Sweden—the world´s most sustainable country: Political statements and goals for a sustainable society

Abstract

Sweden, a small country with almost 10 million inhabitants, is the world’s most sustainable country according to some reports that compare environmental, social, and governance components between nations. Sweden plays a significant role in the European Union’s work for a sustainable society in the European Union. Strict environmental policies and governmental initiatives that encourage all members of the society to invest in climate change projects are among the reasons that put Sweden on top of sustainable ranking lists. During the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, a number of goals were agreed upon and formalized as the Paris Agreement. One important aspect of the Paris Agreement is that there has to be collaboration between nations in the work against global warming. Sweden is already taking steps to achieve many of the goals set out in the 2015 UN Climate Conference as its government has established robust environmental policies. One such agency, Naturvårdsverket (the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), is responsible for monitoring the state of the environment. Naturvårdsverket’s work is largely influenced by Sweden’s national environmental objectives. One generational goal, sixteen environmental quality objectives and 24 milestone targets define the direction of environmental work in Sweden, within the EU, and internationally. It is with frameworks like the national environmental objectives and governmental initiatives that encourage members of the society to actively participate in the work for climate change, that the Swedish government develops and implements its environmental policy.