Looking back at COP29 in Baku and the important messages for COP30.
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
In October, a joint Op-Ed was published in Sweden’s leading business newspaper Dagens Industri and representatives of Sweden’s official business delegation to COP30, representing all sectors of an economy, calling on global decision-makers to:
1. Set clear, predictable, and long-term targets to mobilize capital and innovation.
2. Introduce policies – such as tax incentives, carbon pricing mechanisms, emissions trading and fossil subsidy removal – to create markets for sustainable solutions.
3. Harmonize standards and strengthen sustainability criteria in procurement to drive demand for circular and climate-smart solutions.
4. Build capacity and transfer knowledge to remove local barriers, strengthen institutional capacity and attractiveness for investment.
5. Ensure an inclusive and just transition by involving private sector climate leaders, academia and civil society to make policies effective, fit for purpose and free from unnecessary bureaucracy.
We welcome that COP30 is described as the “Implementation COP”, focused on accelerating the delivery of the NDCs. Sweden brings a strong track record and a wide range of scalable solutions to turn pledges into projects – making the NDCs both investable and actionable.
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™
