Climate policy

Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! The climate issue is global, and therefore the solutions must also be. Our policy aims both at reducing Sweden's emissions and at encouraging other countries to raise their climate ambitions. Sweden is and shall continue to be a green pioneer country, not because it feels good for the moment, but to show the world through practical action what is possible and to get more to follow suit.

The climate transition is our time's great challenge, and therefore effectiveness and results must take center stage. To manage the transition, a competitive business sector, much more clean electricity, and an acceptance of the climate policy are required. The question is not simple. It is not enough with the most convenient measures, which sound impactful and feel good in the stomach. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix.

The climate crisis is a global issue that Sweden must handle not only nationally but also globally. Here, the business sector plays an incredibly important role. By demonstrating the links between economic growth and emission reductions, Swedish companies are great role models in the world. Today, the global climate benefit of Swedish exports corresponds to half of the total emissions generated in Sweden – approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide. It is a figure that, under the right conditions, can be doubled as early as 2040.

The Moderaternas view on climate, energy, and environmental issues is characterized by technological optimism and hopefulness. We are convinced that through technical progress, science, and facts, humans can solve the problems we face and reach the climate goals. The technology exists. It is possible.

We shall meet our commitments in the EU and live up to our part of the Paris Agreement, but we also have the opportunity to contribute on a much larger scale. When other countries expand their coal power plants and increase their emissions, we must demonstrate the alternative. Sweden shall be the country in the world that shows that the green transition is a competitive advantage, benefits the country's growth, and creates jobs and prosperity. Transitioning to fossil-free shall be something to strive for, not feel like a punishment.

Climate reforms must therefore be designed in a way that gains acceptance and feels reasonable. The transition must be something that is good for Swedish households and companies. It is crucial for whether we succeed in getting other countries to follow suit or not. However, there are those who believe the opposite—that growth and a good economy are bad for the transition and that we can only succeed by worsening our economy. That is wrong. Without economic muscles, we will never manage anything at all, and no other countries will want to follow suit.

We find ourselves in a tough starting position where populist feel-good politics has been in control for far too long. It has led to a dismantled energy system, wasted tax money, and climate anxiety. Sweden has more to give, but that requires powerful measures with the right focus. The bourgeois government is now showing the way. In just seven months, we have set a new course for Swedish energy and climate policy. After eight years of Social Democratic rule, which has led to a dismantled energy system, it is a relief to now see a turnaround.

The climate transition is the great issue of our time, and the focus is now on pushing back emissions and electrifying. The dismantled energy system shall be built up. It will take time to reverse the development, but it is a change that must be made. Now is the time for tough priorities, and I am hopeful that we will succeed.

(Applause)

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Stina Larsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the speech! It is positive to hear that the Moderates and the government want good growth and a good economy, and that you believe in the business sector and new technology. I agree with that completely. It is in that way that we can move forward in the work to reach the climate goals.

I would, however, like to ask about the climate action plan. We have been promised it time and again, and so far it seems unclear when it will arrive and in what form the government intends to present this plan - if it will be a government bill at all. We have, on the other hand, seen agreements in the government basis to increase emissions instead of reducing them.

If the Centre Party had been allowed to decide, we would have reintroduced the climate bonus. Many families who want to do the right thing for the sake of the climate felt cheated when the government stopped this overnight, and now they cannot afford climate-smart alternatives. Furthermore, the government is now going to reduce the inclusion of biofuels. I therefore see that Sweden risks increasing emissions from our transports and missing the climate goals for 2030, so I ask Helena Storckenfeldt: What does the government intend to do to reach the emission goals for 2030?

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Stina Larsson for the questions.

We begin with the climate action plan. The government has been very clear that it will arrive this autumn. It is something we have gone out and said time and again, but the question still arises every time we have a debate in this chamber. It is claimed that the climate action plan has been postponed, but it has not. The previous government waited until the end of December to present the climate action plan. What this government is doing is following the Climate Act completely, and the action plan will arrive this autumn. I am very much looking forward to it, just as I believe Stina Larsson is.

What we do is ensure that we pursue a policy that is sustainable in the long run and that also sees reality as it is. We are in a tough economic situation, not least for Sweden's households and companies, and therefore the reduction of the reduction obligation was very important. It is about there being a legitimacy in climate policy overall. Now the reduction obligation is being lowered, and prices will be lowered. That is good for Swedish households and companies.

Regarding the electric car bonus, the Center Party is welcome to want to reintroduce it, but what we saw was that it is no longer needed. This is about having the right measure at the right time, and right now the right measure is to invest in the charging infrastructure because we see that the purchase of rechargeable cars is at approximately 50 percent. That bonus would therefore be wasted tax money that could have been allocated to something more effective.

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Stina Larsson (C)

Madam Speaker! The reason I am requesting the climate action plan is that the Minister for Climate and the Environment initially said it would arrive by Christmas. When we then passed Christmas, it was to arrive in the spring. Now the spring has passed, and now she says it will arrive in the autumn. I experience that the government has postponed it. Therefore, I will request this action plan until I see it on the table. And I really want the government to come forward with concrete proposals, because right now there are none.

People are talking about charging infrastructure. Yes, that is good, but if you don't have any cars that you can charge, it is not the solution. And when it comes to the reduction obligation, the experts say that there will not be any price reduction on, for example, gasoline, which most people use, and only a few kronor on diesel.

The effect on the economy and growth will not be in the way the government says today. Instead, it is a major setback for the climate with larger climate emissions.

Again: What concrete proposals does the government have? I do not see them on the table yet, and I do not want to be satisfied with them coming in the autumn. I want to know a bit how the government reasons. There has been talk about lowering speeds and introducing restrictions in various ways in traffic and in transport. I don't actually believe that is what the government intends.

What concrete proposals do you have that are to be presented in the autumn?

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! Again: The climate action plan has not been delayed, it will be released this autumn. It is also an answer that both I and Minister Romina Pourmokhtari have given the member several times now. It will be released this autumn.

Then concrete proposals are requested, and I happen to have a long list of proposals so far from the government. First and foremost, the investment in our energy system is the absolute biggest and most important thing that must be done, because we have had eight years with a Social Democratic government. The Centre Party has joined in there. They have been against nuclear power and dismantled the energy system with the fossil-free mix that has contributed to the fact that we have actually succeeded in reducing our emissions since the 70s. Energy is the key for the climate.

In addition to that, we have an initiative on the restoration of wetlands - 200 million permanently to that initiative - and on measures for marine and aquatic environments. We invest in CCS and bio-CCS. Lowered reduction obligation is also important for acceptance. We invest 4 billion in charging infrastructure, and we invest in Industriklivet and increased incentives to install solar cells on roofs. But perhaps the best example of all is that this government, the bourgeois moderate-led government, in seven months has approved twice as much offshore wind power as the previous government managed to do in eight years.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! Helena Storckenfeldt speaks beautifully about the climate and leads the discussion toward what is happening in the business sector and much of the green technology and the development we are seeing right now. And many of us are proud of Swedish industry, the new industrialization we see, but also very much of what is happening at Swedish companies. I would say that the Swedish business sector is very sharp right now, which is exciting, and there is a lot of pride here. This is largely due to the incentives that the business sector clearly received with the previous Social Democratic government, but also to the work being done at the EU level.

Helena Storckenfeldt feels relieved about the situation right now, but it is a feeling that very few share. On the contrary, it is the climate policy that the Swedish people currently experience as a black swan for the Swedish government. Opinion polls show that more and more people among the Swedish people are worried about the climate policy. The authorities are also worried, and that after having taken part in the first period with the Swedish government. Both the budget and much of the dismantling of the climate policy worry the authorities.

Even outside Sweden's borders, there are concerns about the Swedish government and the climate policy. The Czech presidency accelerated the climate policy with Fit for 55 precisely because they did not look with confidence at what the Swedish government would achieve.

I think Stina Larsson's question about the climate action plan is also very important to get answers to from the Moderaterna and the leading party in the government. We know that it is unclear what the climate action plan will be and not just when it is to arrive. Is it to be a memorandum? Is it to be a government bill? Should all parties in the Swedish Riksdag be involved? Do we want stability in the climate policy? There is so much to do, and it is not just about when but also about how.

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! In large terms, the climate issue is an energy issue. This is something the member is very aware of.

You sat in power for eight years. Everything was investigated. Nothing was done, except possibly the dismantling of our energy system. Now you stand here in the chamber and say that the Moderaterna are dismantling the climate policy. It is remarkable. Take responsibility for the past policy! When the Socialdemokraterna is still a political party that claims to be a government-bearer, it is a bit to be proven.

I wonder, because different messages come from Social Democratic representatives, about whether one is for renewables or for fossil-free. It varies to a very high degree. Therefore, I wonder: Where do the Social Democrats stand? What do the Social Democrats want with Swedish energy policy? Are you for or against nuclear power?

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Madam Speaker! It is sometimes said that the best defense is offense, and perhaps we should understand it as the Member of Parliament Storckenfeldt feeling cornered.

We are having a discussion here about climate policy, but the Member of Parliament wants to shift the debate to energy issues. It is an area where we feel confident with our policy. We would like to see a broad and secure energy mix and have stood for that historically as well. We are well aware that the current government would like to divert attention by saying: "Look, a bird!"

There is no worry here. On the other hand, there is a worry about the climate policy that the government pursues, both regarding the cuts in the budget and the very confusing situation regarding the reduction obligation and what it is to mean. Lower prices are promised, but it will be a blow to the climate. It is also a lack of interest in pursuing an active climate policy as a whole. We have authorities that are worried about where Sweden is headed. EU is also looking at Sweden and wondering what is happening. We were previously the leading country that in many ways pushed forward Fit for 55 but also the Climate Act. There is now a worry about what role Sweden will take. In that case, it is important that those who hold the government power answer the questions. How will we see the climate action plan delivered? Will it be a bill or will it be a memorandum?

(Applause)

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! I believe the member is aware that energy policy is climate policy. That is where we see the largest emitters in the world. It is also there that we in Sweden have the opportunity to be a leading country in Europe and in the world.

We have an opportunity here, but then we must also marry growth with high climate ambitions. They must go hand in hand, otherwise no other country in the world will want to follow our example.

Here I see eight lost years with the Social Democrats in power. We are now working on building up the climate policy, because the foundation of the climate policy lies in that if we do not have a stable fossil-free energy system that can cover all our needs here in Sweden and that we cannot export, we will not manage. Then no other country will want to follow suit.

I see that the big question lies in having a systems perspective when we talk about climate policy instead of tinkering with plastic bag taxes and e-bike premiums, because that is not what will get us to the goal. Fundamentally, climate policy is about energy.

(Applause)

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Elin Söderberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Member Helena Storckenfeldt mentioned in her speech that the business sector holds the key to the climate transition.

When Miljöpartiet was in government, we, together with the Socialdemokraterna, laid the foundation for the enormous green industrial revolution that is now taking place in Sweden. We worked actively to reform the emissions trading in the EU, and we worked actively with Industriklivet, Klimatklivet, green credit guarantees, Fossilfritt Sverige, a cross-bloc energy agreement, and a long series of other conditions that are now leading to Sweden being on its way to becoming the first country to produce fossil-free steel.

We see a long line of actors who want to invest multi-billion amounts in Sweden to free themselves from fossil coal and transition the industry, which can thereby strengthen Swedish competitiveness. But the business community needs more for the transition to be able to be taken all the way to port. One is very clear from the business side when requesting competence supply, electricity now in the near term, and improved permit processes. On none of these three points has the government delivered.

When I am out with the actors in northern Sweden where the industrial transition is actually taking place, we also see a great need in the municipalities for housing construction, teachers in Kiruna and staff within the welfare sector in Skellefteå – a long series of measures that are needed for this to become the positive societal development that the green industrial transition can mean. The government is also not delivering in these areas. This means that we in Sweden could lose out on the industrial transition and that the investments are made in other countries.

The government's actions damage Swedish competitiveness. That is the position we find ourselves in now.

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by welcoming Member Elin Söderberg to the debate.

We thought Industriklivet was very good, which is why we have expanded it. The same applies to Klimatklivet, which we have focused specifically on charging infrastructure. Wind power will be needed here and now; it is the one that can be expanded absolutely fastest in the short perspective. We will also need to review the incentive structure to ensure that more actually want wind power in their municipalities.

But I think it is remarkable that the Green Party has such a high moral standing in the climate debate when, during their time in power, they pursued a line that largely led to a dismantled energy system, high prices, climate anxiety, and the lowest growth in the entire EU.

Until now, the government has invested in the rewetting of wetlands, measures for marine and aquatic environments, CCS, bio-CCS, charging infrastructure and Industriklivet, and has approved twice as much offshore wind power in seven months as the red-green government managed in eight years. And that is only the beginning. This is seven months with a bourgeois government.

Miljöpartiet is welcome to step down from its high horse and see reality. This is the policy being pursued here and now. It is no longer sufficient to shout for plastic bag taxes and e-bike subsidies. The climate demands proposals that make a difference in reality, and there, energy is of vital importance.

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Elin Söderberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Active climate policy ensures that the transport sector and industry are given the conditions to transition. This increases the demand for electricity. Much more of that energy needs to be produced now in the near term, but simply producing more electricity without any more climate policy does not solve the climate transition.

The energy policy debate was yesterday, and if Member of Parliament Helena Storckenfeldt would very much like to be part of that debate, she is welcome to be, but what we are discussing now is climate policy. And what this government is doing now is actively increasing greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden, and this in a situation where emissions must decrease dramatically now in the near term if we are to meet the Paris Agreement.

All the measures that Helena Storckenfeldt has mentioned here in the exchange are such measures that Miljöpartiet and Socialdemokraterna worked on in government. We had resources for the restoration of land, as well as for CCS and bio-CCS. We worked actively to expand the charging infrastructure, but we did so together with an electric car bonus so that we also increased the proportion of the vehicle fleet powered by electricity.

Much more electricity is needed in the near term. We can achieve this by freeing up electricity through energy efficiency, an area that this government is not investing in at all. Instead, they have chosen to shut down an inquiry on energy efficiency just months before it was finished.

More incentives are required for wind power. Instead, the choice was made to tighten the incentive investigation so that it could not put forward any sensible proposals when the investigation was completed. Several of the proposals put forward here in the chamber to strengthen the incentives and shorten the permit processes regarding wind power were voted against.

What is needed now is a political leadership that takes all of Sweden through the climate transition, and here the government is failing.

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Helena Storckenfeldt (M)

Madam Speaker! I believe that it is largely a matter of implementing the right measure at the right time. The climate bonus is the wrong measure at the wrong time right now. It was right back then, when the costs were at approximately 5 percent, but now they are at 50. Now it is the wrong measure, and therefore we are investing much more in the charging infrastructure so that it pays off for everyone living in the country, not just for those living in Södermalm, to buy an electric car.

There must be a possibility for parents of small children who have to drop off and pick up to have an electric car. There must be a real possibility to own that electric car. With the previously conducted policy, that possibility did not exist.

Now we are investing in the expansion of the charging infrastructure and removing the money from a subsidy that is no longer needed. For the Green Party, it seems money grows on trees – that is the difference. The Moderates see a tough economic situation, and we also take responsibility in that situation.

(cont. § 18)

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