Finnish technologyled energy policy vision and global politics of climate change

1
Finnish technology-led energy policy vision and
global politics of climate change

• Tuula Teräväinen
• Department of Sociology
• University of Helsinki
• tuula.teravainen_at_helsinki.fi

2
International climate policy

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
  Change (UNFCCC)
• Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC
• EU 20 20 by 2020
• Finland
• National Energy and Climate Strategy (2005)
• Long-term Climate and Energy Strategy
  (forthcoming 2008)

3
Technology emission abatement

• technology
• consumption

greenhouse gas emissions
business-as-usual reduction by technology
target level
time
Source Savolainen Similä 2008
4
Energy consumption in Finland
Source Statistics Finland 2008
5
Final Energy Consumption by Sector in Finland
(), 2006
Source Statistics Finland 2008
6
Finnish energy policy

• Discursive dimension in the politics of climate
  change
• Constructing, legitimising and contesting
  national policy vision
• Technology not only a neutral object of
  decision-making but also shaping politics
• Context
• International regulation vs. national interests
• National political system policy style
• Economic production structure
• Growth-oriented and technology-driven economic
  development policies

7
Ecological modernisation (1)

• Challenge to limits to growth
• Joseph Huber (1985) super-industrialisation
  production processes in industrialised countries
  transforming ? invention and diffusion of
  technical innovations increases energy efficiency
• Technology can contribute to both ecological and
  economic progress
• Possible to combine environmental protection with
  economic growth

8
Ecological modernisation (2)

• EM as the implementation of preventive
  innovation in production systems (processes and
  products), that simultaneously produces
  environmental and economic benefits (Milanez
  Bührs 2007)
• Central themes (Murphy 2000)
• 1) Win-win policies decoupling economic growth
  from environmental degradation
• 2) Promoting clean technology
• 3) Integrating environmental policy with other
  policy areas
• 4) Economising ecology
• EM a powerful discourse of reassurance (Dryzek
  2005) and an appealing political strategy (Baker
  2007) in many (western) countries and the EU.

9
Technology-led policy vision

• Strengthening RD in energy sector
• Energy environment a Strategic Centre of
  Excellence (horizontal innovation policy)
• Technological innovations the most cost-efficient
  way to fulfil Kyoto obligations
• Novel technologies, projects with exceptional
  technological risk
• Biomass technologies, solar power, wind power
  components, nanotechnology

10
Legitimising national policy vision

• New market opportunities
• Finlands economic and technological
  competitiveness in the global market
• Existing scientific and industrial competences
• Scientific expert knowledge
• ? hegemonic national vision

11
Finnish energy policy vision as an eco-modernist
strategy (1)

• Win-win policies
• No necessary tension between environmental
  protection and economic growth
• Economic growth supports environmental protection
  and vice versa
• Technology contributes to both goals
• Promotion of clean technology
• The Government finds that technology development
  and respective financing remain the major tool
  towards the attainment of energy and climate
  policy objectives. (MTI 2005)
• Government action to promote clean technologies
• Projects introducing new energy technologies
  associated with an exceptional technological risk

12
Finnish energy policy vision as an eco-modernist
strategy (2)

• Integrating environmental policy with other
  policy areas
• Energy and Environment one of the five Strategic
  Centres of Excellence (SHOKs) ? technology
  policy, economic development policy, trade
  policy
• Flexible mechanisms CDM, JI ? development aid
  policy, environmental policy, trade policy
• Renewable energy technologies ( EU climate
  package) ? regional policy, employment policy,
  transport policy
• But integrating environmental goals into all
  areas of government policies (greening of other
  policies) or placing environmental policy as a
  component in broader innovation policy?

13
Finnish energy policy vision as an eco-modernist
strategy (3)

• Division of responsibilities the Ministry of
  Employment and the Economy (emissions trading),
  the Ministry of Environment (JI), the Ministry of
  Foreign Affairs (CDM)
• Economising ecology
• Voluntary agreements, eco-labels, market-based
  instruments (CDM, tradable permits)
• Balancing market position of renewable energies,
  compensating for their weaker price
  competitiveness and offsetting the mechanisms of
  emissions trade

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Story-lines I

• Economic rationalism
• Consensus reformism
• Progressive environmentalism
• Shared views technology important, need for
  state support, renewables (EU)
• Differing understandings on the prevailing
  desired politico-economic reality

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Story-lines II

• Economic rationalism
• Market-led shift in government ideology
• Economic growth a prerequisite for social
  well-being
• Selective technology policy technological
  competitiveness

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Story-lines III

• Consensus reformism
• Policy-style, corporatist representation
• Deliberations among experts, stakeholders and
  politicians partnership
• Operating within, not outside/beyond formal
  political institutions and structures
• Strong despite of changes in elite alignments and
  government compositions consensus building

17
Story-lines IV

• Progressive environmentalism
• International orientation
• Structural reforms
• But old political cleavages
• Terms of discourse limited (hegemonic policy
  vision government political rhetoric)

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Conclusions I Implications at the national level

• Maintaining vs. challenging prevailing structures
• Consensus democracy formally open, but also
  highly selective exclusive
• Little space for new controversies (economic
  importance of heavy industry old political
  cleavages)
• Deliberation among elites, how about the public?
• Consensus as a political explanation and an
  objective what does this mean in complex
  technological controversies?

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Conclusions II Climate change and sustainable
development

• Climate change increasingly considered in the
  broader context of sustainable development
• Brundtland (1987) definition of sustainable
  development development that meets the needs of
  the present without compromising the ability of
  future generations to meet their own needs
• Gibbs (2000) five principles of sustainability
• 1) social, economic and environmental quality of
  life
• 2) care for the environment
• 3) the precautionary principle
• 4) fairness and equity
• 5) participation and partnership

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Conclusions III EM and sustainable development

• EM has primarily a national focus
• Strong emphasis on technology may undermine
  social, environmental and cultural aspects
• Geographical and sector-based selectivity
• Ecological limits to growth at the global level
  (EM does not suggest changes for instance in the
  current patterns of energy consumption)
• EMs change determined by economic and
  technological factors