Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have launched an initiative to share with other countries their success on tackling issues like green solutions, gender equality, food and welfare.
While the US president Donald Trump is considering withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, the five Nordic countries are stepping up the fight against climate change with renewed emphasis on working together on the sustainable development goals for energy and the climate.
The prime ministers of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland launched the Nordic Solutions to Global Challenges on Tuesday at a meeting of the Nordic Council in Bergen, Norway. Its objective is to promote global environmental protection as well as matters such as gender equality and welfare, according to a statement from the Nordic Council.
“At summits in New York and Paris, we agreed to halt climate change, eradicate poverty and reduce inequality,” the prime ministers wrote in a joint letter.
“Achieving the historic goals set in the Paris climate agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda will require much hard work from all of us. As part of our contribution, the Nordic prime ministers are launching the initiative.”
The Nordic model emphasises cooperation as a key ingredient in fighting climate change, while rebutting the assumption that environmental protection hampers economic growth.
“The Nordic Region is the most integrated region in the world. By working closely together, our countries were the first to succeed in decoupling economic growth from climate change,” they wrote further.
“For almost two decades now, we have been reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, without negatively affecting jobs and the economy.”
More specifically, the Nordic countries want to share their experiences on how to make cities good places to live. For instance, an ambitious climate plan is putting Copenhagen on path to become the first 100% carbon-neutral capital in the world by 2025. They also want to teach other countries and regions what they have learned about renewable energy and market models for sustainable energy investment.
The initiative also emphasises gender equality, which the prime ministers said has made the Nordic regions one of the most prosperous regions in the world. “We have learned a great deal about the benefits of having a high proportion of women in work, and we want to share this with parts of the world where gender equality is not the norm.”
Image credit: norden.org
