Finnish minister expresses concerns over carbon sinks amid legal challenges to government climate measures

Finnish Environment and Climate Minister Kai Mykkänen has expressed concerns regarding carbon sinks. In an interview with Yle News, he stated that additional climate actions are necessary, which are currently being developed this autumn as part of the energy and climate strategy.

Various organizations have taken legal action against Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government due to what they claim are insufficient climate measures. They argue that the government is violating climate laws, which include EU obligations concerning forest carbon sinks and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in Finland by 2035. The collapse of carbon sinks has emerged as a major reason for the legal challenge.

Mykkänen noted that the decline in carbon sinks was already apparent during the previous government, with the amount of carbon sequestered by soil and forests decreasing over the past fifteen years. He pointed out that Finland halted timber imports from Russia two years ago, necessitating the replacement of timber from the Eastern Finnish forest industry.

He emphasized the need for enhanced forest growth and changes in forest management in Finland to increase carbon sequestration, as well as a new approach to managing peatlands. Mykkänen expressed that he is more concerned about carbon sinks than the reduction of fossil emissions. “Fortunately, fossil emissions are projected to decrease by more than half during this decade,” he said.

Regarding transport emissions, he indicated that Finland is on track to meet its 2023 targets through mechanisms like emissions trading, but he believes more should be done to further reduce emissions. “Our concern for collective climate security is well-founded,” Mykkänen concluded.