Good news from Finland–fast becoming a global climate leader
From Katharine Hayhoe, Canadian Climate Scientist:
Finland is fast becoming a global climate leader. You might remember a while back I wrote about the world’s largest sand battery in the town of Pornainen, that can store up to 100 megawatts of energy for months. Now, the world’s largest underground thermal energy storage facility is being constructed in Vantaa, in caverns carved out of the bedrock. The energy stored there will be enough to heatthe city, the fourth largest in Finland, for up to a year.
Data centers worldwide consume vast amounts of energy and water. But a sustainable, renewably-powered data center is being built in the Finnish town of Mäntsälä that will use its waste heat to warm the local community. And to accelerate Finland’s green transition, Nordea, a Finnish financial services provider, is offering sustainability loans totaling up to 437 million euros to small and medium-sized businesses in the country.
The Finnish Food Authority is even incorporating climate-friendly suggestionsinto a new set of national dietary guidelines, dropping the amount of recommended red meat to 350 grams per week from 500 grams. “Ultimately, how one eats is a personal choice, but it is good to be aware that a more plant-based diet not only reduces health risks but also mitigates the effects of climate change,” said Juha-Matti Katajajuuri, a researcher at the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
Knowledge is power, and in a recent study Finns ranked first in the European Union on their understanding of climate change and the ways to address it. Aarne Granlund, a Finnish climate activist who moved to the region of North Karelia to work on emission reductions there, tells me that one of the biggest things that can make a difference is getting municipal politicians interested—and that’s already happening. Across Finland, municipal emissions of heat-trapping gases have dropped 38 percent from their peak in 2006.
Aren’t these great examples for the world to learn from?
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And…another article out of Finland:
Finland just found energy for 20 million years: This mine will be the future of mankind