Finland's forests, long known as major carbon sinks, have now become sources of carbon emissions. This situation has attracted attention in the fight against climate change and calls for urgent action. Forests play a key role in sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so their transformation into emission sources is an alarming trend. Experts agree that without effective action it will be difficult to halt this trend.
The Finnish forest industry has made a surprising proposal to open the Climate Change Act for review and abandon the carbon neutrality target. This initiative has attracted strong opposition from environmental organisations and citizens alike. The industry's position is based on the view that the current targets are too ambitious and could harm the forest industry's economic activity and competitiveness.
However, criticism has been raised in particular about how such a proposal could jeopardise Finland's leading position in the fight against climate change. Many see this industry proposal as an attempt to put short-term economic interests ahead of long-term damage to the environment. Consequently, the industry proposal has met with widespread opposition from both NGOs and responsible companies that see the preservation of climate targets as an important part of sustainable business.
Greenpeace has repeatedly stressed that opening up the climate law and abandoning the carbon neutrality target would be a step backwards in Finland's climate commitments. Instead, the organisation stresses that existing laws should be further developed to enable Finnish forests to once again act as efficient carbon sinks.
Greenpeace in particular has stressed the importance of a long-term approach to climate policy to address the situation. The organisation has called on the government and businesses to invest in new solutions that can improve the carbon sequestration capacity of forests while promoting economic growth.
Greenpeace's climate expert Kaisa Kosonen has raised concerns about the inconsistency of the forest industry's proposals. She has argued that the industry's practices are outdated and no longer meet current environmental requirements, which demand ever greater responsibility from companies.
Mr Kosonen stresses that companies should strive for innovative and sustainable solutions rather than sticking to their traditional ways of doing things. This is particularly important at a time when the effects of climate change are increasingly visible.
Scientists have proposed a number of ways to improve the situation of Finland's forests. These include the use of new technologies in forest management, increasing the diversity of tree species and strategic planning of land use to optimise carbon sequestration. The results of scientific research suggest that these measures could help to restore Finland's forests as efficient carbon sinks.
In addition, experts have stressed that international attention to Finland's forests could improve the competitiveness of countries and attract new investment. This could bring significant economic benefits while helping to meet climate targets.
Finland's strong scientific base and public support for climate goals have built a reputation as an innovative and responsible climate actor. This has also attracted many companies to invest in Finland as they see the country as a stable environment for business and responsible investment.
Responsible companies in Finland will continue to defend the importance of climate legislation and strongly oppose industry proposals to weaken the law. These companies believe that sustainability and climate goals are both a morally and economically wise choice for future business.
