Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

Challenge Excerpt65SustainabilityStudioFinland can achieve carbon neutrality in thecoming decades. In fact, relative to other nations,carbon neutrality is low-hanging fruit forFinland. Its massive carbon sink, growing use oflow-carbon energy sources and effective policyimplementation make the reduction a realisticand tenable goal. The opportunity for this Studiois to articulate this value proposition and todesign a pathway to carbon neutrality for the near and longterm.This marks the first comprehensive effort to design aclean, green and smart development strategy for Finland.Climate change is the symptom of a problem; the byproductof a market failure whose externalities will likelylimit future growth. Unlike other problems faced by pastsocieties such as war or famine, the invisible pathology ofclimate change has also been the engine of global prosperity.Carbon emissions are our best metric of this failure.Evidence shows that emissions have increased along with economicgrowth since the industrial revolution. In the last twohundred years the global economy has grown six-fold, reflectingthe tremendous momentum afforded by fossil-fuelledgrowth. The expediency of transforming fossils to energyClimate change is the symptomof a problem; the by-product ofa market failure whose externalitieswill likely limit futuregrowth.