This report has been commissioned by the Nordic Working Group on Environment and Economics (NME). The report has been prepared by a consortium including CONCITO, CICERO and Tyrsky Consulting. The study takes as a starting point the social acceptance as a prerequisite to implement policies needed for the green transition. A special focus is put on social acceptance in relation to wind power development and fuel taxes.
The report concludes that social acceptance issues need to be addressed wisely if the Nordic region wants to remain a green frontrunner. I addition, considerations about social acceptance shape local and national policies and decisions with regard to the policies studied in the report. The study shows that there are significant differences between the Nordic countries. This is the case both in terms of how opposition to wind power and increased fuel taxes manifest itself, and how it is handled politically. Social acceptance for a given policy is e.g. partly determined by an individual’s political alignment and one’s preferred party’s stance on the policy. Furthermore, social acceptance issues also overlap with other, pre-existing, divides in each country – e.g. between rural and urban, or between the state and indigenous peoples.
Members of the Nordic Working Group for Environment and Economy have provided comments and inputs to the report during the work. The authors of the report are responsible for the content as well as the assessments and recommendations, which do not necessarily reflect the views and the positions of the governments in the Nordic countries.
December 2024
Magnus Cederlöf
Chair of the Nordic Working Group for Environment and Economics