1. Preface
The world is taking stock of global climate action and the Nordic countries are moreover doing a regional stock take of their own.
This year world leaders will conclude the political phase of the Global Stocktake. This will give a status of the world’s joint efforts to deliver collectively on the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.
The message from science is clear. The IPCC AR6 states that the trajectory for keeping 1.5 ºC within reach requires global peaking of GHG emissions immediately and by 2025 at the latest.
Rapid emissions reductions are needed within every sector of our economies and options are available.
The Nordic Stocktake report gives us the opportunity to further support the overall objective of the Global Stocktake process from a regional perspective. It reveals that the Nordic region must intensify the efforts and demonstrate that there are mitigation options available in all sectors. The early start of the Nordic energy transition has paid well off and spurred the development of green solutions and industries. However, many sectors are still lagging, and further initiatives are needed. The Nordic countries have the tools, know-how and institutional and financial capacity to step up and lead by example towards systemic change. The co-operation in the Nordic Council of Ministers must serve this purpose and support the Nordic path towards climate neutrality.
A crucial part of the Nordic Stocktake and Visions project is to create new visions and narratives for what a climate neutral region could look like. The green transition is a great opportunity to create a society in balance, both socially and environmentally. A climate neutral society could provide us with both healthier lives and stronger local communities with inclusive democracy and long-term policies.
It is my hope that this first Nordic Stocktake can give us a sense of where we are on a collective Nordic path towards a net-zero climate-resilient future and inspire us to support and learn from each other on the way.
Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson
Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate
Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate in Iceland
This project was carried out in 2023 and has been undertaken by a Nordic consortium consisting of the organizations CONCITO (DK), CICERO (NO), IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute (SWE), University of Iceland and Reykjavik University (IS), and Tyrsky Consulting (FI). The project has resulted in two reports: Nordic Stocktake – Pathways to climate neutrality, and Nordic Visions of Climate Neutrality, five webinars and five policy papers, and the results will be spread globally through international dissemination and communication activities at the New York Climate Week (2023) and at COP28 in the Nordic Pavilion.
The project was commissioned by the Swedish EPA on behalf of the Nordic steering group for Climate Transition in the Nordics and the Nordic working group for Climate and Air. However, the content does not necessarily reflect the Nordic Council of Ministers’ views, opinions, attitudes or recommendations. The Nordic Council of Ministers will assess the report’s recommendations and discuss how they could be addressed going forward towards a climate neutral Nordic region, contributing to the Nordic Vision 2030.