Editorial|Editorial
The world and Finland should stick to their climate commitments and end their dependence on Russian energy sources.
Government last week managed to agree on complementary climate action in a more harmonious way than expected, but the achievements remained at the level of fuss. The Finnish Climate Panel has previously estimated that additional measures would have been needed for one million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The agreed constructions are expected to lead to reductions of around 0,2 million tonnes (HS 18.3.).
Due to the war in Ukraine, politicians both in Finland and elsewhere are under pressure to postpone climate goals and lower fuel prices.
Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko (center) said on Tuesday that the obligation to distribute biofuels is “necessary to assess”. Distributors must blend a certain proportion of renewable biofuels with transport fuels. The government believes that relaxing the blending obligation could lower the price of fuel and alleviate cost problems in the transportation industry. In Sweden, the government is doing the same by lowering the taxation on petrol and diesel.
Such decisions are short-sighted, in many ways bad lose-lose solutions. They improve the competitiveness of fossil fuels and increase both global warming emissions and dependence on Russian energy. The price of fuel will not necessarily fall by reducing the share of biofuels, as the cost pressure will come from rising oil prices.
If necessary, the transport sector must be supported by other means. The exit from fossil dependence must be accelerated, not slowed down. Liberalization of Russian energy will reduce the risk of price and security of supply in many sectors.
It is worth keeping to the agreed climate commitments even internationally. It is also what companies that are already investing in a world of commitments are hoping for. Postponement and uncertainty of targets would hamper investments that would otherwise take years to design and implement. If companies now have to cancel their plans, the green transition will be postponed too far.
The editorials are HS’s statements on a topical issue. The writings are prepared by HS’s editorial staff and reflect the magazine principle.
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