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“The aim of the Nordic countries is to be carbon neutral and to demonstrate leadership in the fight against global warming.”
So said the Nordic prime ministers in their declaration at a 2019-summit in Helsinki as part of active Nordic climate co-operation. Each of the five Nordic countries has national goals for becoming carbon neutral before or by mid-century. In the Helsinki Declaration, the Nordics committed themselves to assess the scenarios for how the different Nordic countries can achieve their respective carbon neutrality goals.
To inform and ease this work, The Nordic Council of Ministers has just published a new report authored by sustainability experts from Ramboll Management Consulting and partners Gaia Consulting and Environice.
Challenges and opportunities
The study identifies challenges and opportunities for joint activities in key national sectors, including energy, transport, mineral and metals, waste, forest and agriculture, and construction.
- Sustainability is a core theme and a shared ambition for us in Ramboll, so this work has been very rewarding. Thankfully, a number of policy recommendations could help accelerate new technologies across the Nordics such as Power-to-X and Carbon Capture, Use and Storage, says Jakob Louis Pedersen, Ramboll project lead.
The report also points to prosperous areas such as sustainable transport and improved peatlands.
Needs cross-cutting knowledge
According to Jakob Louis Pedersen, the report identifies not only potential solutions but also structural challenges that will benefit all countries if solved:
- In our work, we have seen that the sector representatives lack awareness and knowledge on Nordic best practices as well as past and current sector efforts. We hope our report will change that because shared knowledge, common ambitions and partnerships are all vital to really strengthen the collaborations on carbon neutrality across the Nordics.
Following the report, The Nordic Council of Ministers will assess the recommendations and discuss how they could be addressed going forward towards Nordic Carbon Neutrality, contributing to the vision of a Green Nordic region.
