UPDATE 2005 : PROGRESS TOWARDS SWEDEN’S ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES IN THE COUNTY OF STOCKHOLM

The national environmental objectives which Sweden has adopted are about passing on to the next generation a society in which the major environmental problems now facing us have been solved. This report looks at the progress being made towards these objectives in the county of Stockholm. We all have a part to play in making sure that our children and future generations have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. In 1999 Sweden’s Parliament adopted fifteen environmental quality objectives, which are intended to promote human health, safeguard biodiversity and the natural environment, preserve our cultural heritage, maintain long-term ecosystem productivity and ensure wise management of natural resources. The ultimate goal is healthy people, animals and plants, which in turn calls for clean air, lakes and seas. The fifteen objectives represent the ecological dimension of sustainable development. Our entire ecosystem, our society and our environment are built around biodiversity. It forms the hub of a sustainable system in which every part is needed to maintain the whole. The spider’s web opposite illustrates how the ecosystem is interlinked. If one species disappears, it leaves a hole in the web. Too many holes, and the system collapses.Environmental problems represent major costs to society. In Sweden, the bill for ill health due to air pollution is estimated at € 1.25 billion a year (National Institute of Economic Research 2004). That can be compared with total state spending on environmental protection of just € 0.3 billion in 2003 (Ministry of Finance 2004). But investments in improving environmental performance can also lead to innovation and ultimately to export opportunities.Stockholm county is the capital region of Sweden, with 21 per cent of the country’s inhabitants in 2 per cent of its area. This high density of population entails heavy road traffic, which generates noise and emissions. On the other hand, it also brings environmental advantages, making it easier, for example, to develop district heating and public transport systems. At the same time, a large share of what we residents of the county consume is produced outside the county’s boundaries, which means that our lifestyle choices affect the state of the environment in other parts of Sweden and in other countries.If we want to achieve the environmental objectives and pass on a county offering good living conditions for our children and grandchildren, we need to do better.We need to think outside the box, whether we are involved in local and regional planning or making personal choices in our everyday lives.Regionala inventeringsrapporter import från MDP 2015-05