Karin Bäckstrand presents Climate Policy Council annual report

Sweden's Climate Policy Council today released its 2022 annual report, concluding once again that the Government is not on track to achieving its climate goals. Karin Bäckstrand, Principal Investigator of Transformative Partnerships 2030 and Professor of Environmental Social Science at Stockholm University, sits on the eight-member Council and spoke at today's press conference launching the report.

The Climate Policy Council is an independent, interdisciplinary expert body tasked with evaluating how well the Swedish Government's climate policy is aligned with the national climate goal of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The Council was established in 2017 as part of the Climate Policy Framework. That framework is seen as crucial to Sweden's efforts to deliver SDG13 on Climate Action.

This year's report picks up on criticism from previous years that Sweden is not meeting its targets. Council chair Johan Kuylenstierna stated that what is needed most is "acceleration". The report makes five recommendations for the Government's forthcoming climate action plan:

1. Improve the governance of government agencies and  coordination between different policy areas and decision-making levels.
2. Strengthen the vision for goals, and strengthen policy instruments in important areas.
3. Create better conditions for investments that contribute to achieving climate goals.
4. Implement a broad increase in knowledge and skills for climate change.
5. Take proactive, coordinated, and vigorous action within the EU.

Thinking synergistically about sustainable development objectives, Bäckstrand noted at today's press conference that on the question of increasing knowledge for climate change, "Women stand totally at the forefront."