Nordic Council at COP29: parliamentarians must take responsibility to achieve climate goals

Elected parliamentarians hold legislative power and control over national budgets, giving them significant responsibility to ensure that climate measures are effectively implemented. Similarly, humility is essential, as pointed out by Himanshu Gulati, a member of the Nordic Council from Norway. 

“We must remember that people in society have different opinions, and we need to act on the issues that unite us. Many have legitimate concerns about their jobs and personal finances due to the transition,” he says. 

Krista Mikkonen, a member of the Nordic Council from Finland, says that parliamentarians also have a duty to ensure that governments deliver on their promises. 

“We must make sure that governments report back to us on what they’re doing to combat climate change. I believe we should hold them to account and ensure they pick up the pace,” she says. 

Malini Mehra from Globe International points out that cross-party consensus has historically been essential for pursuing climate policy. 

“As soon as climate policy becomes a partisan issue along the left-right axis, it becomes challenging. The political climate in the US is an example of this,” she says. 

Nordic Council politicians agree that it’s crucial to connect climate action to what matters in people’s day-to-day lives in order to gain broad support for transition measures. 

“For voters, it’s often about the economy – we need to link the climate issue to day-to-day life and economic concerns,” says Gulati. 

Mikkonen adds that parliamentarians need to use their visibility to explain why it’s in everyone’s interest to act now. 

“The climate issue affects everything,” she says. 

Ola Elvestuen, a member of the Nordic Council from Norway, summarises his formula for solving the climate issue through parliamentary work: 

“Say what you think, do what you say, and don’t stop until it’s done.”