The greatest global challenges of our time are climate change and biodiversity loss. Despite their global nature, the solutions are often local, and a large part of the related efforts are done at the municipal level. They are related to energy use, purchasing, land use, waste management and traffic, among others.
We want Finland to be a forerunner in climate and environment questions. Finland must be climate-neutral by 2035. Many municipalities are already pioneers in finding climate solutions that best fit their local conditions, and thereby support the creation of sustainable industry, commerce and jobs in their area. By investing in climate-friendly solutions, municipalities can offer their inhabitants opportunities for sustainable lifestyles, as well as a welcoming environment.
SFP wants:
- municipalities to adopt climate-smart solutions and to make it easier for inhabitants to make climate-smart choices
- municipalities to shift to renewable energy and phase out fossil fuel use
- municipalities to combat biodiversity loss by directing sufficient resources to information provision and voluntary nature protection measures
- municipalities to take biodiversity-enhancing measures
- to work towards reducing emissions to waterways and marine environments, for example by improving water management and increasing nutrient recycling
- municipalities to invest in reducing waste and promoting recycling in their own operations
- to see functioning recycling, reuse and waste management with sufficient collection stations
- to see municipalities formulating climate plans and sustainability plans
- municipalities to draw up clear objectives for fighting climate change and strengthening biodiversity
- to see municipalities adopting indicators and criteria for measuring the climate impact of their operations
- to see local food and Finnish fish being favoured and food waste being minimized
- to reduce the use of PFAS chemicals by municipalities
- to see municipalities sustainably using and caring for their land areas
