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Discourse: Finland promoting ‘triple helix’ strategy to address environmental issues
Jari Sinkari and Helena SarenFinland has set an ambitious goal to become carbon-neutral by 2035, 15 years earlier than the target the European Union has set for 2050
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Jari Sinkari and Helena Saren
Finland has set an ambitious goal to become carbon-neutral by 2035, 15 years earlier than the target the European Union has set for 2050. The Jakarta Post’s Apriza Pinandita sat down with Jari Sinkari, the Finnish ambassador to Indonesia, and Helena Saren, the head of the smart energy program at state innovative funding agency Business Finland, to dig further into the country’s secret formula for environmental advocacy. Below are excerpts from the interview:
Question: What makes Finland’s policies distinctive in terms of environmental issues? How does it manage to bring all the stakeholders together to work toward a common purpose?
Saren: Finland has practiced it for decades. It does not happen overnight. In Finland, it is very typical that we do not have lots of hierarchies, so it is very easy to discuss with, for instance, ministries or ambassadors. It paves the way for fruitful cooperation and people are talking with one another.
There are certain kinds of platforms such as the climate leadership coalition comprising business people, academia and opinion leaders. They meet and jointly think about what we should do in order to mitigate climate change. For instance, when a legislative process goes on, the voice of the industries are heard. There are discussions on different kinds of levels.
In the energy waste management sector, for instance, the community and the people’s mindset are also important. In Finland, when there are environmental investments coming up, a public hearing will take place so the community can raise their opinions, and all are taken into account for consideration.
Sinkari: In terms of cooperation of the public sector, researchers and businesses, what’s behind the success is the role of funding and incentives for making this alliance concrete — setting the target for combined research. We have implemented such a strategy since the 1970s.
The academics do not research in a vacuum but combine their research with business communities so the result can be applied by companies. Plus, the government is also aware of it. It is like a “triple helix” model. Financing puts these three partners together.
Saren: In Finland and Europe, several banks do not finance coal-fired power plants anymore, but focus on renewable and sustainable projects.
In terms of policies and regulations, the government sets the ultimate target: Finland to be carbon-neutral in 2035 and Europe in 2050. It obviously puts pressure on the companies, forcing them to find new ways and solutions. So, all players need to play the same game and achieve the target.
How has the recent launch of the EU’s Green New Deal affected Finland?
Saren: As I said about Finland’s target of carbon neutrality, it is very much in line with the Green Deal. In terms of circularity and carbon-neutral issues in our government, they all follow the lines of this deal. For example, there are new funds for energy storage. Therefore, new innovative projects will positively influence such developments.
Sinkari: The deadline for the EU’s carbon-neutral goal is 2050, while Finland’s is 2035. We want to be ahead of the curve. Our industry has to follow the deadline — and with all of the incentives. They have to be creative in pushing toward the target. The EU is a big market. By doing so, Finnish companies would play well when the EU’s deadline starts to kick in. That’s why we want to be more ambitious than the rest
of the EU.
During Finland’s rotating presidency at the EU, one of the highlights was the implementation of the circular economy. What are the lessons learned?
Sinkari: To implement the circular economy — that is, to reduce carbon emissions while increasing economic growth — the triple economy or the triple helix strategy is the best way to attain the goals.
Saren: It is very important to create discussion and understanding. For industries, it may take a long time, but it is quite a lot to deal with the mindset, for instance, of the manufacturing industry. It is important to convince them to implement circularity in their processes and business models because it can create new revenue for them. We need the [combined] role of legislature, society and industry.
