COP17, the summit to protect biodiversity, is over, but critics say progress was limited. “Time is running out to achieve the goals governments around the world have set to reverse the nature crisis,” says Ulrik Westman, a representative of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
Swedish politicsBeach holidays replace beach protection, and interests should be weighed against each other, according to an investigation that proposes further relaxations of beach protection. "Madness," says the Green Party.
SwedenSweden's natural environment will be given the conditions to recover, according to a new plan several agencies developed on behalf of the government. But environmental organizations say the plan's level of ambition is too low.
Swedish politicsMore urban greenery and wild pollinators were included among the milestones when the government presented its biodiversity action plan. But the plan has been criticized as too little, too late.
Swedish politicsThe climate summit in Brazil has agreed on an agreement. The EU and several other countries had pushed for an agreement that required a “roadmap” to phase out fossil fuels – but the text makes no mention of that.
SwedenSwedish funds and banks are investing in blacklisted mining projects through green funds, a new report shows. I can understand that savers feel frustrated that it is difficult to make a green fund choice, says Jakob König at Fair Finance Guide, who conducted the survey together with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
SwedenThe sale of plant protection products with the eternal chemical PFAS has skyrocketed. Last year, just over 76 tons were sold in Sweden, which can be compared to 47 tons five years earlier.
SwedenThe world's countries gather annually to try to manage the climate problems and the planet's warming. It is here, at the meetings, the decisions are made that will lead the work forward. But sky-high prices and a lack of hotel rooms threaten this year's climate summit. Critics warn that the value of the meeting will be undermined if poor countries and organizations cannot participate.
SwedenParts of the EU countries' climate work can take place in countries outside the union with the new climate goal. The proposal is heavily criticized by environmental organizations and similar previous initiatives have been difficult to control.
WorldPlastic, overfishing, warming and brawls over the resources. Despite several acute problems, the sea and marine resources are the most underfinanced of the UN's sustainability goals. At the sea conference in Nice, the countries will now try to unite and find financing to protect and preserve the world's seas.
SwedenThe levels of PFAS in wine have increased sharply in recent years. Far more than a hundred times above the guideline value for drinking water occur, according to a new study. If it's in grapes, it's likely in everything else we cultivate and that contains water, says Karin Lexén, Secretary-General of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
SwedenThe money is in focus when the UN's conference on biological diversity is now resumed. If countries fail to agree, a severe setback for nature is threatened.
SwedenThe verdict on the Environmental Goals Committee is harsh – a failure and a disappointment, environmental organizations believe. Even the opposition is critical. They might as well have appointed lobbyists to the committee instead of politicians, says Maria Gardfjell (Green Party).
SwedenThe Swedish Society for Nature Conservation believes that the Tidö parties' dismantling of coastal protection can seriously harm biodiversity. The municipal councilor of Arjeplog, on the other hand, dismisses the proposal as "a minor adjustment".
SwedenThe discussions at the climate meeting in Baku in Azerbaijan are progressing slowly. Now, hope is being turned to the other side of the planet, where another top meeting can function as a catalyst. One hopes that a positive signal from the G20 could get these negotiations moving a bit, says Karin Lexén at the Nature Conservation Association.
SwedenEternal chemicals PFAS are discovered in almost all drinking water. In at least three municipalities, the levels exceed the limit values for four specifically designated substances. A growing concern exists for a particularly difficult-to-remove substance.
SwedenAnimals and plants that disappear, agricultural land that turns into desert, and plastic that gets everywhere. That, together with climate change, is what the four most important environmental meetings this autumn are about. It's now about focusing on accelerating the implementation of the goals that have been decided, says Maria Schultz at the World Nature Fund WWF.
Sweden
