Government Report on the Climate Plan for the Land Use Sector

Abstract

During 2021–2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry prepared a comprehensive Climate Plan for the Land Use Sector, which will be one of the key elements of the planning system under the revised Climate Change Act. The plan is part of the implementation of the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Government. In line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the land use sector comprises land use, land use change and forestry.

The purpose of the plan is to promote the reduction of emissions from land use, forestry and agriculture, strengthening of removals by carbon sinks and adaptation to climate change, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals. The annual net impact that the additional measures in the land use sector aim for is at least three million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035. The Climate Plan for the Land Use Sector contributes to the achievement of the national target of carbon neutrality by 2035 and of the climate objectives of the EU.

The plan sets down the measures targeted to land use changes, carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural lands and long-lived wood products, and several cross-cutting measures. The key principle in the preparation was to reach the climate targets in a way that is as cost-effective, fair and just as possible. Links to the Medium-term Climate Change Policy Plan and Climate and Energy Strategy were taken into account in the process.