Jyri Seppälä: “Finland should lead by example to show that change for the benefit of the climate is possible”
Chair of the Finnish Climate Change Panel Professor Jyri Seppälä has been involved with the Panel since its inception. According to Seppälä, who also serves as the director of the Climate Solutions Unit at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Finland has the opportunity to lead by example in climate change mitigation. However, this requires words to be translated into actions and a change in Finns’ consumption habits.
Professor Jyri Seppälä has a wide range of experience in research. He specialises in sustainability assessments based on life cycle thinking in the areas of consumption and production. The topics he has explored have ranged from agriculture and forestry to various industrial sectors, spanning different areas of consumption. He has also been active in creating and supporting the creation of networks of municipalities to serve as pioneers in the fields of climate change and resource efficiency.
“You could call me a jack of all environmental trades, something made possible thanks to my systems-analytical approach. My interests span a lot of areas, which has led to my involvement in a number of the Finnish Climate Change Panel’s projects.”
Seppälä is motivated by the Panel’s work because climate change must be brought under control, and Finland has the opportunity to lead by example. According to Seppälä, there are plenty of environmental problems that are not caused by climate change. However, he emphasises that if climate change gets worse, other environmental problems will also get worse.
“In my own work, I have been able to take a holistic view, which has led me to the conclusion that a lot of things will become meaningless if climate change is not mitigated. It is important to understand that we need to invest in fighting climate change – this work will not happen by itself.”
Finns’ consumption habits must change
Seppälä explains that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that people were willing to make lifestyle changes in order to get the virus under control. According to Seppälä, a similar approach is also needed to mitigate climate change.
“With climate change, we are dealing with much bigger impacts, yet we are still unwilling or unable to change the way we do things. This is natural in itself, because people are used to solving problems that are in the here and now. We only ever look at the current situation, which makes it difficult for us to solve problems in a forward-looking or cross-generational way.”
Seppälä says that while changing consumption habits is challenging, it is particularly pertinent in Finland. These changes are less about lowering living standards, and more about doing things in a new way. Finland has a unique opportunity not available to developing countries to adopt clean technologies and gain knowledge that will help it reduce its carbon footprint.
“The situation would be unmanageable if all countries in the world consumed in the same way as we do in Finland. We should show by example that change is possible. It is possible to live well while also dealing with this climate issue properly.”
Leading by example on climate issues offers opportunities for Finnish industry
According to Seppälä, people should understand that Finland has both a historical and a wealth-based obligation to act to mitigate climate change.
“Finland will not solve this problem alone, but if countries like us cannot make a change, who can? Setting an example would also create plenty of opportunities for business. It seems that more and more Finnish companies have already started to see this.”
Seppälä is therefore pleased that climate change mitigation has achieved a certain position in Finnish society.
“People’s understanding of climate change has increased. That is the first step: attitudes have clearly changed. Now I am just waiting for the second step to happen. This involves translating attitudes into action at the pace we need to achieve the 2035 carbon neutrality objective.”
In his free time, Seppälä enjoys nature and photography. He has been a keen birdwatcher and photographer since he was a little boy, and now butterflies have come back into the picture too.
“I stopped playing football when I sustained an injury, but I have continued to enjoy the outdoors even more since then. My favourite places include the surroundings of Lake Tuusula, the ancient forests of Pohjois-Paippinen and the Nukari rapids of the River Vantaa.”