The EU’s new generation of environmental policy must find global solutions to global problems

An unofficial meeting of environment ministers on 14-16 July, during Finland’s EU Presidency, will discuss a new generation of environmental ideas. The Finnish Forest Industries Federation thinks Finland should do its utmost to foster global solutions to global problems. The European Union must bear its share of responsibility for taking care of and improving the state of the planet’s environment using measures it can implement without jeopardising the prosperity of Europe. A new generation of environmental policy should also take into account the significance of renewable natural resources to solving environmental questions. Wood-based products are made from renewable raw materials and they should be accorded the status they deserve in the debate on the environmental policy for the future.

In numerous policy outlines and statements, the European Union has adopted the improvement of competitiveness while concurrently taking sustainable development into account as its guiding principle. The EU’s concern for the future is real; if it fails to take measures to promote growth, employment and prosperity, the EU cannot act to influence developments on the global level. Without a productive and profitable business sector, it is impossible to invest in the other elements of sustainable development, i.e. the social and environment dimensions. In the opinion of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, Towards a new generation of environmental policy - the next steps, a document compiled by Finland as background material for the meeting, adopts the correct approach to the global characteristics of environmental issues. European environment problems are linked to land use, economic structures and modern society’s entire way of life. Challenges listed include an increasing need for energy, dependence on fossil fuels and the continued decrease of natural resources. European consumption and production practices have an impact on the lives and surrounding environment of people elsewhere. However, the European Union only accounts for some 10% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Indeed, greater concern should be borne for countering real environmental threats in growing developing countries and industrial countries in which the management of environment affairs does not meet EU standards. Discussing a new generation of environmental policy is a worthwhile effort, however. Other ongoing EU processes that are associated with environment matters should also be taken into account in the debate in order to create a comprehensive and cohesive policy. Emphasis in natural resource usage must shift to renewable materials The background document also points out that measures aimed at slowing down the global decrease of natural resources, such as increasing ecoefficiency, are of primary importance. The difference between non-renewable and renewable natural resources should be raised alongside ecoefficiency as a significant factor, however. European renewable resources, such as forest assets, are growing by millions of cubic metres annually. Sustainable forestry ensures the availability of sufficient amounts of renewable natural resources and wood-based products could be used to replace non-renewable natural resources. Using products made from wood-based raw materials helps slow down climate change and reduces the amount of waste created. Wood-based products act as carbon sinks because growing forests absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. The problem of increasing waste amounts can be countered with recyclable products that can be utilised in the generation of energy at the end of their lifespan. As renewable natural resources, wood-based products should be given the status they deserve in the discussion on future environment policy. For further information, please contact: Riku Eksymä, Manager, EU affairs and trade policy, Finnish Forest Industries Federation, tel. +358 9 132 6643, firstname.lastname@forestindustries.fi