Sweden, once a leader in global climate policy, has reversed many environmental commitments, mirroring a broader retreat across Europe as emissions rise and forest protections weaken.
Marcus Haraldsson reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- Sweden’s carbon emissions rose 7% last year, the largest increase in 15 years, after cuts to green funding, higher fossil fuel subsidies, and weakened forest protections.
- Only 6% of Sweden’s forests are legally protected; increased clearcutting, drought, pests, and soil degradation have halved the carbon absorbed by forests since 2008.
- Five of the EU’s former “green sextet” nations, including Sweden, have reduced climate ambitions as right-leaning governments prioritize other issues.
Key quote:
“Sweden has lost all credibility there. The government has quickly undone policy frameworks with an enraging level of negligence and devastating consequence.”
— Thomas Hahn, ecological economist and associate professor at Stockholm Resilience Centre
Why this matters:
The weakening of Sweden’s environmental policies has implications far beyond its borders. As one of the European Union’s historic climate leaders, Sweden’s retreat reduces pressure on other nations to meet ambitious targets, potentially slowing the continent’s overall progress toward net-zero emissions. Its forests, once a vast carbon sink, are losing capacity just as the world needs more natural carbon storage to counter climate change. This shift also risks undermining biodiversity in a country where old-growth forests are already scarce. With multiple EU nations stepping back from climate commitments, the bloc’s ability to influence global environmental policy could wane, leaving a leadership vacuum at a time when extreme weather and ecological collapse demand stronger action.
Related: Record-shattering heat grips Norway, Sweden and Finland as Arctic temperatures top 30C
