Raising the bar on the type, size and timeline of a 'successful' decoupling

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Decoupling for ecological sustainability : A categorisation and review of research literature

The idea of decoupling "environmental bads" from "economic goods" has been proposed as a path towards sustainability by organizations such as the OECD and UN. Scientific consensus reports on environmental impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions) and resource use give an indication of the kind of decoupling needed for ecological sustainability: global, absolute, fast-enough and long-enough. This goal gives grounds for a categorisation of the different kinds of decoupling, with regard to their relevance. We conducted a survey of recent (1990-2019) research on decoupling on Web of Science and reviewed the results in the research according to the categorisation. The reviewed 179 articles contain evidence of absolute impact decoupling, especially between CO2 (and SOX) emissions and evidence on geographically limited (national level) cases of absolute decoupling of land and blue water use from GDP, but not of economy-wide resource decoupling, neither on national nor international scales. Evidence of the needed absolute global fast-enough decoupling is missing.Peer reviewe

A Lot of Talk, But Little Action : The Blind Spots of Nordic Environmental Security Policy

Despite an increasing recognition that environmental change may have implications for security, there only are few policies to address the issue. This article will look at environmental security policies in Finland and Sweden and propose ways to develop more effective measures. It relies on a three-level framework that aims to enable the identification of environmental security impacts by categorising them into local, geopolitical and structural ones. The article will examine present environmental security strategies and policies in Finland and Sweden, consider their efficacy for addressing various kinds of impacts and point out approaches that are currently missing. Based on the discussion, it argues that a comprehensive policy approach is needed to tackle environmental security impacts. This requires closer coordination and interchange between sectors as well as strategic intent. In addition, further research is needed on the structural impacts of mitigating and adapting to environmental change.Peer reviewe

Northern Warning Lights: Ambiguities of Environmental Security in Finland and Sweden

As the literature on environmental security has evolved and widened, knowledge of the full range of potential consequences of environmental change for different societies remains scattered. This article contributes to a more comprehensive approach to the implications of environmental change by providing a three-level framework of the security impacts. In particular, it will address gaps in knowledge by pointing out the relevance of geopolitical and structural factors behind environmental security impacts. The article will focus on the cases of two countries, Finland and Sweden—both seen as stable, high-income democracies that are well equipped to adapt to climate risks. Yet even under these conditions, preparedness to threat-prevention will not follow without a recognition of the full range of risks, including ones that are linked to socio-economic and geopolitical factors. On the basis of the Finnish and Swedish cases, the article proposes an analytical framework of three categories of environmental security impacts: local, geopolitical and structural

Sectoral low-carbon roadmaps and the role of forest biomass in Finland's carbon neutrality 2035 target

As a part of its climate policy, Finnish government facilitated the creation of low-carbon roadmaps by sectors of industry. The roadmap process and the roadmaps were promoted as an international benchmark in COP26. They also form a part of the policy process towards the government's goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. We analyse the need and role of biomass use contained in the roadmaps of the key sectors and compare it to data on available forest biomass. The combined need for forest biomass in the roadmaps is well over 140 Mm(3), which is over double that of the logging level in 2019, and drastically over the roadmaps' projection of future sustainable yield. This creates a challenge for the carbon neutrality goal via the loss of carbon sinks in forests, risking the carbon neutrality target and other sustainability goals. Although, up to date, the roadmaps present the most detailed picture of industrial transformation towards carbon neutrality in an EU member state, they are made unrealistic by the omission of a comprehensive material perspective. The addition of such a perspective and a clear setting of boundaries would increase the viability of the roadmaps as a policy tool.Peer reviewe

Humanistinen ympäristötutkimus

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Successful decoupling? Case Finland

Ympäristövaikutusten irtikytkentää talouden koosta ja kasvusta on esitetty ratkaisuksi ekologisen kestämättömyyden ongelmaan. Irtikytkentä on myös “vihreän kasvun” ja kiertotalouden välttämätön taustaoletus. Kun arvioidaan, minkä kokoinen tehtävä onnistunut irtikytkentä Suomessa olisi ja miten nopeasti se pitäisi toteuttaa, huomataan sen olevan mahdotonta. Löytämämme empiiriset havainnot eivät osoita vaadittavan nopeaa ja syvää irtikytkentää. Tämän vuoksi irtikytkentä ei ole hyvä käsite ohjaamaan yhteiskunnallista päätöksentekoa, vaan tarvittavan muutoksen luonnetta on parempi kuvata käsittein, jotka eivät sitoudu irtikytkennän oletuksiin talouskasvusta.Peer reviewe

Teollinen murros ekohyvinvointivaltiossa: Mitä teollisuuden vähähiilitiekartat kertovat suomalaisen kestävyysmurroksen edellytyksistä?

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