Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

D6: GovernanceD6.1 Finland's Policies & MeasuresCurrent climate policy in Finland is developed within the frameworkof two treaties: the Kyoto Protocol (legally binding) and the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As an EU MemberState, Finland is bound to climate and energy Directives issued by the EC.This two treaty/EU framework generally results in two phases of obligations:the 2008-2012 first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and thepost 2012 period that is largely driven by the EU's 20 20 by 2020 Climateand Energy Package.The Kyoto Protocol was the first international treaty to which Finlandresponded with a national climate policy. Under the EU burden sharingagreement, upon parliamentary ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in 2002,Finland pledged to stabilise its GHG emissions at its 1990 levels during theperiod of 2008-2012 (about seventy-one million tonnes of CO2 eq. per year).Much of the necessary reductions can be achieved through emissions offsetsunder the EU-ETS scheme.In 2003, the Ministerial Working Group on Climate Change andEnergy was established to coordinate the activities that lead to the 2009Foresight Report. Representatives from the ministries constituted thegroup that commissioned a series of studies of Finland and its climate andenergy challenges. The Report suggests four scenarios for how Finlandmight achieve an 80% reduction in GHG emissions, but does specify bindingtargets or policies.Other than ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, little substantial policywork has been done in Finland on climate change until very recently. The2009 Making the Climate Count report from the Finnish EnvironmentInstitute (SYKE) sums up the state of affairs:In previous decades little has been achieved to promote climate issues inother areas. Following an increasing emphasis on climate issues in thetwenty-first century, especially during 2007-2008, the Finnish Governmentand municipalities began to pay more attention to climate changeas well as to measures that could be taken to mitigate climate change andto address its implications in different sectors. In 2008, the Governmentbegan preparing a new long-term climate and energy strategy and thePrime Minister’s Office coordinated a number of background studies fora forthcoming foresight report on climate and energy policy. Through therecent activities, the climate issue is increasingly becoming a horizontalchallenge for public governance in Finland. (Making Climate Count: ClimatePolicy Integration and Coherence in Finland 7)252