The government's climate action plan met with criticism from several quarters, both from environmental organisations and the political opposition in the Riksdag. The action plan did not contain any concrete measures that in the short term can compensate for the increased carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the reduced reduction obligation.
From the turn of the year, there will be a sharp reduction in the reduction obligation, the statutory blending of biofuels in petrol and diesel. The aim is to make petrol and diesel cheaper, an election promise from several of the parties in the government, but also a measure that leads to increased emissions of greenhouse gases.
Those who thought that the government would put forward proposals in its climate action plan that would compensate for these increases in emissions in the near future were disappointed.
Clashing with election promises
It is clear that the government is now fully focused on 2045, when Sweden will have zero emissions.
The shorter-term objectives thus seem to have been more or less abandoned. They clash with the election promises to lower petrol and diesel prices and the government chooses to try to fulfil the election promises.
Instead, in practice, the government only talks about the long-term climate goals. And from the Prime Minister, the message is the same as before. The single most important measure for Swedish climate policy is the expansion of nuclear power," says Ulf Kristersson. The reduction obligation is a sidetrack, he and the government think. Expanded nuclear power creates the conditions for the electrification that, according to the government, will lead to achieving zero emissions by 2045.
Opposition rages
Not unexpectedly, opposition to the government's climate action plan is raging. Above all, it is concrete measures in the near future that are called for.
The Center Party and the Green Party are so critical that they already on Thursday submitted a request for a vote of no confidence against Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokthari (L). Such a vote can be held on 17 or 18 January, when the Riksdag opens after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Left Party also supports a vote of no confidence, while the Social Democrats want to analyze the climate action plan further before giving a definitive answer.
However, it would not be surprising if the Social Democrats also ultimately decide to vote to dismiss the climate and environment minister.
The question, however, is how exciting such a vote will be. The Government has the support of 176 members of the Riksdag, the opposition 173. To win a vote of no confidence, the opposition will have to gather 175 MEPs, and there is no indication that this will be possible.
Should be seen as a political statement
The vote of no confidence should therefore primarily be seen as a political statement by the opposition against the government's climate policy. A way for the opposition to drum in the message that Kristersson's government is increasing Sweden's carbon dioxide emissions.
How this will affect voter opinion is unclear. For voters on the right, who vote for the Moderate Party or the Sweden Democrats, for example, the climate issue is not particularly decisive. Rather, for these voters, lower fuel prices mean more. They are therefore unlikely to be particularly affected by this debate.
But the Moderates also have an explicit strategy to try to attract more urban voters and female voters in the next election, and these voter groups are likely to be more sensitive. For them, the climate issue plays a greater role and persistent criticism of the government's climate policy could make it more difficult for Kristersson to convince these voters in the next election campaign.