Finland’s climate experts have published 16 recommendations calling for changes to forestry, transport, electricity supply and food production to help the country meet its climate goals. The Finnish Climate Change Panel (Suomen ilmastopaneeli), an independent scientific advisory body, issued the proposals on 27 October 2026 for consideration by the next government.
The panel says Finland has reduced emissions from fossil fuels, but its weakening forests and other natural carbon sinks are putting climate commitments at risk. Its 2026 policy recommendations are scientific advice, not laws or new obligations for households and businesses.
Why Finland’s forests matter for its climate target
Finland aims to be carbon neutral by 2035 and has binding European Union commitments concerning emissions and carbon removals from land use by 2030. According to the panel, the growth of carbon stocks in Finnish forests has stalled as a result of intensive forest use. This weakens the country’s ability to balance the emissions it produces with carbon removed from the atmosphere.
The experts want changes to the Forest Act and Water Act to strengthen carbon storage. They recommend longer periods between harvests, less intensive thinning and avoiding clear-felling in certain drained peatland forests. The panel also proposes permits for all forest drainage, financial measures to strengthen carbon sinks and an assessment of how much timber can be harvested sustainably while meeting climate targets.
The Finnish environmental administration says forest land, historically a major carbon sink, has become a source of emissions in recent years. This makes restoring carbon absorption especially important to the 2035 goal.
More electrification and cleaner energy
The panel calls for transport taxes and subsidies to be revised to favour electric vehicles, with more charging infrastructure for heavy goods vehicles. It also wants stronger support for public transport, walking and cycling, and proposes road pricing measures such as urban congestion charges.
According to Yle’s reporting on the recommendations, the panel wants the renewable-fuel distribution obligation to rise gradually to 100% by 2045. This obligation determines the share of renewable fuels that suppliers must provide; the proposed increase has not been adopted.
In industry and power generation, the experts want sufficient clean electricity to support low-emission investments and electrification. They also propose a strategy for capturing, using and storing carbon dioxide, and say the EU emissions trading system should not be weakened. The panel suggests requiring new data centres to support cleaner power generation and adjust their electricity use to ease pressure on the grid.
Farming, peatlands and plant-based protein
For food consumption, the panel proposes a goal of equal shares of plant-based and animal-based protein. It suggests changes to agricultural policy, public procurement and food services to encourage the shift. The recommendation is not a requirement for individuals to change their diets.
The experts also recommend restoring wetter conditions on abandoned or poorly productive peat-based farmland, where drained soil releases greenhouse gases. Other proposals include payments linked to emissions reductions and measures to use nitrogen more efficiently and store more carbon in agricultural soils.
For buildings, the panel calls for more investment support and advice on energy efficiency, including targeted help for lower-income households and people replacing oil heating.
The panel’s announcement stresses that its recommendations are intended to guide political decisions. Whether to adopt them, and how to balance economic costs with emissions cuts and forest protection, remains a choice for Finland’s policymakers.
