Statement
17.11.2018
The National Union of University Students in Finland’s (SYL) General Assembly: Climate change is about equity between generations – Finland and EU must tighten their climate targets
Climate change is the most significant security threat against humanity and the greatest generation policy issue of our time. The most recent report by the IPCC World Climate Panel on Climate Change states that halting global warming to 1.5 degrees is still possible, but requires significantly more ambitious action. Finland and the EU have to tighten their own climate targets to meet their 1.5 degree global goal. This means that Finland and the EU must be carbon neutral by 2030!
Climate issues are important for SYL because of the need to ensure intergenerational justice. In the parliamentary election program published last summer, the Student Union lists the means by which climate policy can be sustained. The promotion of ambitious climate policy should not be left to the environmental organizations alone, but the different actors of society must work together to achieve it.
“Climate change might seem like a distant thing, but it is already having a concrete effect in the Arctic, for example. It will change the lives of today’s young people and future generations irrevocably,” emphasises Sanni Lehtinen, SYL’s President for 2019. The threats caused by climate change are enormous and difficult to anticipate. It is clear, however, that the suffering, uncertainty and costs that these threats cause will affect young and future generations disproportionately.
Finland, as a prosperous and developed country, must work as an example for combating climate change. SYL demands that Finland and the European Union must be carbon neutral by 2030. Aim to reach climate impact for evaluation in all decision-making based on information and in all areas of society.
SYL president Miika Tiainen is pleased that the General Assembly decided to make climate change one of its main themes during the forthcoming parliamentary elections: “Climate change is a multifaceted and global problem. To prevent climate change, cooperation is needed across generations, national and national borders. We must not despair, but we must work courageously to find solutions.”
