Environmental issues in Finland

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There are a number of environmental issues in Finland.

Contents

Climate change

Finland was among the top five greenhouse gas emitters per capita in 2001: The consumption emissions per capita of greenhouse gases in 2001 of the top 5 countries were US 29 tonnes, Australia 21 tonnes, Canada 20 tonnes, Switzerland 18 tonnes and Finland 18 tonnes. [1]

Finland is a member of the EU and thus the EU directives are binding in Finland. Finland has approved Kyoto protocol. Finland has at the state level approved that human-induced greenhouse gases cause global warming. Despite this, the most harmful use of peat as energy has been financially promoted by the Finnish government since 2005.

CO2 emissions from peat were 15% and coal and peat 39% of total fossil fuel emissions in Finland in 2006.

As part of measures by the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the European Commission asked Finland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 39% by 2030. [2]

Environmental assessment

Finland had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.08/10, ranking it 109th globally out of 172 countries. [3]

Threatened habitats

According to the Finnish Environment Institute three-year survey reported in 2018 the share of habitats classified as threatened in southern Finland is 59% and northern Finland 32%. The most important reasons were forestry, drainage, clearing of areas for arable land, construction, and eutrophication. [4] [5]

Threatened species

The assessment of threatened species is made every tenth year in Finland. In 2019 one-tenth of species in Finland are threatened. Halting the growth in the number of threatened species was not achieved by 2010. Even the new target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 seems difficult to attain. [6] Ca 1/3 of bird and bryophyte species are under threat and also large among lichens, vascular plants, butterflies and moths, and hymenopterans are under threat. Ca 10% of Finnish insect species are threatened. The primary cause of the threat is the decline and deterioration of natural habitat. [7]

Finnish budget on environmental protection is €100 million compared to 70,000 million in human health care. [8]

Sustainability

Finland's ecological footprint for 2018 was 7.86 global hectares per person, 5.09 global hectares (gha) above the world average. If every country had an ecological footprint equal to Finland, it would require the equivalent biocapacity of 4.07 earths to be sustainable. [9] Finland's overshoot day calculated for 2022 was March 31st, four months earlier than the global average. [10]

According to a Yale-led study in 2015, there were 4,500 trees for each Finn and in total 22 billion trees in Finland in 2015. [11]

Air pollution

In Finland, 1500-2000 people die every year from air pollution. Worldwide 7-9 million people die from air pollution. Pollution comes from traffic and energy production, e.g.y coal and peat. Finland measures and reports air quality. There are no actions in place for reduced air quality in cities. Worldwide alternatives include reduced private car traffic and promotion of public traffic with reduced or free tickets. [12] [13]

Environmental finance

The environmental finance of Finland is 0.6% of the budget when OECD average is 1.7%. In September 2011, there was a proposal to cut environmental finance with 5 million € including an 18% cut in the nongovernmental environmental organizations support. The finance proposal included also a cut in the biodiversity support. All the main nongovernmental national environmental organizations criticized finance proposals since Finland's finance in the environmental issues is not sufficient, the fulfillment of the EU biodiversity targets is questionable, and the peat industry receives 50-fold more state support compared to the environmental organizations. [14]

Environmental law enforcement

According to the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) Finnish police lacks resources to investigate environmental crimes in Finland as of 2013. [15]

Phosphates

Finnish government has not denied the use of phosphates in the washing powder as was valid in Sweden and Germany at least already in 2009. State intention is to deny phosphates after the European Union directive sets the demand in 2012. [16]

Traffic

The car tax was cut in 2007 to support investments in new cars. The state arguments promised it to reduce traffic emissions by 0.37% a year. Environmental organizations considered the tax cut negative for global warming. Politicians did nor explain, why some old cars would not remain also in the traffic and increase the overall emissions. [17] In the use of the private car the upfront costs are a higher barrier than the annual or daily costs. Most cars are imported in Finland, which increases the foreign debt.

Jorma Ollila (works for Shell) group made recommendations for future traffic of Finland in 2013. Based on this report in July 2014 it was discussed to lower the upfront costs of cars and increase the costs of car use. This would be in the favor of the interests of the Royal Dutch Shell since according to studies the upfront costs will reduce more the traffic than the consuming taxes. Traffic poses large problems e.g. in the demand of land areas and parking places. Lower ticket prices would increase the use of Public transport. Free public transport, both cities, and rural areas could be financed by taxes from private cars.

Noise

According to National Institute for Health and Welfare (Finland) a million people in Finland suffer the noise from roads and traffic. 37% of residents in the Helsinki metropolitan area lived in an area with a noise level of over 55 dB In 2017. In 2017 versus 2012 the number of people suffering the noise of trains increased by 20%. Noise increases among others blood pressure, Cardiovascular disease and, strokes in the brain. [18]

Mining

A large nickel mine located at Talvivaara leaked hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of tailings pond water containing toxic metals into the nearby environment in November 2012. The uranium concentration in the effluent rose by 100-200 times its normal level in the bottom and surface waters. [19] Poisonous water leaked out at a speed of 5 000-6 000 cubic metres an hour. [20] The mine has leaked also in 2008 and 2010. As a result, environmentally hazardous concentrations of nickel, zinc, cadmium, and uranium were reached in the local river, exceeding the permitted yearly maximum in the environmental permit by a factor of 50.

The Dragon Mining company had contaminated waters with elevated levels of sulfate, nitrogen, and metals in the Orivesi goldmine in March 2013. [21]

The Russian-owned Norilsk Nickel mine in Harjavalta western Finland released 66,000 kg Nickel in the local Kokemäenjoki (Kokemäki River) in July 2014. After release, the nickel concentrations were 400 times normal levels. This was the largest known Ni release in Finnish history. [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change mitigation</span> Actions to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate change

Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change. This action either reduces emissions of greenhouse gases or removes those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global temperature is mostly due to emissions from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. There are various ways that mitigation can reduce emissions. These are transitioning to sustainable energy sources, conserving energy, and increasing efficiency. It is possible to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This can be done by enlarging forests, restoring wetlands and using other natural and technical processes. The name for these processes is carbon sequestration. Governments and companies have pledged to reduce emissions to prevent dangerous climate change. These pledges are in line with international negotiations to limit warming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neste</span> Finnish oil company

Neste Oyj is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides engineering services, and licenses production technologies. Neste has operations in 14 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental effects of aviation</span> Effect of emissions from aircraft engines

Aircraft engines produce gases, noise, and particulates from fossil fuel combustion, raising environmental concerns over their global effects and their effects on local air quality. Jet airliners contribute to climate change by emitting carbon dioxide, the best understood greenhouse gas, and, with less scientific understanding, nitrogen oxides, contrails and particulates. Their radiative forcing is estimated at 1.3–1.4 that of CO2 alone, excluding induced cirrus cloud with a very low level of scientific understanding. In 2018, global commercial operations generated 2.4% of all CO2 emissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norilsk Nickel</span> Russian mining company

Norilsk Nickel, or Nornickel, is a Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company. Its largest operations are located in the Norilsk–Talnakh area near the Yenisei River in the north of Siberia. It also has holdings in Nikel, Zapolyarny, and Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula, in Harjavalta in western Finland, and in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhouse gas emissions</span> Sources and amounts of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere from human activities

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide, from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is one of the most important factors in causing climate change. The largest emitters are China followed by the United States. The United States has higher emissions per capita. The main producers fueling the emissions globally are large oil and gas companies. Emissions from human activities have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 50% over pre-industrial levels. The growing levels of emissions have varied, but have been consistent among all greenhouse gases. Emissions in the 2010s averaged 56 billion tons a year, higher than any decade before. Total cumulative emissions from 1870 to 2017 were 425±20 GtC from fossil fuels and industry, and 180±60 GtC from land use change. Land-use change, such as deforestation, caused about 31% of cumulative emissions over 1870–2017, coal 32%, oil 25%, and gas 10%.

Ahtium was a Finnish mining company that operated the Talvivaara nickel mine from the company's establishment in 2004 until the mining business was sold to the state-owned Terrafame in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy in Finland</span> Overview of the production, consumption, import and export of energy and electricity in Finland

Energy in Finland describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Finland. Energy policy of Finland describes the politics of Finland related to energy. Electricity sector in Finland is the main article regarding electricity in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Sweden</span>

Climate change has received significant scientific, public and political attention in Sweden. In 1896, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius was the first scientist to quantify global heating. Sweden has a high energy consumtion per capita, but reducing the dependency on fossil energy has been on the agenda of cabinets of the Governments of Sweden since the 1970s oil crises. In 2014 and 2016, Sweden was ranked #1 in the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI), because the Swedish economy produces relatively low emissions. Sweden has had one of the highest usages of biofuel in Europe and aims at prohibiting new sales of fossil-cars, including hybrid cars, by 2035, and for an energy supply system with zero net atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Abatement cost is the cost of reducing environmental negatives such as pollution. Marginal cost is an economic concept that measures the cost of an additional unit. The marginal abatement cost, in general, measures the cost of reducing one more unit of pollution. Marginal abatement costs are also called the "marginal cost" of reducing such environmental negatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhouse gas emissions by the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the greenhouse gas emissions by United Kingdom

In 2021, net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United Kingdom (UK) were 427 million tonnes (Mt) carbon dioxide equivalent, 80% of which was carbon dioxide itself. Emissions increased by 5% in 2021 with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, primarily due to the extra road transport. The UK has over time emitted about 3% of the world total human caused CO2, with a current rate under 1%, although the population is less than 1%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talvivaara mine</span>

The Talvivaara mine is one of the largest nickel mines in Finland. The mine is located in Sotkamo in Kainuu region of Finland. The mine is owned by government-established Terrafame, which bought it from the bankruptcy-bound Talvivaara Mining Company in 2015. Its annual production capacity is over 10 million tonnes of ore. The mine has reserves amounting to 1 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.22% nickel, 0.13% copper, 0.5% zinc and 0.02% cobalt thus resulting 2.2 million tonnes of nickel, 1.3 million tonnes of copper, 5 million tonnes of zinc and 0.2 million tonnes of cobalt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peat in Finland</span>

Finland is one of the last countries in the world still burning peat. Peat has high global warming emissions and environmental concerns. It can be compared to brown coal (lignite) or even worse than this lowest rank of coal. Peat is considered the most harmful energy source for global warming in Finland. According to IEA the Finnish subsidies for peat in 2007-2010 undermined the goal to reduce CO
2 emissions and counteracted other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual action on climate change</span> What people can do individually to slow down global warming

Individual action on climate change can include personal choices in many areas, such as diet, travel, household energy use, consumption of goods and services, and family size. Individuals can also engage in local and political advocacy around issues of climate change. People who wish to reduce their carbon footprint, can take "high-impact" actions, such as avoiding frequent flying and petrol fuelled cars, eating mainly a plant-based diet, having fewer children, using clothes and electrical products for longer, and electrifying homes. Avoiding meat and dairy foods has been called "the single biggest way" an individual can reduce their environmental impact. Excessive consumption is more to blame for climate change than population increase. High consumption lifestyles have a greater environmental impact, with the richest 10% of people emitting about half the total lifestyle emissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy policy of Finland</span> Overview of the energy policy of Finland

Energy policy of Finland describes the politics of Finland related to energy. Energy in Finland describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Finland. Electricity sector in Finland is the main article of electricity in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Finland</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Finland related to clime change

Climate change has far reaching impacts on the natural environment and people of Finland. Finland was among the top five greenhouse gas emitters in 2001, on a per capita basis. Emissions increased to 58.8 million tonnes in 2016. Finland needs to triple its current cuts to emissions in order to be carbon neutral by 2035. Finland relies on coal and peat for its energy, but plans to phase out coal by 2029. Finland has a target of carbon neutrality by the year 2035 without carbon credits. The policies include nature conservation, more investments in trains, changes in taxation and more sustainable wood burning. After 2035 Finland will be carbon negative, meaning soaking more carbon than emitting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Europe</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Europe related to climate change

Climate change has resulted in an increase in temperature of 2.3 °C (2022) in Europe compared to pre-industrial levels. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. Europe's climate is getting warmer due to anthropogenic activity. According to international climate experts, global temperature rise should not exceed 2 °C to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change; without reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this could happen before 2050. Climate change has implications for all regions of Europe, with the extent and nature of impacts varying across the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juha Sipilä</span> Prime minister of Finland from 2015 to 2019

Juha Petri Sipilä is a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2015 to 2019. A relative newcomer to politics, he has a successful background in business. He was the leader of the Centre Party from 2012 to 2019. After leading the Centre party to victory in the 2015 general election, Sipilä formed a centre-right coalition and was appointed Prime Minister by the Finnish Parliament on 29 May 2015. On 8 March 2019, Sipilä stated his intention to resign as Prime Minister, citing difficulties in reforming Finland's health care system. President Sauli Niinistö asked him to continue with a caretaker government until a new government coalition was appointed on 6 June 2019 and was ultimately succeeded by Antti Rinne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sipilä Cabinet</span> 74th government of Finland

The cabinet of Juha Sipilä was the 74th government of Finland, from 2015 to 2019. It was formed following the parliamentary election of 2015 and formally appointed by President Sauli Niinistö on 29 May 2015. From June 2017, the cabinet consisted of a coalition formed by the Centre Party, Blue Reform and the National Coalition Party. The cabinet's Prime Minister was Juha Sipilä.

Paludiculture is wet agriculture and forestry on peatlands. Paludiculture combines the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands through rewetting with continued land use and biomass production under wet conditions. “Paludi” comes from the Latin “palus” meaning “swamp, morass” and "paludiculture" as a concept was developed at Greifswald University. Paludiculture is a sustainable alternative to drainage-based agriculture, intended to maintain carbon storage in peatlands. This differentiates paludiculture from agriculture like rice paddies, which involve draining, and therefore degrading wetlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhouse gas emissions by Russia</span> Greenhouse gas emissions originating from Russia and efforts to reduce them

Greenhouse gas emissionsbyRussia are mostly from fossil gas, oil and coal. Russia emits 2 or 3 billion tonnes CO2eq of greenhouse gases each year; about 4% of world emissions. Annual carbon dioxide emissions alone are about 12 tons per person, more than double the world average. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore air pollution in Russia, would have health benefits greater than the cost. The country is the world's biggest methane emitter, and 4 billion dollars worth of methane was estimated to leak in 2019/20.

References

  1. ↑ Which nations are most responsible for climate change? Guardian 21 April 2011
  2. ↑ European Commission: Finland must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 39% by 2030. helsinkitimes.fi (22 July 2016). Retrieved on 22 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M. (2020). "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 50% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5978. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 . ISSN   2041-1723. PMC   7723057 . PMID   33293507.
  4. ↑ Assessment of threatened habitat types in Finland 2018: The status of natural habitats continues to deteriorate Finnish Environment Institute 2018-12-18
  5. ↑ Report: Finland's environment suffering from human activity YLE 2018-12-18
  6. ↑ "The loss of biodiversity continues". Joint website of Finland's environmental administration. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  7. ↑ New estimate — every ninth species in Finland is threatened Press release 2019-03-0
  8. ↑ Leena Vilkan kolumni: Tänään saimme kuulla, että Suomesta on hävinnyt kokonaan 312 lajia – ja seuraavaksi uhkaavat mennä jopa pääskyt YLE 6.4.2019
  9. ↑ "Open Data Platform". data.footprintnetwork.org. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Country Overshoot Days 2022". Earth Overshoot Day. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  11. ↑ ews Study: Finland's forests densest in the world YLE 5.9.2015
  12. ↑ Nokipöly sulattaa jäätiköt Helsingin Sanomat 15.11.2017 B12-B13
  13. ↑ FI/Kartat_ja_tilastot/Maapallon_jaahdyttaja_vaarassa__mustan_h(44927)Mustan hiilen päästöjä vähentämällä jarrutetaan arktista lämpenemistä November 2017
  14. ↑ Helsingin Sanomat 5.9.2011 C6
  15. ↑ "Ympäristörikokset jäävät tutkimatta poliisin resurssipulan vuoksi". 2013. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Suomi on kieltämässä fosfaattipesuaineet yle 5.6.2009
  17. ↑ Ilmastonmuutos pahin uhka kansalliselle turvallisuudelle, Luonnonsuojeluliitto 25.11.2007
  18. ↑ Meteli tuhoaa terveyttä Helsingin Sanomat 11.3. 2019 B8-B9
  19. ↑ Concern over toxic leak from Europe’s largest nickel mine in north-eastern Finland 7 November 2012
  20. ↑ A brief update on Talvivaara toxic leak Greenpeace
  21. ↑ Orivesi goldmine pollutes nearby lakes yle 14.3.2013
  22. ↑ Environmental authority: Nickel leak threatening southwest river yle 8.7.2014
  23. ↑ Harjavallan nikkelipäästö Suomen historian suurin yle 8.7.2014
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