After paying European farmers to let their farmlands lie fallow, now the turn has come for EU policies to make the forestry industry stop doing what they do—all in the name of saving the environment. A Swedish proposal is now suggesting paying forest owners to stop logging in order for the country to meet its “carbon storage agreements” with the EU.
The Swedish Forest Industries Association is urging lawmakers to halt the proposal, warning that it could lead to a loss of over 7,200 jobs and severely limit access to renewable raw materials—particularly wood. The industry group argues that instead of advancing Sweden’s climate goals, the proposal would hinder the transition to a fossil-free society by limiting access to the renewable materials needed to replace plastic, concrete, and steel. If Sweden cuts back on logging to increase forest carbon storage, the demand for wood products won’t disappear—instead, production is likely to shift abroad, potentially to countries with weaker environmental standards.
The industry argues that such a policy risks becoming an expensive and ineffective climate measure—improving Sweden’s emissions statistics, perhaps, but doing little or even harm to the global climate.
In 2023, Sweden was responsible for just 0.09% of global carbon dioxide emissions, placing it roughly between 60th and 70th among the world’s highest-emitting countries.
