Friends of the Earth Finland continue to put pressure on the Finnish government to enact a strong and comprehensive climate law – to ensure Finland reduces carbon emissions, year on year, every year.
In March the group equipped the iconic Havis Amanda, Three Smiths and Elk statues in Helsinki with lifejackets and life preservers to ‘save them from climate catastrophe’ – symbolising the inadequacy of the Finnish response to the climate crisis.
The group followed this up with a cycle rally in April which passed the different government ministries involved in the working group on energy and climate policy. The bikes carried messages calling for a strong climate law, to show that Friends of the Earth are still committed to ensuring they deliver a law that reflects the scale of the climate problem.
Friends of the Earth Finland have also been extremely active away from the public spotlight – with ongoing lobby meetings with a wide range of politicians, civil servants and key committee members involved in drafting the climate law. Their work has helped to address some concerns about what a climate law would mean for Finland, to explain the benefits of a strong climate act, and detail what individual politicians can do to support the Big Ask campaign.
Leena Kontinen of Friends of the Earth Finland said “The Big Ask campaign in Finland is still going strong, working towards a comprehensive climate law. The government will be preparing the climate bill this autumn, and now is the time to ensure its efficiency and maintain pressure on politicians.”
The European ‘Big Ask’ campaign is an initiative by Friends of the Earth groups in countries across Europe all with the same big ask – that their governments commit to reduce carbon emissions, year on year, every year. The campaign calls for cuts in emissions equal to a reduction of EU-wide domestic emissions of at least 40%, without offsetting, by 2020.
Translation reads “The solution to the climate crisis? No!”
(Credit: Friends of the Earth Finland)
