Opinion: Broad political consensus, ambitious climate targets, and engaged households are not enough on their own. In this opinion piece, Theo Carlström and Mattias Goldmann warn that today's climate calculations risk leading us astray—and point out what is required for the transition to be built on the right numbers.
Original article: https://miljo-utveckling.se/debatt-dags-for-korrekta-klimatberakningar/
All eight parties in the Swedish parliament now stand behind Sweden's climate targets. There is broad agreement that Sweden must meet the EU's climate requirements and thereby free up large sums of money that would otherwise be spent on purchasing emission allowances or paying hefty fines. The majority of the country's municipalities and regions have even more ambitious climate targets than Sweden as a nation. Hundreds of Swedish companies have adopted Science Based Targets, which require climate-impacting emissions to be halved every decade. A clear majority of Swedish households make active climate choices in their daily lives and want to see an accelerated transition.
To succeed, we need climate insight. How large are the emissions from our own operations, and what impact do the choices we face have—as a country, municipality, region, company, household, or individual? We therefore urge users of climate calculations to demand five things:
1. Actual purchases—not averages. When visiting a fuel station, a person may rent an electric car, charge their vehicle, refuel with biogas or HVO100—or continue to choose fossil-fuelled cars and fuels. The climate impact differs significantly. Most climate calculation tools fail to capture this. What is needed instead are tools that accurately capture what has actually been purchased, using AI-enhanced analysis of every real transaction.
2. Up-to-date—not outdated. Most tools for calculating climate impact rely on emission factors that are updated once a year. Anyone who wants to reduce their climate impact accurately and cost-effectively needs data that shows climate impact in real time.
3. Strategic planning support—not just reporting tools. What is needed are systems that can compare, for example, different investment alternatives, raw material suppliers, or transport solutions. With transparency around the underlying values, we gain the data needed to accelerate the transition.
4. Understandable and nationally adapted. Tools used in Sweden should be developed for Swedish conditions and clearly explain—in plain Swedish—the resulting climate impact and how it can be reduced.
5. Voice opinions and influence policy. Those who provide calculation tools should also communicate the insights derived from aggregated searches. Only then can these tools truly help ensure that national climate targets, EU climate requirements, and our shared Paris Agreement commitments are met.
Theo Carlström, CEO, CO2check
Mattias Goldmann, CEO, The Swedish 2030 Secretariat