Net sequestration in forests and land

The plan explicitly states that forest's function as a carbon sink needs to be preserved for climate targets to be met and that drained wetlands shall be restored. The counter-proposal's requirements for a national goal of doubled natural carbon sink and a coordinator for implementation is a direct operationalization of that commitment. The plan furthermore calls for ambitious environmental goals that are followed up with strict legislation and practical work.

• preserved carbon sink in forestsdecisive»För att uppnå klimatmålen behöver skogens funktion som kolsänka bevaras de kommande decennierna, därför behöver kalhyggesbruket fasas ut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To meet climate goals forest's function as a carbon sink needs to be preserved in the coming decades, therefore clear-cutting forestry needs to be phased out.”
• strengthened natural uptake»Skogens roll att naturligt minska och lagra utsläpp behöver stärkas och torrlagda våtmarker som läcker utsläpp ska återställas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forest's role to naturally reduce and store emissions needs to be strengthened and drained wetlands that leak emissions shall be restored.”
• restored nature»skapa goda villkor för rika ekosystem, bland annat genom att återställa« (party programme ↗)“create good conditions for rich ecosystems, among other things by restoring”
• verifiable environmental goals»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are followed up with strict legislation and practical work.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The election manifesto binds the party to net-zero emissions by 2045 and thereafter negative emissions, a goal that presupposes a growing carbon sink in forests and land. That the climate policy framework shall remain fixed and that species extinction shall be countered speak for both a goal of increased carbon sequestration and for a coordinator driving implementation. However, the plan names no measure like doubling, so the position is derived.

• negative emissions after 2045decisive»År 2045 ska Sverige inte ha några nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser till atmosfären, för att därefter uppnå negativa utsläpp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“By 2045, Sweden shall have no net greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, in order thereafter to achieve negative emissions.”
• climate framework remains fixed»Det klimatpolitiska ramverket ska ligga fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate policy framework shall remain fixed.”
• protection of biological diversity»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“biological diversity must be protected.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants to quickly restore drained wetlands, convert forestry to clearance-free methods and protect 30 percent of nature — measures whose purpose is precisely to strengthen carbon sequestration and biodiversity. A national goal for doubled natural carbon sinks and a coordinator for implementation pulls in the same direction. The plan specifies no target for the carbon sink, therefore the position is inferred.

• restored wetlandsdecisive»återställa våtmarker som torrlagts i snabbare takt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“restore wetlands that have been drained at a faster pace.”
• clearance-free forestry»att mer skogsbruk bedrivs med hyggesfria metoder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that more forestry is conducted with clearance-free methods.”
• protected forests and nature»skydda 30 procent av Sveriges natur, bland annat våra unika sammanhängande fjällskogar och skyddsvärda skogar i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect 30 percent of Sweden's nature, including our unique connected mountain forests and valuable forests throughout the country.”
• leading climate policy»Sverige ska vara ledande i att minska den mänskliga« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be leading in reducing the human”

The plan's decisive commitment on forests is that sustainable forestry requires active management and good conditions based on strong property rights. A national goal of doubling the natural carbon sink would in practice limit harvesting and bind landowners' management from above, which goes against that line. The plan furthermore builds nature conservation on voluntary action and property rights rather than on national targets and coordinators.

• active management of forestsdecisive»Skogen är en nyckel i den gröna omställningen. Ett hållbart skogsbruk förutsätter ett aktivt brukande av skogen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forests are a key to the green transition. Sustainable forestry requires active management of forests.”
• strong property rights in forestry»Skogsbruket behöver goda förutsättningar grundade i en stark äganderätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forestry needs good conditions based on strong property rights.”
• voluntary action as foundation for nature conservation»Mer måste göras för att restaurera våtmarker, bekämpa invasiva arter och underlätta för markägare att bidra, då frivillighet och äganderätt är grunden för en bättre naturvård.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must be done to restore wetlands, combat invasive species and facilitate landowners' contributions, as voluntary action and property rights are the foundation for better nature conservation.”

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The plan explicitly commits to strengthening natural carbon dioxide storage and ensuring that the state sees to it that whoever reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere gets paid. A national goal on increased carbon sink and a coordinator for implementation are means for precisely that commitment. The plan says nothing about the organizational form of the coordinator, and it simultaneously protects Swedish forestry, which sets a limit on how far a doubling can be driven.

• strengthened natural carbon storagedecisive»Den naturliga koldioxidinlagringen ska stärkas genom att fler tidigare våtmarker återställs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Natural carbon dioxide storage shall be strengthened by restoring more previously wetland areas.”
• payment for negative emissions»nu måste staten se till att den som minskar mängden växthusgaser i atmosfären också får betalt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“now the state must see to it that whoever reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also gets paid”
• early negative emissions»Negativa utsläpp behöver börja göras långt innan de sista fossila utsläppen« (party programme ↗)“Negative emissions need to begin far before the last fossil emissions”
• protected Swedish forestry»Allemansrätten och det svenska skogsbruket ska värnas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The right to roam and Swedish forestry shall be protected”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme requires that production targets and environmental targets have the same priority and dignity in forest policy, and the election manifesto points out that property rights over forests are threatened. A national target for doubled carbon sink elevates the environmental target above the production target and pressures logging and landowners, which the plan does not support. According to the plan, stewardship entails responsible use, not passive conservation.

• equal production and environmental targetsdecisive»För att svenskt skogsbruk och skogsindustri ska kunna utvecklas krävs övergripande långsiktiga och hållbara spelregler som främjar såväl produktions- som miljömål. Det är angeläget att dessa mål har samma prioritet och dignitet« (party programme ↗)“For Swedish forestry and forest industry to be able to develop, overarching long-term and sustainable ground rules are needed that promote both production and environmental targets. It is important that these targets have the same priority and dignity”
• protected property rights in forests»äganderätten över skogen hotas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“property rights over forests are threatened”
• use, not passive conservation»Förvaltarskapsprincipen innebär inget passivt bevarande, utan ett ansvarsfullt brukande och förädlande av tillgångarna.« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle entails no passive conservation, but responsible use and development of assets.”

The plan's forestry commitment is that more forest should be managed, not less, and that the area of forest exempted from management should decrease. A national goal of doubling natural carbon sequestration would in practice require reduced logging and new restrictions on landowners, which contradicts this commitment and the principle that protection should be voluntary. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• increased forest managementdecisive»mer skog ska brukas, inte mindre« (2022 manifesto ↗)“more forest should be managed, not less”
• less exempted forest»Minska ytan av skog som är undantagen från skogsbruk« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the area of forest exempted from management”
• voluntary ahead of coercion»Stärka skogsägarnas äganderätt genom att formellt skydd av skog ska ske genom frivillighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen forest owners' property rights by making formal forest protection voluntary”
• managed forest sequesters carbon»Den svenska skogen och produkter från skogen binder årligen nästan lika mycket koldioxid som Sverige släpper ut under ett helt år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish forests and forest products sequester almost as much carbon dioxide annually as Sweden emits in a whole year.”

The plan wants Sweden's climate goals to be adapted to EU climate legislation and rejects national special requirements that exceed competitiveness. It also establishes that adapted forest management shall be prioritized before reserve designation and that forest owners' right to manage their forests shall be protected. A national goal for doubled carbon sink and a special coordinator would mean new national requirements and more agency control over management, which the plan argues against.

• climate goals in line with EUdecisive»De svenska klimatmålen bör anpassas till den klimatlagstiftning som finns på EU-nivå för att inte kraven på andra länder ska bli lägre som en konsekvens av att vi gör mer än nödvändigt på bekostnad av vår levnadsstandard och konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish climate goals should be adapted to the climate legislation that exists at the EU level so that requirements on other countries do not become lower as a consequence of us doing more than necessary at the cost of our standard of living and competitiveness.”
• ownership rights in forests»Värna skogsägarnas rätt att bruka sina skogar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect forest owners' right to manage their forests”
• forest management before designation»Att anpassad skogsskötsel prioriteras före reservatsavsättning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That adapted forest management is prioritized before reserve designation”
• against new agency bureaucracy»Stoppa slöseriet inom myndigheterna och slå samman myndigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop waste in agencies and merge agencies”