Sweden climate march draws 10,000 before election

Around 10,000 people marched in Stockholm on Sunday against human-made climate change, weeks before Sweden’s September 13 general election.

The rally in the Swedish capital was organised by youth and sporting groups, unions, rural associations and rights groups. Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was among those taking part.

Climate policy is among voters’ main concerns. A Verian opinion poll published by public broadcaster SVT on Thursday said 37% of respondents named climate as a top priority in the election.

Experts in Sweden and abroad have warned that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government risks missing Sweden’s emissions goals: cutting transport CO2 emissions by 70% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2045.

Since taking power in 2022, Kristersson’s right-wing government has cut petrol taxes and reduced requirements for petrol suppliers to add low-carbon alternatives to their mix. It has also rejected a commission’s recommendations for meeting the 2030 target, including phasing out fossil fuels through higher petrol and diesel taxes.

The government has argued that fossil fuels must be phased out gradually to preserve and strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness and companies.

Beatrice Rindevall, head of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, which co-organised the demonstration, said Sweden needed climate policy that cuts emissions immediately. Thunberg told AFP that no Swedish party was proposing policies close to what she said science requires to avoid climate disaster.