Sweden Targets Carbon Neutrality

As the lawmakers in Washington, D.C. prepare to gut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmentalists got inspiring news from the country of Sweden.

1 minute read

February 5, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Sweden

Marie Linner / Shutterstock

The Swedish government recently introduced legislation that will "put into action a cross-party agreement for the country to go carbon neutral by 2045."

"Influenced by the UK’s Climate Change Act, but with a more ambitious trajectory, it will set out a series of carbon budgets to phase down greenhouse gas emissions," writes Megan Darby.

The news of Sweden's ambitious climate change policy gained a measure of viral popularity due to this photo, shared by Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate Isabella Lövin, in what is most certainly a gesture toward the images that have been emerging from the Oval Office in recent weeks.

Thursday, February 2, 2017 in Climate Home

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 30, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

The largest wildlife overpass in North America stretching over the I-25. Both sides of the overpass, and the overpass itself, are covered in brown grass.

Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions

Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.

September 28, 2026 - CBS Colorado

A view from below the HUD. The building is gray with a grid of windows.

Trump wants to cancel nearly 98% of funding for HUD housing support program

Multiple housing groups are suing the administration in an effort to preserve the funding.

8 seconds ago - The Washington Sun

A view of NYC sky rises under a cloudy sky.

See the 12 communities on New York City’s affordable housing naughty list

The Upper East and West Sides, Elmhurst, and Bayside are among the communities that have built little affordable housing over the past five years, and now will see certain projects fast-tracked under new city rules.

1 hour ago - City Limits

A birds-eye-view of the Bellwether, with a rendering of people relaxing on the roof.

Downtown Chicago opens the doors of first office-to-housing project

Chicago aims to eventually turn empty office space into 1,765 mixed-income housing units.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design