Finland Times

 

File picture of Green Forest. Photo Lehtikuva.

Finland has the opportunity to get advantage from the mitigation measures prescribed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, said Finnish members of the panel on Tuesday.

 

The experts suggested that the country should set tighter climate targets than international obligations required. They said the country could benefit in many ways, if it would take lead in climate change mitigations.

 

The IPCC report released two weeks ago said wealthy industrialised countries should aspire to achieve carbon neutrality going into 2070-2080.

 

File Photo AFP-Lehtikuva.

According to the IPCC, the carbon neutrality target will help to subdue global warming by two degrees. Carbon neutrality refers to attaining zero net emissions of greenhouse gases.

 

The experts believe Finland should strive to become carbon-neutral before the stipulated period.

 

Professor Jyri Seppälä, Director of the Consumption and Production Centre at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) said the obligation provides Finland with a chance to turn climate change into an opportunity.

 

According to Seppälä, efforts to export clean technology would relieve support, if the country would endeavour to attain carbon neutrality early.

 

In addition, Finland will gain the benefit of achieving an international profile.

 

File Photo Lehtikuva.

The panel of experts also observed that Finland is exceptionally well-placed as it has good and well-managed forests as well as the technological knowhow.

 

Professor Markku Kulmala of the University of Helsinki believes Finland's clean technology, known as Cleantech, would be picked up.

 

"We have a good basis for becoming pioneers, because we are a small and neutral country," said Kulmala.

 

Releasing its new report on mitigation of climate change, the IPCC on April 13 said between 2000 and 2010, global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases grew by 2.2 percent every year, more quickly than in each of the three previous decades, when annual growth of greenhouse gas emissions was 1.3 percent.

 

The report said emission reductions are required from sectors of energy production and use, transport, buildings, industry, land use and human settlements. Among the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities between 2000 and 2010, 47 percent directly came from energy supply, 30 percent from industry and 11 percent from transport. 

 

A large-scale global change is required in the energy supply sector, it said, adding that global CO2 emissions from energy supply should be reduced by 90 percent or more below the 2010 levels between 2040 and 2070, and further decline to zero thereafter.