Swedish government set to miss all EU 2030 climate goals

"Sweden is set to miss the EU's 2030 climate goals by 4.3 million tons of carbon dioxide, according to the government's own figures. On Monday, the government is set to present its budget for 2026, which will include information on the effects of government policy on the climate. According to the budget, Sweden needs to cut its carbon dioxide production by 5.8 million tons in order to meet the EU goal."

"The measures presented in the government's 2026 budget will close the gap by around 1.5 million tons, it predicts, for example by introducing an electric vehicle benefit aimed at rural areas, allocating more money to fund charging points and climate compensation for transporting goods by train. Despite these measures, the government estimates that it will miss the EU's climate goals for 2030 by 4.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a significantly worse situation than it predicted when the budget for last year was presented."

"Back then, climate minister Romina Pourmokhtari expected that Sweden would meet the EU goals by a good margin. The reason for the larger-than-expected gap between the goals and reality is that car emissions have increased more than expected and electrification has slowed. In an interview with Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) earlier this week, Pourmokhtari lashed out at the Environmental Protection Agency, which predicted in April that the increase in emissions would be much smaller than the figure it reported to the government"

Sweden faces a 4.3 million ton shortfall against the EU's 2030 climate target based on government figures. The 2026 budget outlines measures expected to cut emissions by roughly 1.5 million tons, while total required reductions amount to 5.8 million tons to meet the EU goal. Measures include an electric vehicle benefit for rural areas, increased funding for charging infrastructure, and climate compensation for rail freight. Rising car emissions and slower electrification have widened the gap. Conflicting projections from the Environmental Protection Agency and earlier reliance on an optimistic scenario contributed to the planning difficulties.

Read at www.thelocal.se