Climate Policy Roundtable: Climate plan for land use sector must take into account many dimensions of just transition

On Tuesday 22 March, the Climate Policy Roundtable discussed the climate plan for the land use sector. The discussions focused on the impacts of climate measures in the land use sector on biodiversity and the need to take into account just transition in a comprehensive way. The Roundtable also highlighted the global impact chains of wood production, security of supply in food production and the transition to sustainability through more plant-based production and consumption.

The meeting discussed a variety of measures proposed for inclusion in the climate plan for the land use sector related to afforestation, peatlands, agricultural policy and the prevention of deforestation. Senior Ministerial Adviser Heikki Granholm from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry gave an overview of the climate plan for the land use sector, and Senior Forest Economist Jani Laturi from Pellervo Economic Research PTT presented an assessment of the economic impacts of the plan.

Regional and social fairness at the heart of emission reduction measures

The Roundtable stressed that the importance of examining the fairness of climate measures from many different perspectives. Landowners, entrepreneurs and employees must be involved in the change: sector operators must be taken into account comprehensively through training and joint pilot programmes, and they must be able to exert influence. The discussion also highlighted the need to take into account fairness over multiple generations.

“In climate action, fairness should be seen as the right of present and future generations to a stable climate, diverse nature and a safe environment,” said Harri Hölttä, Chairman of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

Links to biodiversity must be recognised

Those present at the Roundtable considered it important for the climate plan to include a comprehensive assessment of future challenges. In particular, they highlighted the need to assess the wide-ranging impacts of the plan and to coordinate the climate plan for the land use sector with the Sustainable Development Goals and especially with work to strengthen biodiversity.

The Roundtable commended those involved in drawing up the plan for identifying a wide range of measures to reduce emissions in the land use sector and to strengthen carbon sinks and storage. The discussion highlighted the global market for wood production and exports of wood-based products that bind carbon over the long term, and the role of these exports in increasing Finland’s carbon handprint.

The perspectives of the Roundtable will be taken into account in finalising the climate plan for the land use sector and will be submitted for information to the Ministerial Working Group on Climate and Energy Policy.

Inquiries

Joonas Rahkola
Special Adviser to the Prime Minister
tel. +358 295 160 998
joonas.rahkola@gov.fi

Riikka Yliluoma
Special Adviser to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
tel. +358 50 414 1682
riikka.yliluoma@gov.fi

Heikki Granholm
Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
tel. +358 295 162 130
heikki.granholm@gov.fi

Jarmo Muurman
Senior Ministerial Adviser, Secretary-General of the Climate Policy Roundtable
tel. +358 295 250 185
jarmo.muurman@gov.fi

The Climate Policy Roundtable brings together a broad spectrum of stakeholders from different sectors of society. The purpose of the Roundtable is to create a common understanding of how Finland can make a just transition to a carbon neutral society by 2035. With its work, the Roundtable supports the preparation and implementation of Finland’s national climate policy.

You can follow the work of the Roundtable on social media using the hashtags #ilmastonpyöreäpöytä and #hiilineutraali2035. Use #HiilestäKiinni to follow the discussion on Catch the Carbon package of climate measures and #MISU2035 to follow the discussion on the climate plan for the land use sector