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 “meet the heating demands of a medium-sized city for up to a year,” says New Atlas.
Data centres worldwide consume vast amounts of energy and water. But a sustainable, renewably-powered data centre 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 totalling up to 437 million euros to small and medium-sized businesses in the country.
The Finnish Food Authority is even incorporating climate-friendly suggestions into 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% from their peak in 2006.
Aren’t these great examples for the world to learn from?
- Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change on people and the planet. She is Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy.
- This article was first published here.
