Ministry of the Environment

At the request of the United States, Sweden has joined the First Movers Coalition (FMC). Sweden will also sit on the FMC advisory board. The FMC brings together companies and countries that are leading the climate transition by driving the development of climate-smart products. Four major Swedish companies are already members of the FMC.

On 31 March, Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhäll will launch the Sweden-US Green Transition Initiative in Washington. The initiative, which will establish Sweden as a partner for the US in the transition towards a low-carbon economy, is now being launched by Swedish government agencies and the Swedish Embassy in Washington.

On Monday 28 March, Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhäll will lead a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York. The UN is hosting the meeting as part of the practical preparations for the Stockholm+50 international meeting.

The United Nations Environment Assembly decided to initiate negotiations on a global agreement to end plastic pollution at its meeting in Nairobi on 2 March. In conjunction with the Environment Assembly, the United Nations Environment Programme celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding.

The United Nations Environment Assembly endorsed a historic resolution to initiate negotiations on a global agreement on plastic pollution. This will be the most important environmental agreement since the Paris Agreement. Sweden has long been a driving force for a global solution to plastic pollution.

Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhäll is participating in the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, on 28 February–3 March. Sweden is pushing for negotiations on a global agreement on plastic pollution and a green post-pandemic recovery.

Stockholm+50 is intended to create conditions that allow the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sweden prioritises opportunities for civil society and young people to engage in both the preparation and implementation of Stockholm+50. They can get involved in various ways.

The virtual side-event “Towards Stockholm 50: Transforming global value chains for a healthy planet and prosperity for all” at UNEA 5.2 focuses on sustainable global value chain initiatives as a key input towards the UN high level meeting Stockholm +50 in June 2022.

The Government has today decided to permit the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel at Forsmark in Östhammar Municipality. The Government has also decided to permit construction of the encapsulation plant that is needed to handle the spent nuclear fuel in Oskarshamn Municipality.

The Government has approved the application for the final repository for spent nuclear fuel and the encapsulation plant needed to manage the spent fuel. In the next stage of the process, the land and environment court will issue a permit and stipulate its conditions. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority will then examine and approve the future work in a step-by-step review.

This information material contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2021 or some time thereafter.

Sweden’s seventh international Office of Science and Innovation was established at the Embassy of Sweden in London on 1 January 2022. The Office will develop and strengthen collaboration between the UK and Sweden on issues linked to the Government’s life sciences strategy, its export and investment strategy, the Research and Innovation Bill, and the Government’s strategic partnership programmes.

Sweden will host World Environment Day on 5 June 2022 in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The theme – ‘Only One Earth’ – will highlight the possibilities for shifting to more sustainable, greener lifestyles.

The UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow has ended. The main successes of the conference were that countries were encouraged to sharpen their climate goals as early as next year, double support for adaptation to climate change by 2025 and that the role of fossil fuels in climate transition was mentioned for the first time.

The Nordic environment and climate ministers met on 3 November in Copenhagen to discuss how they can work together to push for an ambitious outcome from the ongoing UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Issues concerning a global agreement on plastics and the plans for the Stockholm+50 conference are also on the agenda.

Next year, Sweden will host Stockholm+50, a UN conference that aims to help accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the ongoing UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Sweden today launched an initiative to strengthen young people’s participation in the work ahead of and during Stockholm+50.

Speech by Minister for the Environment and Climate Per Bolund at the UN event Delivering Climate Action: for People, Planet, and Prosperity. The speech was given in English and the spoken word applies.

The world is in an acute climate crisis. The world’s poorest are the least to blame but are the hardest hit. The richer countries have a special responsibility to contribute to the developing countries’ climate transition. The Government therefore intends to double Swedish climate aid to SEK 15 billion by 2025.

This week, countries around the world will meet under the auspices of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to begin drafting a global framework on how to sustainably protect and make use of biodiversity. Minister for Environment and Climate Per Bolund will take part in the meeting digitally and will emphasise that Sweden wants protection for 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans.

A preparatory ministerial meeting is being held ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) to discuss key aspects of the climate negotiations. Minister for Environment and Climate Per Bolund has been asked to lead the climate finance discussions.