Sweden seems to have found a recipe that allows to protect the climate without it being at the expense of economic growth. According to the European Environment Agency, Sweden is ahead of all other countries on the continent when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And at the same time it has managed to double the growth of its economy.
Back in the 1990s, harmful emissions per capita in the country were five times lower than the European average. And since then they have been reduced by as much as 80 percent, while the same indicator on average for Europe is 30.
Especially impressive in this case is that Sweden – a highly industrialized country that produces steel, cement and cars – has managed to both reduce its emissions and double its economic growth.
Investments in clean energies
The Scandinavian country has some natural advantages. First of all, forests occupy 70 percent of its territory, and they are very useful when it comes to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases. Sweden is also blessed with plenty of wind, as well as mountains, rivers and lakes – also ideal for renewable energies.
This natural potential was appreciated in time and Sweden started investing in renewable energy sources earlier than other countries. Meanwhile, 70 percent of Sweden's electricity comes from hydro and wind power, and the rest is met by nuclear power plants. It follows that in the production of electricity, harmful greenhouse emissions tend to zero.
Decarbonisation of heat production
Heat production in Sweden is also done without fossil fuels. And in this regard, investments have long been made in the greater efficiency of systems - instead of heating houses with individual systems, large plants have been built that are connected to many residential buildings and industrial areas through insulated pipes and underground infrastructure.
„In order to create this infrastructure, it was necessary for the government and the private sector to cooperate,” Aza Pershon, a consultant to the Swedish government on climate issues, told DV. All this has not been cheap – considering that the pipes had to be laid through entire neighborhoods, but the government committed itself early on to the undertaking and implemented it consistently. “Sweden, as a cold country, has a real incentive to create efficient heating systems to take care of the population,” says Pershon.
The advantage of power plants is that the type of fuel used for them can be changed. And if earlier fossil fuels such as oil and coal were used, today 97 percent of heating energy is produced from biomass, in particular wood pellets, as well as from the burning of household waste.
Legal incentives for people and companies
All changes are also based on the relevant legislation – Since the 1990s, Sweden has implemented clear climate protection strategies, including introducing an emissions tax that was the first of its kind at the time and is now one of the strictest. Climate expert Mathias Goldman says the following to DV on this occasion: “The message sent was clear – either we will do things that are not good for the environment and we will have to pay tax for it, or we will do something that is better and we will not be taxed.
Goldman has studies that show that the introduced tax has a big impact on emissions: in the transport sector, for example, the decline is six percent a year on average. And unlike other countries where the public protested against the emissions tax, in Sweden it was well received.
However, it is transport as well as agriculture that are the two sectors that have not been successfully decarbonised and are currently the biggest sources of harmful emissions in Sweden. The explanation for the transport lies in the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – because of it, the government reduced taxes on gasoline and diesel, and introduced other measures to make traveling by car cheaper. However, the government has assured that the measures will be temporary and the goal of reducing emissions in the transport sector by 70 percent between 2010 and 2030 remains.
Can other countries benefit from Sweden's example?
„Sweden shows that it is actually possible to produce electricity without emitting any harmful emissions and this is an example for other countries in the world,”, the expert at the European Environment Agency Jore de Shriver.
His advice to other countries is to first identify which of their sectors have the biggest impact on the climate, where the biggest changes can be made, and build on that. “This will bring “green“ companies, “green“ jobs, export earnings amounting to billions, which will be able to be used for other things, such as more welfare, better education, etc.“, adds De Sriver.
According to Goldman, the situation in each country is different, but the important thing is to cover all processes – an opinion with which Pershon agrees. “The main lesson is that close collaboration between government, the private sector and local administration is needed to jointly implement these systemic solutions and take the risks for long-term investment. This was one of the factors for the success of Sweden's decarbonization, she points out.