Energy and climate policy outlines for the near future. National strategy for implementation of the Kyoto protocol. Background report

This report was prepared as background material for renewal of the national Energy and Climate Strategy. The first chapter of the report highlights the premises set for Strategy preparation by the Government programme and statements by Parliament. The second chapter describes the international operating environment and recent changes therein, while chapters 3 and 4 include an outlook of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland and the EU. Chapters 5 to 8 of the report suggest procedures for managing Finland's greenhouse gas emission obligations with the methods currently in use, both during the Kyoto obligation period and after it. In addition, the impacts of emission obligations with different objectives are described for the time after the Kyoto obligation period with regards to Finland's emission balances. Chapters 9 and 10 review the development of the energy market and other key sectors in relation to the objectives set for energy and climate policy. Chapter 11 discusses Finland's goals for negotiations on limiting emissions after the year 2012, and chapter 12 reviews domestic measures in use for implementing the strategy. Numerous studies have been commissioned in preparing the strategy, evaluating the impacts of various factors on the energy market, energy costs for energy consumers, the public finances and aggregates of national economy - such as gross domestic product - households' consumption expenditure, employment and production in various producing sectors. Chapter 13 summarises the key results of these studies. The background report is produced in co-operation with several ministries (the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment) so that each has been responsible for the production and acquisition of material within its own branch of administration. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has co-ordinated the actual writing of the report. This report has not been discussed by the ministerial working group responsible for the preparation of the Strategy or by the Government. (orig.)