Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen

The National Coalition Party

Ministry of the Environment

Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen leads the Ministry of the Environment. Within the Finnish Government, he is responsible for matters related to the environment, construction and housing. These include climate policy, nature and water protection, preventing environmental pollution, circular economy, construction and land use, and housing policy.

Minister Mykkänen is also responsible for matters covered by the Energy Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Profile

Kai Mykkänen, born in Espoo in 1979, has served as Minister of Climate and the Environment in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government from 20 June 2023. He previously served in Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s Government as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development from 2016 to 2018 and Minister of the Interior from 2018 to 2019. For the past parliamentary term from 2019 to 2023 Mykkänen led the National Coalition Party’s parliamentary group. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences (Economics).

Kai Mykkänen was elected to Parliament in 2015. He then led the working group on energy and environmental affairs in the government formation talks.

Before entering politics, Kai Mykkänen worked as Director at the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Special Adviser to the Minister of Economic Affairs, Economist and Deputy CEO at East Office, Senior Consultant at BearingPoint, and Financial Manager at Sampo Bank in Saint Petersburg.

He was a member of Espoo City Council in 2001–2008 and has again been a member since 2017.

Kai Mykkänen’s first political act took place during his school years when he collected signatures for the Laajalahti nature conservation area.

His hobbies include walking and hiking, and sailing with his family. He is married and has two children and a dog.