Preparation of the climate plan for the land use sector started - working group appointed
By the end of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will draw up a comprehensive climate plan concerning agriculture, forestry and the land use sector that will be part of the planning system of the new Climate Change Act. The proposal for the plan will be prepared by an inter-administrative working group composed of public officials, appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on 16 February 2021.The Government is to approve the report on the climate plan in early 2022.
The measures of the climate plan for the land use sector contribute to the achievement of a carbon-neutral Finland by 2035. The plan will comprise the measures needed to achieve the climate target of the land use sector, an implementation plan for these, and a plan on how the measures and their impacts will be monitored. By 2035 the annual net impact of the measures targeted to carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural soil, forests and long-living wood products, land use changes and wetlands should be at least 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
“Agriculture and forestry are critical sectors in finding solutions for climate change mitigation,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä says. “Together with farmers, forest owners, operators in the sector and researchers we have the opportunity to utilise the best practices and thus also to strengthen the comprehensive sustainability and expertise of the land use sector, with our eyes on the future.”
“The preparation and implementation of the plan will be based on the package of measures for the land use sector ‘Catch the Carbon’ launched in spring 2020,” says Jaana Kaipainen, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry who chairs the working group. “The materials produced for the preparation of the measures and results of the research and development projects can be used for drafting the plan. As the work proceeds, we will also organise several consultations and other participatory events.”
One of the key tasks of the inter-administrative working group is to make sure that the proposal for the plan concerning the land use sector is compatible and consistent with other plans related to the energy and climate framework, including the Climate and Energy Strategy and Medium-Term Climate Change Policy Plan. The strategies and programmes that are relevant in terms of the climate plan for the land use sector also include the National Forest Strategy, Bioeconomy Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, Strategic Programme to Promote a Circular Economy and Climate Food Programme.
The climate plan for the land use sector promotes comprehensive sustainability, and it will be compatible with the other means used in agricultural and forest policy. Besides the environmental impacts, the plan will also assess the social and economic impacts of the measures. In the working group an even deeper perspective will be adopted that also covers the acceptability and just implementation of the measures.
Letter of appointment of the working group PDF 194kB
Read more about climate measures in the land use sector
Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Jaana Kaipainen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 162 270, jaana.kaipainen(at)mmm.fi