How Does Finland Compare? Challenges and opportunities for Finland

Per Mickwitz,

Research Director,

Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

Member of the Scientific Committee of

the European Environment Agency

The State of the European Environment – How does Finland compare?

Thursday 25.6.2015 at 8.30-11.30

Ministry of the Environment

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● Comparative studies provide good opportunities for learning, ○ one should approach the SOER country comparisons

as a learning possibility instead of trying to argue why there are some problems with the indicators

● Finland is part of Europe ○ the main message of the SOER is as true for Finland as

for Europe in large ○ in other words similarities are more important than

differences, especially when we look ahead to 2050.● Finland has many strengths with respect to the main

challenge and there are some promising policy approaches

Main points

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Population density in Finland is low and Finland is less urbanised than most European countries

Impacts&Opportunities

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Finland has a large share of Europe's forests: economic significance and responsibility SOER figure: Conservation status of forest habitat types by region

COUNTRY COMPARISON

S

GLOBALMEGATRENDS

EUROPEANBRIEFINGS

COUNTRIES & REGIONS

SYNTHESISREPORT

Related content

SOER2015 / Cross-country comparisons/

Material resource use (DMC) per capita in 32 European countries (2000, 2007 and 2012)

Resource efficiency – material resource efficient and productivity

Data sources: Eurostat. Material Flow Accounts Note: A time series was available for 32 countries, but for four countries the full time series was not available: 2000 not available for Serbia so 2001 data are shown;

latest data year for Norway was 2008; 2012 data not available for Switzerland and Turkey so 2011 data shown.

EU-2

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Roads&Mines

COUNTRY COMPARISON

S

GLOBALMEGATRENDS

EUROPEANBRIEFINGS

COUNTRIES & REGIONS

SYNTHESISREPORT

Related content

SOER2015 / Cross-country comparisons/

Percentage share of renewable energies in gross inland energy consumption in 34 European countries

Energy - energy consumption and share of renewable energy

Data sources: Eurostat. Gross inland energy consumption, by fuel; EEA – Indicator ENER029

the

Form

er Y

ugos

lav

Repu

blic

of M

aced

onia

The share of renewable energy in Finland is high

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Change in the total demand for energy in Finland

Energy consumption in Finland2000-2010: + 11 % (1,0 %/year)Energy consumption in Finland2010-2014: - 8,4 % (-1,7 %/year)

Energy consumption in Finland1970-2000: + 184 % (6,1 %/year)

Updated from Statistics Finland based on an original slide by Raimo Lovio

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Total energy consumption by energy source (%)

1960

1963

1966

1969

1972

1975

1978

1981

1984

1987

1990

1993

1996

1999

2002

2005

2008

2011

2014

*0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Fossil fuels

Peat

Renewable energy

Nuclear

Others

%

Source: Statistics Finland

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Two new energy sources

19701973

19761979

19821985

19881991

19941997

20002003

20062009

20120

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

Wind powerHeat pumpsT

J

Source: Statistics Finland

Towards adistributed energy systembased on multiple renewable sources

1,2 %

0,2 %

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Finland is part of Europe:the main message of the SOER is as true for Finland as for Europe in large

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● The policies in place are delivering results, many of the 2020 targets will be achieved

● The long-term aim “to ensure that ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’” will not be achieved with just current policies

Finland is part of Europe:the main message of the SOER is as true for Finland as for Europe in large

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● Neither environmental policies, nor economic and technology-driven efficiency gains are likely to be sufficient.

● “living well within ecological limits will require fundamental transitions in the systems of production and consumption that are the root cause of environmental and climate pressures." (page 14)

Finland is part of Europe:the main message of the SOER is as true for Finland as for Europe in large

Fundamental transitions of production and consumption

The use of naturalresources isincreasing

Greenhouse gas emissions are

increasingThe amount of waste

and emissions are increasing

Little

Little

Safeguarding

Little

Fundamental transitions of production and consumption

A transition to a carbon neutral circular economy: an environmental necessity & an economic opportunity

COUNTRY COMPARISON

S

GLOBALMEGATRENDS

EUROPEANBRIEFINGS

COUNTRIES & REGIONS

SYNTHESISREPORT

Source: EEA.

Reducing environmental pressures or offsetting harmful effects

Enabling factor: joined-up policy and knowledge responses

Vision: HINKU municipalities

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In the beginning20085 municipalities35 000 inhabitants

Currently201526 municipalities395 900 inhabitants

HINKU municipalities act as forerunners

by working to tackle their greenhouse gas emissions ahead of EU schedule

(-80% by 2030)

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● Finland has a fantastic opportunity to be a leader in this development because of:○ the cooperation we have, and ○ the easiness of making contacts, of communicating and

of collaborating across sectors, between researchers and the administration and between researchers and business.

● Interesting emphasis on co-production: ○ The Forum for Environmental Information ○ Future Earth Finland○ The Strategic Research Council ○ The Government’s analysis, assessment and research

activities

Knowledge: Co-production of knowledge in practice

Innovation: the mechanisms of path creation

Lovio, Mickwitz & Heiskanen 2011, 284

ST1Piggybaggy

Neste,UPM,Stora-Enso

Open homes Minimum share of biofuels

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