Use of International Emission Credits to Reach Milestone Targets

The plan demands that the transformation occurs immediately and is built on a massive investment programme in Swedish green industry and infrastructure, with an emissions budget that links climate goals to concrete proposals. That speaks against offsetting interim targets against international credits instead of domestic emissions reductions. The committee's reasons - that complementary international efforts are necessary and risk-free - are directly met by the plan's demands for domestic investments.

• immediate transformationdecisive»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transformation needs to happen immediately and all political decisions need to take into account the acute crisis we are in.”
• domestic climate investments»Vänsterpartiet föreslår ett massivt investeringsprogram för den gröna industrin.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party proposes a massive investment programme for green industry.”
• emissions budget with numbered targets»Vi vill att regeringen arbetar med en utsläppsbudget som knyter ihop« (party programme ↗)“We want the government to work with an emissions budget that links together”
• Swedish leadership in transformation»Sverige ska vara världsledande i omställningsarbetet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall be a world leader in transformation work.”

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 builds climate policy on Sweden going ahead and becoming the world's first fossil-free welfare state through public investments in industrial transition, with the climate policy framework firm. This speaks against counting achievement of milestone goals with international credits instead of domestic emissions reductions. The counter-proposal's objection therefore lies in line with the plan's demand for swift domestic transition.

• firm climate policy frameworkdecisive»Det klimatpolitiska ramverket ska ligga fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate policy framework shall remain firm.”
• domestic emissions reductions»Sverige ska bli världens första fossilfria välfärdsnation.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become the world's first fossil-free welfare state.”
• public transition investments»Genom statliga investeringar kan vi öka takten i industrins omställning och underlätta ett klimatsmart liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Through public investments we can increase the pace of industrial transition and facilitate climate-smart living.”
• swift transition»Skyndsam och rättvis klimatomställning« (party programme ↗)“Swift and just climate transition”

The plan's climate line is that emissions shall decrease in Sweden: a Swedish emissions budget, a transition law that phases out fossil fuels in all industry and major domestic transition investments. Counting international credits toward the interim target risks replacing precisely these domestic reductions, which the counter-proposal objects to. The plan does not, however, explicitly address article 6 credits.

• Swedish emissions budgetdecisive»ta fram en svensk utsläppsbudget som gör att vi når klimatmålen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“develop a Swedish emissions budget that enables us to reach climate targets.”
• domestic phasing out of fossil fuels»införa en omställningslag så att all industri fasar ut kol, olja och fossilgas till senast 2030.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“introduce a transition law so that all industry phases out coal, oil and fossil gas no later than 2030.”
• negative emissions in Sweden»Utsläppen ska minska kraftigt och Sverige ska uppnå negativa klimatutsläpp genom att binda in mer koldioxid från atmosfären än vad vi släpper ut.« (party programme ↗)“Emissions shall decrease sharply and Sweden shall achieve negative climate emissions by binding more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than we release.”
• domestic transition investments»investera minst 100 miljarder per år i att ställa om så att Sverige blir ett fossilfritt välfärdsland senast år 2030.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest at least 100 billion per year in transition so that Sweden becomes a fossil-free welfare state no later than 2030.”

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 election manifesto establishes that Sweden can do much more to lower emissions in other countries and wants to make emissions trading even more ambitious and open it to more countries. Climate leadership should according to the plan prioritise effective measures over symbolic politics. The counter-proposal's requirement that international efforts shall not be credited against the interim target goes against that line, since emissions according to the party programme have an effect regardless of where they occur.

• lower emissions in other countriesdecisive»Med Centerpartiets reformagenda kan Sverige dessutom göra mycket mer för att sänka utsläpp i andra länder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the Centre Party's reform agenda Sweden can do much more to lower emissions in other countries.”
• effectiveness over symbolic politics»Ett ledarskap som prioriterar effektiva åtgärder framför symbolpolitik eller passivitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Leadership that prioritises effective measures over symbolic politics or passivity.”
• emissions work globally»Klimatfrågans unika dilemma är att utsläppen får effekter oavsett var på klotet de sker.« (party programme ↗)“The climate question's unique dilemma is that emissions have effects regardless of where on earth they occur.”
• climate measures abroad»Vi ska använda handelspolitiken för att kapa fossila subventioner runtom i världen och pressa stora utsläppare som Kina att stänga ner sina kolkraftverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall use trade policy to cut fossil subsidies around the world and press major emitters like China to shut down their coal power plants.”

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 establishes that the climate challenge can only be met through cooperation in Europe and globally and that more international cooperation and effective instruments are more important than symbolic politics. Closing the door to international emissions credits in the interim goals runs counter to that line and against the plan's requirements for cost-effective, technology-neutral instruments. The counter-proposal's requirements thus do not get support in the plan.

• international cooperation instead of symbolic politicsdecisive»En klimatpolitik som ersätter den symbolpolitik där bidrag betalas ut till klimatångest i stället för det vi vet är allra viktigast: mer ny teknik, mer internationellt samarbete och fler effektiva styrmedel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A climate policy that replaces the symbolic politics where contributions are paid out to climate anxiety instead of what we know is most important: more new technology, more international cooperation and more effective instruments.”
• global agreements decide»Endast genom globala överenskommelser kan de klimatpåverkande utsläppen minskas i tillräcklig omfattning för att hålla ökningen av jordens medeltemperatur under kontroll.« (party programme ↗)“Only through global agreements can climate-affecting emissions be reduced to a sufficient extent to keep the increase in the earth's average temperature under control.”
• cost-effective instruments»Generella och teknikneutrala ekonomiska styrmedel, såsom koldioxidskatt och breda system för handel med utsläppsrätter, är det mest effektiva redskapet.« (party programme ↗)“General and technology-neutral economic instruments, such as carbon dioxide tax and broad systems for emissions trading, are the most effective tool.”
• climate work through cooperation»EU är världens viktigaste miljöorganisation – det är bara genom samarbete i Europa och globalt som klimatutmaningen kan mötas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU is the world's most important environmental organization – it is only through cooperation in Europe and globally that the climate challenge can be met.”

The election manifesto binds climate policy to functioning and being effective, and the party programme asserts that the most serious environmental threats are global and that economic instruments must be used to achieve environmental benefit. Completely excluding international initiatives from milestone targets contradicts the cost-effective and transnational line. The requirement for domestic phase-out of fossil fuels qualifies but does not exclude complementary measures.

• cost-effective climate policydecisive»Sverige är världsledande i klimatomställningen och det ska vi fortsätta vara på ett sätt som både fungerar och är effektivt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden is world-leading in climate transition and we must continue to be so in a way that both works and is effective.”
• climate is transnational»De allvarligaste miljöhoten är globala eller storregionala.« (party programme ↗)“The most serious environmental threats are global or large-regional.”
• economic instruments»Ekonomiska styrmedel och stöd ska användas för att skapa ekonomiska motiv att agera miljövänligt för så väl konsumenter som producenter.« (party programme ↗)“Economic instruments and support must be used to create economic incentives to act environmentally for both consumers and producers.”
• domestic phase-out of fossils»Fossilbränslena måste fasas ut från såväl energi- som transportsektorn.« (party programme ↗)“Fossil fuels must be phased out from both the energy and transport sectors.”

The plan explicitly states that the cost of reducing emissions through international climate initiatives is often much lower than in Sweden, and therefore promises to redirect aid to reduce emissions abroad. The counter-proposal instead wants international initiatives not to be counted towards the interim target. The plan moreover warns against narrow climate nationalism.

• cost-effective international climate initiativesdecisive»Samtidigt är kostnaden för att minska utsläppen genom internationella klimatinsatser ofta mycket lägre än för att minska utsläppen i Sverige – därför kommer Moderaterna också att rikta om biståndet för att minska utsläppen i andra länder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time the cost of reducing emissions through international climate initiatives is often much lower than for reducing emissions in Sweden – therefore Moderates will also redirect aid to reduce emissions in other countries.”
• emission reduction abroad»Öka klimatbiståndets andel av det totala biståndet för att minska utsläppen utomlands« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase the share of climate aid of total aid to reduce emissions abroad”
• international climate cooperation»Samtidigt ska vi hjälpa andra länder att minska sina utsläpp genom effektivt internationellt samarbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time we shall help other countries reduce their emissions through effective international cooperation.”
• against climate nationalism»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik eller snäv klimatnationalism.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbolic politics or narrow climate nationalism.”

The plan explicitly requires investments in measures that reduce emissions the most per invested krona, and mentions international climate investments as an example, with the reasoning that climate is a global issue where national borders are irrelevant. The counter-proposal wants to question whether international efforts should be credited to the interim target. The plan therefore directly speaks against the counter-proposal's requirement.

• international climate investmentsdecisive»Satsa på åtgärder som minskar utsläppen mest per satsad krona som t ex internationella klimatinvesteringar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in measures that reduce emissions the most per invested krona such as international climate investments”
• climate is global»Klimatet är en global fråga där landsgränserna saknar betydelse.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Climate is a global issue where national borders are irrelevant.”
• global climate perspective»Bedriva en effektiv klimatpolitik med ett tydligt globalt perspektiv« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conduct an effective climate policy with a clear global perspective”
• Sweden's per mille of emissions»Med tanke på att Sveriges utsläpp enbart står för omkring en promille av världens utsläpp är det viktigt att behålla ett globalt perspektiv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Given that Sweden's emissions account for only about one per mille of the world's emissions, it is important to maintain a global perspective.”