Finnish environmental organizations have filed a lawsuit against the government for the first time in the country’s history for allegedly failing to fulfill its own obligations to combat climate change.
In the summer, Finland passed a climate change law that calls for the country to achieve so-called carbon neutrality by 2035.
The suing organizations – among which the Finnish Association for the Conservation of Nature (FANC) and Greenpeace – say the government is ignoring the requirements of this law by not doing enough to protect natural greenhouse gas “sinks”, in particular forests.
“The government is breaking its own law by evading additional measures to help Finland meet its climate goals … Logging is not limited, although it is known to be the most significant factor influencing carbon sink areas,” says FANC spokesperson Hanna Aho.
It is not yet known whether the court will recognize the claim as admissible.
Timber harvesting is one of the important branches of the Finnish economy. In 2020, timber exports accounted for 18% of total exports.