Nature-Based Climate Solutions

The plan explicitly states that the forest's role in naturally reducing and storing emissions shall be strengthened, that drained wetlands that leak emissions shall be restored and that the forest's function as a carbon sink must be preserved. It moreover links the climate crisis to the depletion of biological diversity. A national strategy for negative emissions that includes nature-based solutions and rewetting is therefore directly in line with the plan.

• restore wetlandsdecisive»Skogens roll att naturligt minska och lagra utsläpp behöver stärkas och torrlagda våtmarker som läcker utsläpp ska återställas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The forest's role in naturally reducing and storing emissions needs to be strengthened and drained wetlands that leak emissions shall be restored.”
• preserve the carbon sink»För att uppnå klimatmålen behöver skogens funktion som kolsänka bevaras de kommande decennierna, därför behöver kalhyggesbruket fasas ut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To achieve climate targets, the forest's function as a carbon sink must be preserved in the coming decades, therefore clear-cutting use needs to be phased out.”
• climate and diversity linked»Ett ständigt överutnyttjande av naturens resurser leder till kraftig utarmning av den biologiska mångfalden och växthusgasutsläpp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Constant over-exploitation of nature's resources leads to serious depletion of biological diversity and greenhouse gas emissions.”
• no delay»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition needs to happen immediately and all political decisions need to take account of the acute crisis we are in.”

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 plan sets up negative emissions after 2045 as a goal and highlights species extinction and threatened biological diversity as part of the same crisis, which is exactly the connection the counter-proposal builds on. The party programme makes protection of biological diversity an explicit requirement, and the plan wants to continue large investments in local climate adaptation, which includes rewetting of wetlands. A strategy for negative emissions with nature-based solutions is therefore supported in substance.

• 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 should not have any net greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, and thereafter achieve negative emissions.”
• climate and diversity are connected»Samtidigt accelererar artdöden och den biologiska mångfalden hotas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time, species extinction accelerates and biological diversity is threatened.”
• protect biological diversity»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“biological diversity must be protected.”
• investments in climate adaptation»Vi vill fortsätta de stora investeringarna så att kommunerna kan klimatanpassa lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue the large investments so that municipalities can adapt locally to climate.”

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 requires that wetlands be re-wetted at a faster pace and that natural forests and wetlands be recreated to increase biological diversity, which is the core of the counter-proposal's requirement for analysis of carbon storage potential. The party programme also states that carbon dioxide storage and other methods for binding greenhouse gases may be needed but must not become an excuse for continued emissions — the same conditions that the counter-proposal sets.

• faster re-wettingdecisive»återställa våtmarker som torrlagts i snabbare takt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“restore wetlands that have been dried more quickly.”
• carbon storage no excuse»binda växthusgaser behövas. Dessa får dock inte bli« (party programme ↗)“bind greenhouse gases are needed. These must however not become”
• recreate natural environments»Naturskogar, våtmarker och andra utsatta vegetationstyper ska återskapas« (party programme ↗)“Natural forests, wetlands and other vulnerable vegetation types shall be recreated”
• clearfelling-free forestry»att mer skogsbruk bedrivs med hyggesfria metoder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that more forestry is carried out using clearfelling-free methods.”

The plan explicitly commits to doing more to restore wetlands and that forest carbon storage is key to the transition, while fossil fuels shall be phased out. An assignment to analyse the potential for increased carbon storage and a strategy that includes nature-based solutions is therefore in the plan's direction. The plan does not mention capture and storage as a chain, so coverage is derived.

• restore wetlandsdecisive»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 for landowners to contribute, since voluntariness and property rights are the foundation of better nature management.”
• carbon storage in forests»Den lagrar koldioxid, skapar jobb och är källan till framtidens biobränslen och byggmaterial.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It stores carbon dioxide, creates jobs and is the source of future biofuels and building materials.”
• biological diversity develops»Sveriges natur ska vårdas och den biologiska mångfalden utvecklas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's nature shall be tended and biological diversity developed.”
• phase out fossil fuels»Stryp Putins krigskassa nu. Vi vill stoppa all energihandel med Ryssland och fasa ut fossila bränslen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Cut off Putin's war chest now. We want to stop all energy trade with Russia and phase out fossil fuels.”

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 explicitly commits to scaling up capture, separation and storage of carbon dioxide and to strengthening natural carbon sequestration through restored wetlands. The party programme establishes that negative emissions need to begin long before the last fossil emissions occur. The counter-proposal's demand for a national strategy for negative emissions that encompasses the entire chain and nature-based solutions thus corresponds to the plan's own commitments, as does the connection to biological diversity.

• scale up CCSdecisive»Därför ska vi skala upp arbetet med infångning, avskiljning och lagring av koldioxid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we shall scale up work with capture, separation and storage of carbon dioxide.”
• rewetting of wetlands»Den naturliga koldioxidinlagringen ska stärkas genom att fler tidigare våtmarker återställs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Natural carbon sequestration shall be strengthened by restoring more formerly wet areas.”
• negative emissions in time»Negativa utsläpp behöver börja göras långt innan de sista fossila utsläppen sker.« (party programme ↗)“Negative emissions need to begin long before the last fossil emissions occur.”
• climate and diversity together»Med en klimatomställning som går hand i hand med naturvård och biologisk mångfald.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With a climate transition that goes hand in hand with nature conservation and biological diversity.”

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 plan establishes that wetlands shall be preserved and if necessary restored and that fossil fuels must be phased out of both energy and transport sectors. A strategy for negative emissions including nature-based solutions and rewetting, and which does not become an excuse for continued fossil use, follows from these commitments. Stewardship and the precautionary principle point in the same direction.

• restored wetlandsdecisive»Våtmarker behöver bevaras och vid behov återställas,« (party programme ↗)“Wetlands need to be preserved and if necessary restored,”
• phased-out fossil use»Fossilbränslena måste fasas ut från såväl energi- som« (party programme ↗)“Fossil fuels must be phased out from both energy and”
• biological diversity»Bevarande av den biologiska mångfalden kräver« (party programme ↗)“Preservation of biological diversity requires”
• the precautionary principle in environmental risk»också att agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“also that the action is based on the precautionary principle.”

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 explicitly promises a large-scale investment in technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide, which is the core of the counter-proposal's requirement for a strategy for negative emissions covering capture, transport, and storage. The forest's carbon sequestration is also highlighted as a climate asset. However, the fact that the plan simultaneously wants to reduce the forest area exempted from forestry creates tension with the requirement for rewetting and increased area removed from production, which is why support applies to the strategy's main substantive content.

• large-scale carbon dioxide capturedecisive»Få på plats storskalig infångning av koldioxid« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Get large-scale carbon dioxide capture in place”
• capture and storage»Utöver det vill vi förkorta och förenkla tillståndsprocesser för industrier som satsar på omställning och få på plats en storskalig satsning på tekniker för att fånga in och lagra koldioxid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Beyond that, we want to shorten and simplify the permit processes for industries investing in conversion and get large-scale investments in technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide in place.”
• forest carbon sequestration»Den svenska skogen och produkter från skogen binder årligen nästan lika mycket koldioxid som Sverige släpper ut under ett helt år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Swedish forest and forest products bind almost as much carbon dioxide annually as Sweden emits over an entire year.”
• land should be used»Minska ytan av skog som är undantagen från skogsbruk« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the area of forest exempted from forestry”

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's environmental and climate line is that agricultural land should be cultivated, that adapted forestry should take precedence over land being taken out of production, and that climate funds should be invested where they give the most emissions reduction per euro. A national strategy for negative emissions with re-wetted wetlands goes in the opposite direction to these commitments, since land is taken out of production. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• cultivated agricultural landdecisive»Att jordbruksmarken brukas och att igenväxning motverkas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That agricultural land is cultivated and reforestation is prevented”
• management before allocation»Att anpassad skogsskötsel prioriteras före reservatsavsättning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That adapted forestry is prioritized before reserve allocation”
• cost-effective climate measures»Satsa på åtgärder som minskar utsläppen mest per satsad krona som t ex internationella klimatinvesteringar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Focus on measures that reduce emissions most per euro spent, such as international climate investments”
• environmental interests weighed against others»Vi inser också att de miljöpolitiska intressena ständigt måste vägas mot andra viktiga samhällsvärden,« (party programme ↗)“We also understand that environmental interests must constantly be weighed against other important social values,”