UN environment chief warns against backtracking on climate action despite progress

The head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned Finland and the EU against weakening environmental policies under political pressure, emphasizing that delaying action will impose far greater costs on future generations.

Speaking during a visit to Helsinki in mid-April, Andersen told Finnish broadcaster Yle that while global efforts to combat climate change and biodiversity loss are moving in the right direction, the pace remains insufficient. “We are making progress, but not fast enough,” she stated, pointing to the economic viability of renewable energy as a sign of positive momentum.

Andersen, a 67-year-old Danish national with decades of experience in environmental leadership—including roles at the World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—stressed that current global trajectories still risk a 2–3°C temperature rise by 2100. “Is that good? No. But it’s better than the 4.5°C path we were on before the 2015 Paris Agreement,” she noted.

She highlighted the urgency of systemic change, acknowledging the complexity of transitioning economies built over centuries. “Turning a large ship takes time,” Andersen said, urging support for workers in carbon-intensive industries like coal mining and agriculture. “We must help them shift sectors—it’s difficult, but the process is underway.”

Addressing recent EU discussions about rolling back climate legislation—such as delays to deforestation regulations and weakened corporate sustainability rules—Andersen warned against short-term thinking. “You can’t negotiate with physics or nature,” she said. “The cost of abandoning commitments won’t be paid today, but by future generations.”

She praised Finland’s advancements in renewable energy, smart technologies, and electric vehicles but delivered a clear message: “Now is not the time to pause. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution don’t take breaks—neither can we.”