Scorecard summary:
Fulfilment of Rio Conference Commitment- Red
Current Government Position on Climate Change-Red
Per Capita CO2 Emissions-Green (6.56 metric tons per person in 1992)
National CO2 Emissions- Green (56 million metric tons in 1992).
OVERALL ASSESSMENT:
Trying, motivated, but not active in
promoting EU position.
NATIONAL CLIMATE PROTECTION GOAL:
The goal set by the Parliament
is to
stabilise emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels in the year 2000 at the 1990
level and shall decline after that. However, Sweden appears to be one of
the countries blocking the development of a flat rate target for
greenhouse gas reduction in the EU.
SPECIFIC FEATURES:
Sweden has some particular circumstances
which have
meant that it reduced CO2 emissions by 40 percent between 1970 and 1990
owing to the development of nuclear and hydro power and developments in
energy efficiency. A large problem looms as almost half of all primary
energy comes from nuclear power, which Parliament has decided
should be phased out by 2010 and the Government has recently decided
(Feb. 1997) to put this into action. Further development of hydro power
is very limited but there is some scope for expansion of biofuels. The
exemption of the industrial sector in 1993 from the CO2 tax has meant
that there are weak incentives to introduce energy-efficient measures.
Swedish forests constitute a large carbon reservoir but keeping the level
of carbon stored in the forest will demand a continued sustainable
forestry policy.
NEGATIVE FEATURES:
Existing measures are not expected to be
sufficient
to fully stabilise emissions of CO2 (which show a 4 percent growth rate
in the projections) or of all greenhouse gases (which show 5 percent
growth) in 2000 at 1990 levels. The growth in CO2 is due to increasing
emissions from the transport sector. This sector accounted for 38
percent of total emissions in 1990. Every Swede travels an average of
about 40km per day and there are few population centers which at present
have an efficient and competitive public transport system. CO2 emissions
from the transport sector are increasing and are projected to increase
with no credible government policy (or opposition policy) to counter
this. There is also a substantial energy intensive energy sector (
predominantly wood, pulp and paper, but also chemicals, aluminum, iron
and sulfide mining and steel).
POSITIVE FEATURES: Sweden introduced substantial carbon taxes in 1991
unilaterally which with other reforms in the tax structure has been the
chief measure deployed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But fossil
fuels and peat used for energy generation are exempted and in 1993 rates
for manufacturing industry were reduced. A special subsidy system for
cogeneration based on biomass has been established. Between 1990 and
1994 the biofuel component in cogeneration more than doubled. General
energy efficiency in Sweden is
comparatively high in the residential sector. The nuclear phase- out
provides the stimulus to accelerate the development of biomass, wind
power and some types of hydro- power and further energy savings in the
household sector.
Sources: Sweden National Report for the FCCC September 1994, USCAN
and CAN Europe, Independent NGO Evaluations of National Plans for
Climate Change
Mitigation, Second Review, August 1994. and FCCC, Report on the in depth
review of the
national communication of Sweden July 1996 FCCC/IDR.1/SWE.