EUobserver: Sweden and Finland can be world-leading bioeconomies
The forests of Sweden and Finland represent more than 30 percent of the EU's woodland. Sweden and Finland will pioneer the bioeconomy, leading the way and inspiring countries in the EU and around the globe.
Forest. Photo: AVTG, iStockphoto
Since taking office, our governments have taken several initiatives to develop our respective countries as leaders within the bioeconomy, including within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
These initiatives aim to strengthen the long-term policy ground rules that will steer us away from dependence on fossil fuels and help advance successful industries that can create sustainable jobs. In concrete terms, this involves the following:
Increasing the use of wood can help us significantly reduce the climate impact of the construction process. The production of wooden buildings requires less energy and generates fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the course of their life cycle than many other buildings.
A large part of Sweden’s and Finland’s CO2 emissions come from vehicle fleets. It is therefore essential to accelerate the transition towards a fossil-free transport sector. Advanced biofuels have an important role to play in decarbonising the transport sector together with other solutions.
A fossil-free vehicle fleet is a realistic and achievable goal, according to the major 2013 Swedish inquiry Freedom from Fossil Fuels on the Road. Paving the way for long-term policy ground rules will enable us to work for tax regulations that are conducive to the necessary capital-intensive investments.
Read the article by Sven-Erik Bucht and Olli Rehn in EUobserver