In the middle of November there was the beginning of a feeling that something was wrong in Finland. In Lapland the autumn was the warmest recorded for 50 years and the arrival of snow has not been so late for 100 years. The opening of the ski centres was delayed week after week, till later than ever before. Cancelled skiing competitions, lost tourism revenue; ice-free lakes and no snow on the ground: in Lapland there has never been a November like this before.

Talk of the weather was unavoidable in Finland as December approached and winter had not arrived in either the south or the north. Magazines had advertisements for skis despite the fact that there were only a few kilometres of tracks where it was possible to ski. Despite this, people still had the memory of last winter where for a long time there was a proper winter well down into southern Finland. The experts' warnings have not fallen on deaf ears: short-term changes tell us something about the weather, but nothing about changes to the climate.

But while climate was the buzz word on everyone's lips before the climate summit in Copenhagen two years ago, it certainly isn't now. The whole subject seems to be taken up only as some kind of obligation. In the Finnish debate there is a sense that there is only room for one topical subject at a time, and recently it has all been about the economic crisis in Europe and the fate of the euro.

There have been no actual new initiatives on climate change in Finland since Copenhagen. Before that there were a number of policy guidelines which are now being implemented. Finland is moving at the same rate as the EU in the UN negotiations, and maintains its position that it should hold discussions with the countries which are at the forefront in climate matters.

Panel on Climate Change and Climate Change Act

In governmental negotiations the Green League wanted, and got, the post of minister for the environment. They appointed the new party leader, Ville Niinistö, to the position. In the government’s policy programme you can read about the aspirations which, if they become a reality, will make Finland one of the pioneering countries in climate policy.

The goal is a binding UN climate agreement which will limit global warming to two degrees. The EU's transition to an emission reduction target of 30 per cent is supported with reservations. An emission target of at least 80 per cent by the year 2050 has been registered and the aspiration is to become a carbon neutral society.

At the same time, the country wants to maintain a reasonably competitive position in regard to the EU's external stakeholders and not distort the competitive situation within the Union. There is a call to see the reduction of carbon dioxide calculated in a way that ensures a sustainable use of Finland's forests.

A multi-disciplinary scientific climate panel will be set up in Finland to draw up guidelines for an emission budget and to offer advice to the government. In November the universities and research institutions were asked to put forward suggestions for members of the panel. According to minister Niinistö, with the help of the panel the government will raise the ambitions for Finland's climate policy and climate research in the public debate. The panel will also participate in the preparation of new climate legislation. The act should control emissions trading to reduce external emissions.

One of the panel's tasks will be to assess what measures Finland itself should take to achieve the goals already committed to in a cost-effective way. In addition, it will assess whether the target for emissions reduction is ambitious enough to limit climate change.

Cracks in the consensus

However, this is still only Minister Niinistö's description of what will be done. The new government, which assumed office in June, has not managed to raise its climate profile in its practical policies. This may also have a domestic political explanation. The large opposition party, the populist True Finns, which has grown significantly, is in opposition even in the case of climate policy. For them the green line is a term of abuse.

In their election manifesto the party claimed that the current climate policy needed to be reformed. Their interpretation of Finland's participation in the developing countries' climate fund went as follows: "Is this our thanks to our parents and their parents before them who, through hard work and long days, created Finland's industry to secure our prosperity?"

Previously there was a large degree of consensus in Finland between the different parties on climate policy, where it was more a discussion of the practical guidelines than the actual principles. Even now there is unanimity on this issue amongst the parties in government. However, the debate seems to go more in the direction of emphasising the role of Finnish technology rather than talking about reducing emissions.

Because of the burden of the economic crisis, Minister of Economic Affairs Jyri Häkämies, from the National Coalition Party, is demanding, ahead of the Durban summit, that the EU's climate policy must above all be cost-effective. The major drive now is not on the rate for reduction of emissions but on innovations in clean technology and energy efficiency. In his opinion “Cleantech” should be the main focus of Finland's climate and energy policy.

In the run-up to Durban Environment Minister Niinistö emphasises Finnish proficiency in engineering and innovations as well as green technology.

Wind power still standing still

An excellent example of the conflict between theory and practice is the position of wind power in Finland. The share of wind power in electricity production is marginal, about 0.3 per cent. There has been talk for years about the need to expand it considerably. The current target is a share of between six and seven per cent.

Reports and programmes of action have been drawn up and surveys carried out on coastal areas and other environments for I don't know how many wind farms, and one plan after another for wind farms has been in the news. There have been far fewer news stories about the plans that have materialised. Wind power struggles in a jungle of different funding needs and permit requirements, and therefore it doesn't seem to really move forward.

Different measures to reduce emissions, increased investment in renewable energy and an improvement in energy efficiency are however taking place in different parts of society. The fact that the UN climate negotiations have stalled has, however, affected the whole question in such a way that it has lost its drive.

The climate issue disappeared from public view shortly after Copenhagen. According to extensive and repeated measurements of values conducted by the Business and Policy Forum, Finnish concern about the climate has dropped significantly since 2009 from a very high level. Despite this, approximately 70 per cent of Finns in an opinion poll in the spring considered that climate change is the greatest threat to the environment in our time. 17 per cent denied this.

We will have the presidential election in January, and it does not look as if the climate issue, at least initially, has been brought up in the debate at all. The matter does not, in itself, come into the remit of the President, even though the outgoing President, Tarja Halonen, has been active at UN level in terms of linking the effects of the position of women and climate change.

The views expressed are those of the author.