Finland joins initiative to halt climate change

President Sauli Niinistö has joined an initiative launched Friday by the President Austria Alexander Van der Bellen calling for more ambitious action to halt climate change.

Signed by 16 European Heads of State and Government, the declaration appeals to the parties of the Paris Agreement for swift and decisive joint action to stop the global climate crisis, said a press release issued by the President office.

The launch of the climate initiative is connected to the United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled for December in Katowice, Poland. Niinistö will participate in the conference.

According to the signatories to the climate appeal declaration, the conference in Poland carries a particular responsibility, as the parties will agree on the implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement.

The 15-point declaration states that more needs to be done to reach the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. The signatories emphasise the collective obligation we have towards future generations to do everything humanly possible to stop climate change as well as to adapt to its adverse effects.

The Presidents of Finland and Austria are joined by the Presidents of Germany, Iceland, Italy and Switzerland and the Prime Ministers of Sweden and the Netherlands among others as signatories to the declaration.

Niinistö will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference meeting for Heads of State and Government on 3 December, where he will deliver Finland’s national statement.

The objective of the Climate Change Conference is to agree the implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement. The conference will also discuss adaptation to climate change impacts, funding for climate action and short-term measures to reduce emissions.

The Finnish delegation will be led by the President and comprise, among others, Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing.