The Department Director of the Ministry of the Environment rejects PS's Tavio's statement about the EU's climate goal

Ville Tavio of Basic Finns said in an interview with Iltalehti that the traffic emissions target should be abandoned. According to the ministry, you can't just cancel the obligation like that. Ville Tavio (ps) and Saara Hyrkkö (vihr) argued in Iltalehti's program about, among other things, traffic emission reductions. IL-TVelli.harju@iltalehti.fiToday at 7:00

Head of the Environment Ministry's Climate Unit Outi Honkatukiasays that Finland cannot fail to reduce traffic emissions promised to the EU without reducing emissions in some other sector.

Chairman of the Basic Finnish parliamentary group Ville Tavio told Iltalehten on Wednesday In the Straight to the point program, that Finland should inform the EU that Finland is not complying with the traffic emission reduction target.

Finland has informed the EU that it will halve traffic emissions by 2030. The comparison date is the 2005 emission level. Tavion justified abandoning the goal by saying that steps have been taken to increase the price of fuel in order to reach it.

Iltalehti asked the Ministry of Transport and Communications whether it is possible to cancel the goal. Answering was transferred to the Ministry of the Environment.

– It is a binding EU obligation. Of course, it can be rejected from the transport sector so that less would be done there, but that means that much more emission reduction measures must be taken in agriculture, housing, heating of buildings, waste management and so on, says Honkatukia.

Transport emission reduction share agreed during Sipilä's term

In the EU, emissions are divided into two sectors: emissions trading and outside it, each country's burden-sharing sector.

The emissions trading system includes, for example, large industrial plants and electricity and heat production. The burden-sharing sector includes construction, building heating, housing, agriculture, transport and waste management.

Sipilä's (central) government committed to the EU's emission reduction targets in the burden-sharing sector and at the same time outlined that the obligation is largely implemented by reducing traffic emissions.

If Finland does not meet the 2030 burden-sharing sector goal, according to Honkatukia, the EU must explain why, and agree on what additional measures Finland must take.

Transport and agriculture are the largest sources of emissions in the burden-sharing sector.

– Basically, the fact that such a strict obligation has been imposed on the transport sector comes from the fact that it has been practically impossible to reduce emissions in agriculture, because effective measures have not been desired to move forward, Honkatukia says.

According to Outi Honkatukia (left), transport emission reductions could be transferred to the agricultural sector. Picture from the Madrid Climate Conference 2019. On the right, then Minister of Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen. Elli Harju

Honkatukia: Carbon sequestration in forests does not help

Honkatukia also highlights the reduction of the carbon sink of forests. He says that it has been confusing in the election debates that there has been talk of one year's throw in the amount of carbon sequestration in forests, although the situation has been visible for ten years.

According to Honkatukia, it has previously been considered that Finland's forests sequester carbon could compensate for the emissions caused.

– This advantage is no longer possible, says Honkatukia.

– It seems that the next government faces both the tightening of climate measures in the land use sector and the fact that in the burden sharing sector, if emission reductions cannot be made in the land use sector, even more must be done in transport or elsewhere. All are difficult and often expensive options, says Honkatukia.

Transport emissions have come up in the discussion, especially because of the obligation to distribute renewable fuel. The distribution obligation defines how much biofuel is mixed with the fuel at the pump, making the fuel less emitting.

The price of fuel has already been under upward pressure due to the world political situation, and due to expensive biofuel, the increase in the distribution obligation will further increase the price of fuel. Marini's (sd) government reduced the distribution obligation temporarily, but in such a way that the obligation is going up sharply from the beginning of 2024.

How much should fuel cost at the pump? PS's Tavio answers on 23.3. 19:49 Will car scrapping fees return? The parties will reveal their positions on 20.3. 6:30 The emission reduction target promised to the EU is becoming expensive for motoring – Tavio: Decision to be canceled on 22.3. 20:28 PS's Tavio wants to remove the fuel distribution obligation completely on 22.3. 12:43 p.m