Response to interpellation 2023/24:546 on the path to net zero
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerned the government's path to net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest and the credibility of the climate action plan. L argues that the government is taking long-term responsibility through a market-based climate policy where electrification and nuclear power are crucial to reaching the goals 1 2 3. L emphasizes that the investigation on instruments for 2027–2030 shall ensure that the costs for households and companies do not become unreasonably high 1 3. S criticizes the government because authorities believe that current policy does not lead to the goals 4. S demands to know when the investigation will be appointed and warns of high fines from the EU if the goals are missed 4 5. S argues that emissions trading is a necessary part of the roadmap 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam President! Linus Sköld has asked me how I intend to act to make the climate action plan credible moving forward and which variants of policy instruments I intend to use to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest.
Sweden shall pursue an ambitious and effective climate policy. The Government takes long-term responsibility for a climate policy that has the conditions to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest.
The Climate Action Plan lays the foundation and provides the conditions that households and companies need to be able to make the decisions required to reach all the way down to net zero. The Government has also made a decision on the energy policy orientation proposition, which is an important complement in the work for the fossil-free economy. Continued electrification is crucial to reach the long-term climate goals. In that work, nuclear power is of particular importance.
The government's policy is based on the conditions that need to be established for the climate transition. As more emissions are included in the emissions trading system, where a cap is set on the amount of greenhouse gases that may be emitted, the climate policy becomes more focused on finding measures that promote the climate transition. Well-balanced measures that contribute to more efficient transport and to electrification imply a reduced demand for fuels.
The Government will appoint an inquiry to analyze and provide a basis for which policy instruments can be designed for the period 2027-2030 so that Sweden's commitments in the EU can be met in a cost-effective and socio-economically efficient manner. It must be ensured that not unreasonably high costs for households and businesses arise with a risk of serious impact on the competitiveness of Swedish companies.
When the interpellator reported that he was prevented from attending the meeting, the presiding age president granted that Jytte Guteland (S) instead was allowed to participate in the interpellation debate.
Jytte Guteland (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
The interpellator Linus Sköld has asked the relevant question of what the government is doing to reach net zero by 2045. Swedish authorities agree that the current policy and the climate action plan the government has presented do not lead to us reaching the goals and that we will neither meet the goals by 2030 nor net zero by 2045. Several agencies have said this, among others the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
The Minister says in his response that a number of measures are heart-wrenching and that the climate action plan lays the foundation and provides the conditions that households and companies need to make the decisions that are required. The authorities do not agree, however, and state clearly that we will not reach the goals. How can the Minister then say the foundation exists and that companies and households receive the conditions that are required?
My second question concerns the investigation the Minister mentions in his answer. It has almost been half a year since the government promised that it would be appointed during the year. When will the investigation be appointed? How can it be so difficult? What is the government waiting for? Will it be by New Year's Eve?
If we are to reach net zero by 2045, we really need to start now. The targets for 2030 are crucial for several reasons, partly to provide the basis and conditions for Sweden to reach net zero, and partly to avoid Sweden failing to live up to decided legislation. If we do not live up to the legislation, we could face fines at the EU level and other troubles. Buying emission rights from other countries has been put forward as an idea by the government itself, but it would become very expensive, if not extremely expensive, for Swedish taxpayers. If we do not tackle this, the risk is therefore that Sweden will have to pay billions to other countries or receive very high fines because we do not live up to the legislation. Has the government, in the current difficult situation, started calculating what these fines will cost?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Since the interpellor Linus Sköld has asked how the climate action plan can be made more credible and which variants of policy instruments we intend to use to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest, I intend to stick to this and not reason about prices on emission allowances within the EU's system for emission allowance trading. It would become a purely speculative and hypothetical discussion because we only know these prices when the countries know what their emission scenarios look like and whether they have a surplus.
Let us instead stick to the interpellation and discuss how the climate action plan can become more credible. When the government speaks of laying the foundation and providing the conditions for companies and households to succeed with the transition, it is about first and foremost identifying what is required for Sweden to stop emitting and move from today's emissions to zero. Today, two-thirds of the emissions are within transport and industry and one-sixth within agriculture.
What is it that is happening within the industry? Well, thanks to engineering and innovation, it is now possible to start manufacturing steel without emissions, that is, clean steel. In Sweden, a single company accounts for 10 percent of Sweden's emissions, and that company produces just steel. If we help this company, Sweden can succeed in reducing its emissions by 10 percent. That company reaches out and is primarily concerned about the availability of electricity. They wonder where all the electricity for the green steel will come from. In order to be able to move from dirty, fossil production to clean steel, clean electricity is needed.
The transport sector also accounts for a third of Sweden's emissions. From the exhaust pipes of trucks, cars, and buses, carbon dioxide has always been billowing out. But soon it will stop billowing. Instead, we will get electric trucks, electric cars, and electric buses, and we are already seeing more and more electric cars on our roads. In that sector, people are also worried and are requesting charging stations throughout the country, not just in Stockholm, so that more can feel that an electric car is an option. People are also worried about how we will get the amount of electricity needed to electrify our transport fleet.
I also mentioned agriculture, a sector that also contributes to Sweden's emissions. In agriculture, work is also being done to transition and eliminate the dirty aspects. Here, a fantastic solution has been found through clean fertilizer, but to be able to produce this clean fertilizer, a lot of electricity is needed.
Madam Speaker! Common to all the different parts of our society that generate emissions is that electricity is the fundamental prerequisite for removing the dirty and bringing in the clean. We need more wind power and more solar power, and we also need nuclear power.
Jytte Guteland (S)
Madam Speaker! The Social Democrats agree with several parts of the answer, including the enthusiasm over what electricity can achieve in our country and in the entire EU when it comes to the transition. It is very important to get out charging stations and that we buy more electric cars. We truly stand behind electrification.
However, it is clear that the Minister is reluctant to speak about the fact that we are currently on track to increase emissions and that the authorities are seriously concerned that it is going in the wrong direction. The difficulty of achieving net zero became clear with the action plan that the government has presented.
How are we to achieve the goals for 2030 and thus net zero by 2045? One possibility is to purchase emission rights from other countries. The Minister says that the government is not looking at or considering this issue in the Government Offices. But in the situation we find ourselves in right now, the Minister really needs to talk about and let the issue be analyzed in the Government Offices. It is urgent if we are to be able to purchase emission rights from other countries to meet our own goals. We must prepare for the transfers to take place within a couple of years, so that it is still possible to manage the situation. Everything else would be risky. Does the Minister share the view that if there are no agreements on transfers in progress within two years, we can forget the concept?
My second question concerns overperformance. Even here, the Minister has on several occasions stated that it is nothing that is being discussed yet. But there is no EU country that currently appears to be overperforming. On the other hand, Norway has already budgeted a number of billions to be able to purchase LULUCF units. In Germany, there is speculation about a hundred million ESR units, which is almost half of the Swedish allocation to 2030.
Wild speculations will arise regarding price forecasts, but the government knows that this is happening. The Minister for the Environment must consider which countries to buy from when the others are considering buying from Sweden. Who is it that is the seller?
Fines are a huge problem. What will it cost? Is it the case that the ECJ might calculate what we do not do in Sweden and then set the fines based on that? It could be large amounts. Even here, the Government Offices should have investigated the issue. Is the Government Offices investigating the issue? It is actually about what the taxpayers will have to pay in the future because we do not meet the goals for either 2030 or 2045.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Member Guteland mentions that it is a problem that we do not look at or consider trading of emission allowances. In that case, I must be even clearer in this contribution. It is of course clear that we look at how we are to implement our own policy, and there is of course work ongoing regarding trading of emission allowances. The Member is a former parliamentarian, and she knows very well how the processes go and that they are of course underway.
Now I have been called to an interpellation debate on our climate action plan and how the government intends to work to reach net zero by 2045. To then demand that I account in detail for the costs of potential emission allowances and exactly how the Government Offices work with the trade of emission allowances is something I am not prepared for because it is not the subject of the interpellation debate.
The members of the committee are warmly welcome to ask a question about the work specifically regarding the trade of emission allowances, the government's decision to utilize all flexibilities within the EU, and how the work with the EU's green deal is being carried out. But that is not what this interpellation debate is about. I see nothing concerning this subject in Linus Sköld's original interpellation.
If the member is concerned that the government has not considered or looked at the work to be done with the trade in emission allowances, I can assure her that we obviously do. But that is not what today's interpellation debate is about, and that is why I cannot further account for details regarding this. I do not know what is common knowledge, what is possible to disclose, or what belongs to the informal part of the work. To that extent I can tell the member that it is an ongoing work. Obviously, we do not neglect taxpayers' money or are not prepared to implement our policy.
Jytte Guteland (S)
Madam President! I thank the Minister once again for the report.
We may have to agree to disagree on whether the emissions trading belongs to the climate action plan. I believe it does because it is a relevant part of meeting the 2030 target and the path to 2045. At this moment, Sweden does not look set to meet 2030, and it then becomes relevant to hear what type of instruments the government intends to use. That was also the interpellant's question, namely which instruments are intended.
We have received an answer that the government wants to utilize, among other things, electrification. In that regard, I can please the Minister that we are in agreement. Regarding the entire roadmap and how net zero is to be achieved, the authorities are concerned that Sweden is not on track, and they are calling for new guidelines. Here, the Minister has answered that an investigation will be launched. We have been referred to the investigation for half a year, and for a longer period, we have become accustomed to receiving that answer regarding climate policy. We really want to urge the government to appoint the investigation as soon as possible and not wait long. It is urgent.
If we continue as we are doing now, we will not meet the transport targets. Emissions are increasing, and the risk is that we will have to introduce measures that shock Swedish motorists and the Swedish people if we do not act in a credible way now and ensure that there is a climate policy that is fair and good for our planet.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! The Government's climate action plan intends to lay the foundation for and provide the conditions for the transition that shall lead to net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest. This implies a need to complement and do the heavy lifting for the infrastructure that needs to form the basis for the transition. The companies are ready, and the households are ready. They want to transition. But the conditions for transitioning are not sufficiently optimal.
It is not unexpected, Madam Speaker, that the previous government intended to succeed with the climate transition by taxing and further taxing, mandating and further mandating, biofuel blending.
This government is a friend of the market economy and knows that there are other instruments that operate on more market-oriented grounds and thus lay the foundation for an effective climate policy. It is a climate policy that does not tax away the problems but instead ensures that we welcome the development we want to see, that is, that electrification is the answer and that the transition to electric power must be accelerated. It is a transition that we will not succeed with in Sweden without welcoming all fossil-free power sources, that is, without welcoming both wind power and nuclear power.
Therefore, we believe that the work to re-establish the nuclear power policy that once laid the foundation for a clean electricity system in Sweden needs to continue in full. In addition to this, we are, of course, working with policy instruments. Just as the government has previously announced, it is an investigation that will be commissioned this year.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.