photo: Liisa Hulkko
By Grandparents for Climate Finland
The Finnish government is ignoring the Finnish Climate Act
Finland has adopted one of the strongest net zero climate targets among industrialised nations, committing to become climate neutral by 2035 and reach net negative emissions thereafter. These and other science-based targets – supported by Finland’s businesses and trade unions alike – are set in Finland’s revised Climate Act, and policy, adopted with a broad majority by the Parliament in 2022. The current Prime Minister party, the National Coalition Party voted also for the act even if it was in the opposition.
However, Finland is not on track to meet its targets. This is primarily due to too high levels of wood harvest and lack of sufficient action to curb agricultural and transport emissions. Consequently, Finland is also failing to meet some of its obligations under EU climate legislation. According to the Climate Act, this constitutes a situation where the government should decide on additional climate measures and revise its climate action plans accordingly.
Yet, this has not taken place.
Finnish environmental and human rights organizations and Finnish Sámi Youth are taking Finland to court for its lack of adequate climate action. Finnish Grandparents for Climate is one member of this coalition. The organizations argue that the government’s inaction violates Finland’s national Climate Act, internationally acknowledged for its relatively strong targets, and fails to meet the state’s legal obligations to protect human rights. The case builds on a previous court ruling in Finland, as well as on the recent groundbreaking ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of KlimaSeniorinnen Switzerland.
In their appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, the claimant NGOs demand that the government swiftly takes sufficient additional measures to meet its climate targets and other obligations laid out in the Climate Act, the Constitution of Finland and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The appeal has been filed by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto), Greenpeace Norden, Amnesty International Finland, Grandparents for Climate (Ilmastoisovanhemmat), the Finnish Nature League (Luontoliitto) and the Finnish Sámi Youth (Suoma Sámi Nuorat).
Have a look at the website of the Grandparents for Climate Finland and find a comprehensive press release here. The national public broadcasting company YLE published an article about the case.