Government draws up goals for Copenhagen climate summit

Fighting climate change to cost Finns a few hundred euros a year

Matti Vanhanen

print this

Finland wants to promote an ambitious political commitment for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month.
      On Wednesday the Finnish government approved a statement on the preparations for the meeting, for release on Friday.
      Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) says that the statement contains an exhaustive overview of the negotiation situation, as well as an assessment on how much the decisions on the climate issue will cost Finland.
      “The cost is a few hundred euros per Finn”, Lehtomäki estimated after the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence in Kesäranta.
     
No precise sum is available, because it is not known how much money Finland will commit to the financing of climate goals of developing countries, or how much Finland’s own emission cuts will cost.
      Parliament will be presented the government statement on Wednesday next week. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) says that the government wants as clear a statement of support as possible from the Parliament.
      “We want this above all with respect to international financing, the determination of carbon sinks, and what would be required for the EU to move in its goal for emission cuts for 2020 from 20 per cent to 30 per cent”, Vanhanen said.
     
Money is money, but what is the problem in defining carbon sinks?
      From Finland’s point of view, the issue boils down to the idea that under certain models for calculating emissions, which have been brought forward in the negotiations, forests could be seen as a source of emissions in years in which tree felling exceeds that of the previous year.
      Vanhanen feels that it is important for Finland to resist the implementation of such a model.
      Next week Finland needs to decide who will head the Finnish delegation in Copenhagen.
      “If the decisions at the meeting of the delegation involve money, the definition of carbon sinks, and the implementation of promises of emission cuts, these are matters that are under the sole authority of the government. If there is something linked with the flow of the conference in general, then naturally, the role of the President will be appropriate for this”, Vanhanen said.
      He noted that the EU is negotiating in Copenhagen as a bloc, and joint views will be formed within the EU.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  President and three ministers to attend Copenhagen climate summit (25.11.2009)
  Emission targets add urgency to development of electric cars (5.11.2009)
  Finnish greenhouse emissions within Kyoto protocol framework (5.10.2009)
  Study finds EU goal of 60 per cent cut greenhouse emissions to be attainable for Finland (8.9.2008)

Links:
  United Nations Climate Change Conference Dec. 7 - Dec 18 2009

Helsingin Sanomat