On 16 May 2020, a kick-off meeting was held in which the provincial advisory board for climate work and the regional cooperation network created the basic guidelines for climate work and thwarted the region's climate strategy process.
Matias Ojalehto, the chairman of the provincial government, argued that climate is currently one of the most important themes in the province. Concrete measures to preserve competitive advantage and clean nature are essential. We in North Ostrobothnia are pioneers in renewable energy. 42% of Finland's wind power is produced in our region. Our energy production is 80% based on renewable energy sources. In order to achieve our climate goals, we also need to find sustainable solutions for mobility. In decision-making, it is important to take into account the fair participation of long distances and a heterogeneous province in climate efforts. Ojalehto highlighted the importance of communicating correct information on climate issues. In the climate work of the county, updating the climate strategy serves as a tool towards these goals.
Stakeholders answered the questions: 1) What do you expect from climate work in the county? 2) Which themes should be included in the climate goals of Northern Ostrobothnia?
In summary: 1) Positive team spirit and cooperation, not confrontation, is expected from the county’s climate work; common ambitious but realistic, achievable targets across a broad range of sectors, not just the public sector. New ways of working, courage, visionaryness and concreteness in doing.
2) The climate goals of Northern Ostrobothnia must include a wide range of themes from different sectors: Transport, land use, housing, urban planning, construction, circular and bioeconomy, energy, local food, swamps, forests, natural resources, innovation and new technologies, biodiversity, as well as consumption habits and resident activation, etc.
The discussion highlighted the level at which climate objectives and measures should be addressed in the roadmap:
1) Long-term and short-term measures should be specified so that the effectiveness of the measures can be assessed in more detail.
2) It was hoped that the targets would be set in such a way that the necessary measures would have a real possibility to influence at the provincial level.
The cookies showed that climate change affects all of us and all sectors. Extensive cooperation and the acquisition of information are essential in drawing up an impressive road map.
Courage is needed: Head in the clouds, but feet on the ground!
Thanks for the lunch - work starts!
