[Green-global] more positive news...Sweden Oil Free?

[Rainforest Information Centre]

Swedish Press Dec 2005

SWEDEN PLANS ON BEING THE FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO BE  FREE FROM  OIL IN
2020

Minister for Sustainable Development Mona Sahlin has declared  that Sweden
is going to become the first country in the world to break  the dependence
on fossil energy. Sweden will stop using oil by 2020 and  eventually the
energy supply of the country will be based on renewable energy  only.

The goal is to gradually rid the country of gasoline-run cars  and oil-heated
homes. This is going to be achieved through tax discounts,  more efficiency
in energy and by large-scale investments in renewable energy and  in research.
Already next year there will be tax incentives for single  family homeowners
to switch from oil to renewable energy to heat their  homes.

Such financial incentives are already available to libraries, aquatic
facilities and hospitals that want to switch to more efficient 
renewable energy.
The expansion of distant heating continues to be an important tool in  this
process. The Swedish government also wants to make environmental cars  more
affordable. One of the ways it is doing this is by not subjecting 
fuel that is free
of carbon dioxide to the energy tax or 10 the carbon  dioxide
emission tax. Environmental cars will also nol have to pay  the congestion
tax that will be introduced in Stockholm in January and  many municipalities
allow free parking for such cars.

Swedish industry and the economy as a whole are already  benefiting from a
lower dependency on oil in an international comparison.  Since 1994 the use of
oil in residences and in the service sector has  dropped by 15.2 TWH. The
consumption of oil in industries has remained at  the same level 
since that year,
even though industrial production has  increased by 70 percent. A growing
number of households make use of the  advantages of distant
heating as well as of pellets.

Minister Sahlin's latest statement on the abolition of oil in 2020 is
actually just a confirmation of a goal set a long time ago. Sweden has been  a
pioneer in the environmental field and has introduced many innovative measures
through the years to achieve its goals.

Already in 1990 Swedes implemented a "green tax shift". Taxes  on energy and
on carbon dioxide emissions were raised, while other taxes,  such as those on
payroll were decreased by an equivalent amount. Sweden  also invested heavily
in its cities and towns. Municipalities
receive grants  to conduct long-term climate research and make investments in
  environment-friendly technology. Not only has this helped cut local
pollution,  it has also raised the level of public awareness of 
environmental issues.

In 1999 a unanimous national goal was established for all the country's
major environmental problems to be solved within one generation, by the year
2020. The Swedish Parliament gave unanimous approval to 15 national targets
including a phasing out of all use of hazardous chemicals by 2020; 
ensuring  that
all lakes and watercourses are ecologically sustainable,
their habitats  and ecological and water-conserving function preserved;
providing a safe and  sustainable supply of drinking water and contributing to
viable habitats  for flora and fauna; pro-lection of the value of forests for
biological  production, while biological diversity,
cultural heritage and recreational  assets are safeguarded, and a healthy
living environment to be provided by  cities and towns where buildings and
amenities must be located and designed  with sound environmental principles.

There are interim objectives for each target, regional and  local objectives
to match, and an Environmental Objectives Council to  monitor progress towards
the goals. Progress is charted through 70 national  indicators, which track
results and verify whether the country is heading in  the right direction.
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