Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

Finland is still greatly dependent on energy imports, especially withregard to electricity demands. This dependence is evident in Finland's naturalgas network, which is physically linked only to Russia. Net electricityimports from neighbouring nations can reach 15-20% of total final consumption.In addition, over 80% of oil imports typically come from Russia.Finland's dependence on energy imports has made supply security ahigh priority policy objective. This dependence is also responsible for recentgrowth in renewables as a way to meet the government's self-sufficiencyobjectives.National energy policy is also a product of Finland's Kyoto emissionstargets for the first commitment period (2008-12). Finland committed tostabilise its emissions at 1990 levels through a set of policies and mandates,but mostly (75%) with emissions offsets. Over the last decade, Finland'semissions have remained above its target despite these measures. Whilethe surplus emissions are a concern, closer analysis reveals an importantcharacteristic of the government's response to the challenges of energy andclimate change: greater political comfort with short term initiatives andcertainty. An IEA critique states:We are pleased to note the link between energy policy goals and objectives,and policies and measures that address these goals. However, thegovernment initiatives are generally focused on those that can bringshort-term benefits. For, example, in the area of climate change, muchof the government's efforts are placed on the European Union's tradingscheme for greenhouse gasses, the EU-ETS, a policy that brings clearlydefined, short-term benefits. Less attention is paid to the longer term,such as to implementing policies and measures in the building and transportsectors, areas where consumption is growing. Efficiency improvementsand emissions reductions in these sectors will require steady policytreatment as results are slower to emerge and less easy to quantify.(Energy Policies of IEA Countries, Finland 2007 Review 27-8)A focus on short-term gains can be interpreted as evidence of a lackof political will. More likely, it reflects the government's long traditionof deploying cost-effective solutions that minimise or distribute risk andwhose impacts are measurable. However, complex challenges like climatechange, long time frames and ambiguity will be constant factors.D3.2 ConsumptionUntil the 1960's, Finland relied on hydropower and wood resources tofuel much of its energy production. But as consumption increased to meeta growing economy and an expanding population, the limits of domesticenergy sources were reached initiating increased levels of oil imports tomeet this demand. A natural gas pipeline to Russia was constructed in 1973236