5 reasons why the Nordics are leading in Sustainability

Many of us have acknowledged that most statistics the Nordic Regions rank first in any report about sustainability. What are the reasons for this good position? 

Hereinafter you find the 5 points I can relate to, to make that difference:  

1. Social inclusion / welfare

2. Viable Ecosystems

3. Understanding and acting against climate change

4. Education, research & innovation in the fields of sustainability

5. Decades of experience and targeted environmental initiatives

1. Social inclusion / welfare

Sustainable development and development of the Nordic welfare model go hand in hand. The countries have succeeded in reconciling their economic goals, a good level of income, economic growth and social well-being. Their social models are quite universal and aim to create equal opportunities, care and protection. A more equal society supports the use of more resources in society and which again results in a better welfare system. The trust and the belief in the system has a positive effect on the society and enables the general public to see the need of sustainable approach more widely in their life, their economy and their environment.

2. Viable Ecosystems

If an ecosystem is able to maintain its full functions and properties even though it is harvested, it is called a sustainable ecosystem. Strong sustainability is motivated by a belief that natural and economic capital are only to a limited extent substitutable against each other. 

The idea of viability is known in different academic disciplines. For example, in ecology a species’ population is called viable if its probability of survival over a given time horizon is higher than a predefined threshold value. This understanding of viability pertains to the continued existence of certain natural capital stocks. 

In the Nordics there are many years of applying this approach in the areas of forestry and land use. There is a deep understanding of maintaining the natural capital stocks ensuring that there is a circular approach – the circular economy. At the same time there is a clear consideration of the costs incurred when biodiversity and ecosystems services are lost, compared with the costs of preserving them. 

According to the UN the “Green Economy” is defined as: “A green economy results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes.?

This concept is widely understood across the Nordics and experiences strong support from general public. 

3. Understanding and acting against climate change

Climate change awareness has spread over the past decades and there is nowadays a better understanding of it around the world. The Nordic regions have observed for many years the effects of the climate change in the Arctic region where it has shown already at the early days and where the environment is particularly sensitive. So, the observation of climate change and its impact on society and economy goes back decades in the Nordics – the early impacts are seen, understood and discussed widely across its population. 

Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities. Global climate change has already resulted in a wide range of impacts across every region of the Nordics and many sectors of the economy that are expected to grow in the coming decades. 

The concept of carbon sink: As the rate of build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere can be reduced by taking advantage of the fact that atmospheric CO2 can accumulate as carbon in vegetation and soils in terrestrial ecosystems. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change any process, activity or mechanism which removes a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere is referred to as a "sink". Human activities impact terrestrial sinks, through land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities, consequently, the exchange of CO2 (carbon cycle) between the terrestrial biosphere system and the atmosphere is altered.

The role of LULUCF activities in the mitigation of climate change has long been recognized in the Nordics. Human activities affect changes in carbon stocks between the carbon pools of the terrestrial ecosystem and between the terrestrial ecosystem and the atmosphere. Mitigation can be achieved through activities in the LULUCF sector that increase the removals of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere or decrease emissions by halting the loss of carbon stocks. In its Special Report on Climate Change and Land, the IPCC  (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) identifies many land-related climate change mitigation options that have co-benefits for climate change adaptation. 

The Nordic region continues to strive to integrate environment and climate issues in development co-operation, and to include welfare and employment aspects in the work on climate. The transition to cleaner energy is effectively pushed forward as are their existing and new applications for biofuels and biochemicals. 

4. Education, research & innovation in the fields of sustainability

In the Nordics it is broadly supported that greater knowledge about sustainable development forms the basis for changing attitudes and behaviour in individuals, companies and organisations. 

Over the years knowledge and new technology, but also the ability to leverage people’s competencies, have become the pillars of Nordic competitiveness and have helped to create internationally successful companies. A basic element to enable this is the requirement for development of new technology which is better adapted to the environment. This linked with the higher ability of the regulatory side to put a price on emissions and discharge of hazardous substances. This will lead to more focus on research and innovation in search of new revenue streams and profit. Combined with the philosophy of giving equal access to learning and education in these fields can and will turn into a powerful machine for innovation. 

5. Decades of experience and targeted environmental initiatives

The Nordic Co-operation on Sustainable Development was initiated by a Prime Ministers’ Declaration as early as 1998. The first Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development came into effect in 2001 and has been revised regularly. A new Prime Ministers’ Declaration was adopted in 2008, and this is now the fourth Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development. Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, the Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development was revised to reflect its many linkages and synergies with the 2030 Agenda. 

So, they have decades of targeted environmental initiatives have improved the status of the environment in many areas. The Nordic region is rich in natural resources and environment-based sectors such as forestry, agriculture, fisheries and mining. As a result, there are many companies and business’ that focus on those elements and embrace sustainability in their strategies, investment plans and the research and innovation efforts. 

Transparency and sustainable administration strengthens the economies of the Nordic countries. Stringent requirements on environmental consideration have boosted knowledge and technological development, which in turn have stimulated growing exports of environmental technology. 

There are of course many more factors for the leading role of the Nordics in sustainability. However, looking from the outside, I would reckon the five points above are the key elements as to why they are ahead of the rest of Europe.