Finland’s Interior Minister and chair of the Green Party Maria Ohisalo has demanded that the government’s coalition partners make the necessary decisions on climate policy during budget negotiations scheduled for the autumn.
This includes policies aimed at reducing the amount of emissions from agriculture, Ohisalo added, as Finland seeks to become carbon neutral by 2035.
“I would like to mention one example that has been left on the sidelines. Many sectors have already done much to combat climate change. Many individuals have done a lot, but agriculture is a sector that has not yet been able to reduce emissions over recent years,” Ohisalo said during an appearance on Yle TV1’s A-studio current affairs programme on Monday evening.
The minister added that there are many ways the agricultural sector could reduce emissions, including from the use of certain machinery and the burning of peat.
Ohisalo was speaking after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a comprehensive report on Monday underlining the urgency of combating climate change, and her comments are likely to lead to clashes with government coalition partner the Centre Party, which traditionally has a rural support base.
The IPCC report said that it will not be possible to halt the rise in average global temperatures without significant reductions in emissions.
The National Coalition Party’s (NCP) vice-chair Antti Häkkänen also appeared on Monday evening’s episode of A-studio, and said that the Finnish farmer’s union MTK has already expressed concern about climate change.
“In agriculture, it is worth looking for models in which both the climate and the farmer wins,” Häkkänen said.
The NCP and the Green Party both support proposals aimed at keeping the rise in global temperatures to the 1.5 degrees target, with Häkkänen arguing that his party’s policies demonstrate confidence in the market, people’s own choices and technology.
“No matter what action the Finnish government takes, it will not stop climate change. This will only be addressed through international cooperation, as key countries and regions will all commit to reducing emissions,” he said.
Ohisalo added that her party would be willing to an even more ambitious carbon neutrality target for Finland.
“Finland can be more prominent in terms of climate issues,” Ohisalo said.
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