Swedish leader plans to use climate change miracle to cut greenhouse gases

The Times
July 1, 2009
David Charter in Stockholm

Sweden plans to use its “climate change miracle” to convince China and the United States to sign up to tough cuts in greenhouse gases at the Copenhagen summit to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish Prime Minister, said yesterday that his country, which takes over the EU presidency today, would present its own example of 50 per cent economic growth since 1990 combined with a 10 per cent cut in CO2 emissions to try to win over sceptics.
Mr Reinfeldt said that the Copenhagen agreement had to include all the developing countries that were effectively left out by Kyoto if it was to meet the goal of keeping global warming to no more than 2C (3.6F).
He said that Sweden would also try to lead Europe by example into adopting a tough CO2 tax regime based on his own model, which he boasted had the highest rates in the world.

The Swedish presidency has come at the right time to lead the EU into the Copenhagen process after picking up the reins from the Czech Republic under President Klaus, the author of a book on the myth of man-made global warming.
Since 1991 Swedes have paid 20p per litre in carbon tax for petrol, which has helped to cut emissions by 20 per cent, partly by encouraging public transport systems to switch to biogas. “You need to get the right price signals. We introduced a CO2 tax nearly 20 years ago and it is the highest in the world,” Mr Reinfeldt said.
“It puts a price on carbon so consumers feel the cost effect of greenhouse gas and it makes it interesting to look for renewables. I have seen my friends throw out fossil-fuel-based heating and install geothermal, so the carbon tax is very smart and very effective.”
Since the EU has no power to set domestic taxes, Sweden will have to sell its carbon tax to others by example. All of Sweden’s electricity comes from hydroelectric or nuclear power, giving it a 20 per cent rate of renewable energy. “We have put our renewable target at 50 per cent for 2020, so we are preparing for a huge increase in wind power,” he added.
Mr Reinfeldt is braced for tough talks with developing countries already arguing for financial aid from developed countries to go green.
“I came in as Prime Minister in 2006 when everyone was talking about climate change and watching Al Gore’s film,” he said. “It is a much tougher environment now and a lot of countries tend to negotiate as if the outcome should be to get more resources, not more mechanisms to alter the direction of the economy towards a low carbon economy. In Sweden we have shown you can have growth as well as cutting emissions and this is the discussion you have to have with the Chinese, who think we are trying to question their right to growth.”
Sweden has signed an £84 million deal with China to develop wind power. Mr Reinfeldt has also held talks with Gordon Brown on the amount of aid the EU will offer to help the developing world to cut emissions.