From Stockholm to Belém
Sustainability and innovation are part of Sweden’s DNA. As the first country to pass an environmental protection act in 1972 and introduce a carbon tax in 1991, Sweden laid the groundwork for ambitious climate action. Policymakers set the direction and Swedish companies turned climate policy into business practice.
Through joint efforts between the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society, Sweden has become home to cutting-edge innovations, frontrunning business leaders, influential policy insights, and world-leading research institutes. Sweden is also one of the largest per capita donors of climate finance – continuing to shape climate action and resilient societies.
Today, we’re on a mission to become the world’s first fossil fuel-free welfare nation – while scaling our solutions and sharing our learnings globally.
Driven by urgency and opportunity, we match climate challenges with solutions to deliver on the Paris Agreement.
Commitments and priorities at COP30 – turning NDCs into action
Addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution requires collaboration across all sectors of society, including government, business, finance, academia, and civil society.
Simply put, no country can achieve its NDCs without the active engagement of the private sector. Companies, in turn, cannot deploy green and circular solutions, or meet climate targets, without stable policy frameworks and enabling conditions. Although financial capital is available, it cannot be channelled effectively without clear rules and widespread climate literacy. Only integrated collaboration, underpinned by the active and meaningful participation of civil society, can drive the transition to resilient and prosperous societies.
At COP30, Sweden’s focus is on showcasing available solutions that not only reduce emissions but also create jobs, prosperity, and sustainable growth. Our ambition is to build partnerships that help countries:
- Match local climate challenges with existing solutions
- Make NDCs more actionable and investable
- Increase attractiveness for sustainable investments
To enable this, the Swedish delegation is calling on world leaders and decision-makers to:
- Set long-term targets – to mobilise capital and innovation
- Phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies – to create a market where sustainable solutions are promoted rather than outcompeted by less sustainable alternatives
- Tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency – to accelerate energy security, the green transformation and improve public health
- Carbon pricing mechanisms and emissions trading systems – to drive implementation
- Evidence-based and fit-for-purpose policies – to secure long-term benefits and collective action and unlock finance for implementation
- Green standards and procurement criteria – to ensure circular and long-lasting solutions that deliver quality and value for societies and taxpayers
- Capacity building and knowledge transfer – to enable multi-level governance and create right market conditions to attract investments for implementation
- Inclusive participation and a just transition – to ensure that knowledge holders and rights holders are represented in decision-making, both in the justification and implementation
Sweden may be a small nation, but we carry both the opportunity and the responsibility to make a significant global impact in partnership with others. We stand ready to scale climate solutions and build partnerships that transform NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) into investable, actionable plans.
The Time is now. The race is on.
Driven by urgency and opportunity, we match global climate challenges with Swedish solutions – and Sweden’s climate commitments with global solutions – to deliver on the Paris Agreement.
Together, let’s bridge the implementation gaps.
Sweden – the climate matchmaker™