Karolina Skog

Chemicals and waste pose a growing threat to both the environment and human health around the world. The aim of the High Ambition Alliance is to ensure an ambitious new global deal on management of chemicals and waste.

Declining biodiversity is a global environmental problem. Species are becoming extinct, ecosystems are being damaged and the interplay between organisms is being disturbed. And yet nature is utterly crucial to people’s wellbeing and prosperity. On 14–15 November, Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog is meeting ministers from around the world at a UN meeting in Egypt to discuss how to reverse this trend.

On Monday 22 October, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances, Mr Baskut Tuncak, presented his first report to the United Nations General Assembly at an event in New York. Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog gave the opening address at the launch and continues to draw international attention to the need for a global agreement on chemicals and waste.

The Government today decided to contribute more than SEK 2 billion to the seventh replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-7). Sweden will thereby increase its contribution to the GEF by more than 50 per cent for the period 2018–2022, compared with 2014–2018. This makes Sweden the sixth largest donor overall and the largest per capita donor. In total, replenishment pledges total SEK 34 billion (USD 4.1 billion). This decision reflects what was announced by the Government in the Budget Bill for 2018.

As part of efforts to end fossil fuel dependence and achieve Sweden’s goal of reducing transport sector emissions by 70 per cent by 2030, the Government today adopted an ordinance prescribing that consumers receive information at fuel pumps about the climate impact and origin of fuels, such as petrol, diesel, gas and more.

Rescue services, government agencies and local authorities are engaged in intensive efforts in response to the forest fires raging around the country, the widespread drought and the ongoing heat wave. More information about these efforts is available below. Crisis preparedness is part of the remit of every government agency and authority.

The prolonged heat and drought have impacted many sectors of society. There have been numerous forest fires, the agricultural sector has been severely affected by the drought and groundwater levels have dropped. The extreme temperatures can also cause health problems, especially among older people and the sick. The Government is following developments closely and taking the necessary decisions. The Government Offices is in continuous contact with the responsible government agencies.

Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog has launched an international high-level alliance to mobilise political engagement for more effective global management of chemicals and waste. The aim of the Alliance is to reach a global agreement on chemicals and waste, comparable to the Paris Agreement on climate. The Alliance was launched in connection with the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York.

As part of efforts to ensure toxin-free and resource-efficient ecocycles, the Government has decided to appoint an inquiry to propose a ban on spreading sewage sludge and introduce a requirement for phosphorus to be recycled from sewage sludge. The Government has appointed Gunnar Holmgren as Inquiry Chair.