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Road to 2045
Road to 2045 Green Solutions Through Partnerships and Shared Visions By Jakob Lagercrantz
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will never forget sitting in a meeting with executives from the fuel industry in Sweden. We had invited Alberto Ayala, the former Deputy Executive Officer of the California Air Resources Board, to present some far-reaching initiatives taken by the State of California. Alberto was one of the tough regulators who discovered that Volkswagen had fitted their US diesel cars with a cheating device for faking nitrogen oxide emissions. This developed into “dieselgate” and has since cost Volkswagen more than $30 billion in fines and lawsuits.
Jakob Lagercrantz. Photo: Malin Jochumsen
and between landowners and the government on “allemansrätten” (the unique Swedish approach to the right to public access) is a Swedish way of moving things forward. The co-operation in Sweden on environmental issues is just as strong and it is surprisingly free of obstacles. Both the public and corporate worlds share the concerns for the climate effect. We formed the 2030-secretariat in 2013 as a partnership between enterprises determined to reach the political climate target of a 70 per cent decrease of carbon emissions in the transport sector by 2030. This is a unique and ambitious target, an important part of the Climate law adopted in 2017. The 2030-secretariat is made up of 70 significant partners, a “Coalition of the Willing” united in the goal of decarbonizing the transport sector. Our partners are large and small companies representing the different areas needing development: vehicle technology, fuels, and behaviour. What is unique is that we can agree to disagree in some areas while still in full agreement on the long-term goal. We welcome all technologies, as long
as they contribute to the overall goal, and we work independently of political parties.
It is strange that the climate debate remains polarized in so many countries, and that countries miss seeing the advantages of green growth. With the Green Deal in Europe we see new possibilities, and California is showing the way in the US with innovative environmental legislation supporting the leading edge of industry. There is growth, profits and innovation in green development, and a fertile ground for agreement across sectors. The Swedish 2030-secretariat was formed to support the decarbonization of the transport sector in Sweden. The secretariat is independent from political parties and technical solutions.
Alberto listened to plans for renewable fuels presented by the Swedish fuel companies, and was impressed by the open dialogue and innovation. He afterwards told me that “in California we would have threatened lawsuits and left the room.” The Swedish fuel industry has chosen to be a part of the solution rather than sticking to the fossil fuels. We still have a long way to go, but at least we have started. The Swedish co-operative approach has served us well through the years. Striking agreements across political parties, between unions and employers,
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Swedish Press | September 2020 25
