The action is being organized just a few weeks before the parliamentary elections, in which this issue is one of the most important to voters.
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Since coming to power in 2022, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing government, supported by the populist Sweden Democrats party, has reduced fuel taxes and relaxed requirements for fuel suppliers to include low carbon dioxide emitting alternatives in their blends.
Swedish and foreign experts have repeatedly warned that the government’s climate policy threatens the country’s goals to reduce emissions – to reduce transport carbon dioxide emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.
The U. Kristersson administration rejected the recommendations of a government-appointed commission on how to achieve the 2030 target, which included a proposal to gradually phase out fossil fuels by increasing taxes on petrol and diesel.
“The climate crisis is very real and it is already here,” said Beatrice Rindevall, head of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, which is one of the organizers of Sunday’s demonstration.
“The time has come to implement climate policies that reduce emissions now,” she added in a statement, mentioning the scorching heat waves that ravaged Europe this summer.
Swedish residents will elect a new parliament on September 13, and right-wing bloc parties are trailing in public opinion polls.
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It is expected that more than 200 non-governmental organizations and associations will participate in Sunday’s march, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Lithuanian time).
They will bring together researchers, youth and sports associations, trade unions, outdoor and rural organizations, religious communities, and rights advocacy groups.
“Never before have so many organizations participated in a Swedish climate demonstration,” said B. Rindevall. “The commitment is huge.”
According to a “Verian” survey published Thursday by public broadcaster SVT, 37% of respondents indicated that climate is their top priority in the elections, second only to healthcare, education, crime, and elderly care.
The government, for its part, says that the phase-out of fossil fuels must be gradual in order to preserve and strengthen the competitiveness of Sweden and its companies.
