Climate and environment in the Arctic

The plan requires powerful environmental legislation and state responsibility for the infrastructure society rests on, and establishes that countries shall not be prevented from going further than the common minimum level. A state support to PFAS cleaning and compensation to affected well owners is precisely such a national advance and a state responsibility taking. The plan thus argues against that implementing the EU directive is itself sufficient.

• protect biodiversitydecisive»Vi måste lösa klimatkrisen och skydda den biologiska mångfalden – omställningen går alldeles för sakta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must solve the climate crisis and protect biodiversity – the transition is going far too slowly.”
• ambitious environmental targets»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental targets that are followed up with strict legislation and practical work.”
• protected natural areas»Skyddet av skogs- och strandområden är en viktig del för att värna den svenska allemansrätten och den biologiska mångfalden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protection of forest and shore areas is an important part of upholding Swedish freedom to roam and biodiversity.”
• away from fossil extraction»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition must happen immediately and all political decisions must take into account the acute crisis we are in.”

The party programme requires protection of biodiversity and valuable nature and water environments and that Sweden pushes for increased climate commitments in the EU and UN. The election manifesto wants to see a cap on how much more carbon dioxide can be released. A marine protected area in the Arctic with a ban on oil and gas extraction follows from both commitments, even though the Arctic is not mentioned specifically.

• protection of biodiversitydecisive»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biodiversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments.”
• cap on carbon dioxide emissions»Det behövs också ett tak för hur mycket mer koldioxid som kan släppas ut i atmosfären.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“There also needs to be a cap on how much more carbon dioxide can be released into the atmosphere.”
• advocacy in the UN and EU»Ett Sverige som driver på i EU och FN för att världens länder ökar sina klimatåtaganden.« (party programme ↗)“A Sweden that pushes in the EU and UN for the world's countries to increase their climate commitments.”
• away from fossil fuels»Stopp för svenskt beroende av fossila bränslen från andra länder.« (party programme ↗)“Stop Sweden's dependence on fossil fuels from other countries.”

The plan wants to work internationally for a moratorium on all new fossil fuel exploitation and protect at least 30 per cent of the world's oceans, which is precisely what a marine protected area in the Arctic with a prohibition on oil and gas extraction entails. The party programme additionally points out marine reserves as a way to increase protection and wants to ban gas and oil drilling.

• moratorium on new fossil exploitationdecisive»Internationellt vill vi verka för ett moratorium mot all nyexploatering av fossila bränslen.« (party programme ↗)“Internationally, we want to work for a moratorium on all new fossil fuel exploitation.”
• 30 per cent protected oceans»skydda minst 30 procent av världens hav.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“protect at least 30 per cent of the world's oceans.”
• marine reserves»Ett sätt att öka skyddet är att inrätta marina reservat och införa fiskefria områden.« (party programme ↗)“One way to increase protection is to establish marine reserves and introduce fishing-free areas.”
• ban on oil and gas drilling»Gas- och oljeborrning samt uranbrytning ska förbjudas i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Gas and oil drilling and uranium mining shall be banned in Sweden.”

The election manifesto wants to phase out fossil fuels and stop energy trade with Russia, and the party programme makes the protection of biodiversity a necessity for ecosystem survival. A marine protected area in the Arctic with a ban on oil and gas extraction is an application of both commitments. The plan does not mention the Arctic, so coverage is derived.

• phased-out fossil fuelsdecisive»Vi vill stoppa all energihandel med Ryssland och fasa ut fossila bränslen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to stop all energy trade with Russia and phase out fossil fuels.”
• protection of biodiversity»Att skydda den biologiska mångfalden är nödvändigt för att ekosystemen ska kunna fortleva.« (party programme ↗)“Protecting biodiversity is necessary for ecosystems to survive.”
• cared-for nature»Sveriges natur ska vårdas och den biologiska mångfalden utvecklas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's nature should be cared for and biodiversity developed.”
• climate threat foremost»Klimatförändringarna är det största miljöhotet mänskligheten känner.« (party programme ↗)“Climate change is the greatest environmental threat humanity faces.”

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 undertakes that the most valuable marine areas shall be protected as marine reserves and that the seas shall be protected through agreements between coastal states. It furthermore establishes that dependence on oil and gas must be broken, for both environmental and security reasons, and that support for fossil fuels shall be abolished. A marine protected area in the Arctic with a ban on oil and gas extraction thus follows directly from the plan's commitments.

• marine reservesdecisive»de mest värdefulla havsområdena skyddas som marina reservat« (2022 manifesto ↗)“the most valuable marine areas are protected as marine reserves”
• break oil and gas dependence»behovet av olja och gas är inte endast en miljöfråga utan i högsta grad en säkerhetspolitisk fråga« (party programme ↗)“the need for oil and gas is not only an environmental issue but in the highest degree a security policy issue”
• sea protection via interstate agreements»Sverige omges av hav som behöver skyddas genom avtal mellan alla kuststater.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden is surrounded by seas that need to be protected through agreements between all coastal states.”
• phased-out fossil fuel support»Subventioner, inklusive skattelättnader och stöd, till fossila bränslen i Sverige såväl som globalt ska successivt avskaffas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Subsidies, including tax breaks and support, to fossil fuels in Sweden as well as globally shall be progressively abolished.”

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 stewardship principle requires that natural resources be managed so that future generations have a share of them, and the plan establishes that fossil fuels must be phased out and that the precautionary principle applies to threat of irreversible damage. A marine protected area with prohibition against oil and gas extraction in the Arctic follows from this and from the plan's view of nature reserves as means for biological diversity. The plan does not specifically address the Arctic, so the conclusion is derived.

• phasing out fossil fuelsdecisive»Fossilbränslena måste fasas ut från såväl energi- som« (party programme ↗)“Fossil fuels must be phased out from both”
• stewardship for future generations»Miljön och naturresurserna måste förvaltas ansvarsfullt, så att goda livsbetingelser inte äventyras och så att kommande generationer också får del av dem.« (party programme ↗)“Environment and natural resources must be managed responsibly, so that good living conditions are not jeopardized and so that future generations also have a share of them.”
• reserve protection for diversity»både reservatsskydd i olika former och stor naturhänsyn i skogs- och jordbrukslandskapet.« (party programme ↗)“both nature reserve protection in various forms and great nature consideration in forests and agricultural landscape.”
• precautionary principle»också att agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“also that 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 counter-proposal wants to establish a marine protected area in the Arctic with a ban on oil and gas extraction. The plan's environmental line starts from the position that natural resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably in the long term, and warns against climate policy that is reduced to expensive symbolic politics, which speaks against a general extraction ban as Swedish policy. The plan instead drives emissions reductions through the net-zero target and effective international measures.

• responsible resource extractiondecisive»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our rich mineral resources shall be able to be extracted responsibly and sustainably in the long term.”
• no symbolic measures»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbolic politics”
• net-zero as climate method»Vi ska som land ta fullt ansvar här hemma och nå nettonollutsläpp senast år 2045.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall as a nation take full responsibility here at home and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.”

The plan requires an Arctic policy that affirms Swedish economic interests and prevents Russian and Chinese advances, not new extraction bans. A large marine protected area with prohibition on oil and gas extraction is the type of comprehensive reserve solution the plan wants to see replaced by more effective and cheaper methods. The plan's environmental line is built on voluntariness and environmental effectiveness rather than large-scale designations.

• Swedish interests in the Arcticdecisive»En tydlig Arktispolitik ska tas fram som hindrar ryska och kinesiska framflyttningar och bejakar svenska ekonomiska intressen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A clear Arctic policy shall be drawn up that prevents Russian and Chinese advances and affirms Swedish economic interests.”
• management before reserves»Att anpassad skogsskötsel prioriteras före reservatsavsättning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That adapted forest management is prioritised before reserve designation”
• voluntariness in nature conservation»Erfarenheten visar att frivillighet under ansvar fungerar bäst för att skapa miljövärden, stöttat med kompetent och hjälpande rådgivning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Experience shows that voluntariness under responsibility works best to create environmental values, supported by competent and helpful advisory services.”
• environmental efficiency»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find the measures that give the most environment per crown”