To ensure that Sweden reaches its target of being completely climate neutral by 2045, we are purchasing so-called emission credits from projects in poorer countries where emissions have been reduced. This way, the emission reductions there can be counted as if they were made in Sweden.
But the government has not established any method to follow up and evaluate at an overall level whether international climate initiatives are achieving the goals, according to a report from the Swedish National Audit Office.
There is no clear expectation or clear goal for what these efforts should actually deliver in relation to the climate goals, says Lena Lakso, project manager for the review.
Projects without results
The Swedish Energy Agency, which is responsible for emissions trading, has not produced any final reports on several projects and funds. The cost-effectiveness of the trading also risks being overestimated, as administrative costs are not included.
During the period 2014-2025, the Swedish Energy Agency has initiated 18 bilateral projects on emissions credits. Three of them are still in an early stage, and have therefore not generated any emissions credits yet.
However, five of the projects have been closed without delivering any emissions credits at all.
These are uncertain outcomes, and you need to keep that in mind when it comes to how much trust you can place in these projects that contribute to the climate goal, says Lena Lakso.
Criticism from the past
According to the report, the lack of clear and measurable targets means that the government has not ensured that international climate efforts contribute to the extent required to achieve either the interim targets for 2030 and 2040, or the climate target for 2045.
The criticism is not new. Weak goal-setting, in the form of a lack of quantitative targets for emission credits, was identified when international climate efforts were reviewed back in 2011.
Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) will soon have a meeting with the Energy Agency to discuss possible improvements, she tells journalists in Brussels.
When developing new climate policy, it is not without challenges and potential for improvement that the government will clearly look at, she says.
