Foreword
The principal aim of the OECD Environmental Performance Review programme is to help member and selected partner countries improve their individual and collective performance in environmental management by:
helping countries assess progress in achieving their environmental goals
stimulating greater accountability from governments towards each other and public opinion.
This report reviews the environmental performance of Finland since the previous review in 2009. Progress in achieving domestic objectives and international commitments provides the basis for assessing the country’s environmental performance. Such objectives and commitments may be broad aims, qualitative goals or quantitative targets. A distinction is made between intentions, actions and results. Assessment of environmental performance is also placed within the context of Finland’s historical environmental record, present state of the environment, physical endowment in natural resources, economic conditions and demographic trends.
The OECD is indebted to Finland’s Ministry of the Environment for its co-operation in providing information and in organising the virtual review mission (18-22 January 2021) and policy mission (11 June 2021), as well as for facilitating contacts inside and outside government institutions. Thanks are also due to all government ministries and agencies, as well as to the non-governmental organisations, that participated in the virtual missions and/or provided information and comments.
The OECD is grateful to the representatives of the three examining countries, Gunnar Farestveit (Norway), Alowin Moes (Switzerland) and James Mabbutt (United Kingdom), for participating in the review.
The authors of this report are Ivana Capozza, Britta Labuhn, Eugene Mazur and Daniel Nachtigall (OECD Environment Directorate), under the co-ordination and guidance of Ivana Capozza. Aimée Aguilar Jaber supervised the chapter on climate change and well-being. Carla Bertuzzi provided statistical support, Annette Hardcastle and Fiona Smyth provided administrative support and Mark Foss copy-edited the report. Natasha Cline-Thomas provided communications support. Preparation of this report also benefited from inputs and comments from Brilé Anderson, Hélène Blake, Gérard Bonnis, Nils Axel Braathen, Simon Buckle, David Carey, John Dulac, Nathalie Girouard, Eija Kiiskinen, Rodolfo Lacy, Jussi Lankoski, Mariana Mirabile, Jonas Teusch of the OECD Secretariat, Sylvia Beyer of the International Energy Agency and Tatiana Samsonova of the International Transport Forum.
The OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance discussed the Environmental Performance Review of Finland at its meeting on 13 October 2021 and approved the Assessment and Recommendations.