Climate panel calls for higher fuel mandate and stricter forest rules

Finland’s Climate Change Panel says the country needs additional measures to meet its climate targets, including raising the renewable fuel distribution obligation to 100 per cent by 2045 and changing forest management rules, Yle reports.

The panel’s recommendations are intended to help Finland meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, as well as its EU and national climate commitments. The panel advises policymakers on climate policy using scientific evidence and is established under Finland’s Climate Act.

Finland has reduced emissions from fossil fuels, but its forests’ carbon sink has weakened. The panel says the measures already agreed will not be enough to achieve the country’s climate goals.

Transport

The panel recommends changing transport taxes and subsidies to support electrification. It says vehicle taxes based on carbon dioxide emissions should be increased in stages, and that more charging points are needed for heavy vehicles.

It also calls for a gradual increase in the fuel distribution obligation, which requires fuel suppliers to provide a set share of renewable fuels. The panel says the obligation should reach 100 per cent in 2045, the target year for fossil-free transport. Renewable fuels cost more than fossil fuels, and the panel says other measures alone cannot achieve the target.

The panel also recommends state support for walking, cycling and public transport, as well as road charges such as congestion fees in cities.

Agriculture and food

Agricultural emissions have remained nearly unchanged, despite opportunities for cost-effective reductions, the panel says. It proposes a target of consuming as much plant-based protein as animal-based protein, supported by changes to agricultural policy and financial incentives, as well as the development of food products, public procurement and food services.

The panel recommends raising water levels on abandoned and poorly productive peat fields, turning them into climate wetlands or areas for wetland cultivation. It describes this as the largest and least expensive way to cut agricultural emissions.

It also proposes results-based payments to encourage emissions reductions in agriculture.

Forests

Finnish forests are being used so intensively that growth in their carbon stocks has stopped, according to the panel. It says this puts at risk both Finland’s 2030 EU obligation for the land-use sector and its national goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. Both commitments depend on maintaining the forest carbon sink at a specified level.

The panel recommends reforming the Forest Act and the Water Act. It says the Forest Act should require forest management that strengthens the carbon balance by improving forests’ and soils’ ability to absorb and store carbon and reducing emissions from them.

Other proposed measures include extending forest rotation periods, delaying harvests beyond their usual timing and reducing the intensity of thinning. The panel also says clear-cutting should be avoided in nutrient-rich, drained peatland forests, which should be kept wetter than they are today. It recommends putting these measures into the Forest Act and imposing penalties for breaches.

The panel also says Finland should determine how much timber can be harvested in an ecologically sustainable way while still meeting climate targets.