet, but also by having infrastructure, permits and electricity in place.
But it is the long-term that will be decisive, says the minister.
– Electricity is absolutely crucial for Sweden’s transition. So the point that we should focus less on electricity and more on creating acceptance for higher fuel prices is not a viable path in my opinion.