Environment and climate

About the program

The environment and climate are among the most important issues for children and young people. Emissions and environmental degradation continue, making the future more and more uncertain. The climate crisis requires us to make major changes in society. These changes need to be made now, for a better future for generations to come. There is money, knowledge, and the conditions to create change! Unga Örnar wants children and young people to be able to shape the world they grow up in. We also see that we have a shared responsibility to create a better present and future. Everyone needs to do their part – but some can and must do much more than others. Even if individuals change their consumption, the biggest efforts need to be made together at the national and global level, for today’s and future children and young people. Only when individuals are given a real chance to live climate-smartly can responsibility be placed at the individual level. Therefore, we want the state, regions, municipalities, and companies to take their responsibility – for all children’s future.

Climate-smart transportation

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people travel by different means of transport throughout the country. Cars, buses, and airplanes are some of the means of transport used, and some vehicles emit many substances that are dangerous to the environment. Unga Örnar believes that it should be easier to get around with climate-smart alternatives and with favorable prices. Unga Örnar wants Sweden to take a leading role in climate work in the world. Sweden must show that it is time for major changes.

Therefore, Unga Örnar wants public transport to be free of charge throughout Sweden, so that more people can get where they want without having to have a car. Public transport needs to be expanded so that even those who live in sparsely populated and rural areas have good access to climate-smart alternatives. Traveling by public transport should also be accessible to everyone regardless of age, economic background, or disability. To enable everyone to travel by public transport in the country, different solutions are needed to make it the obvious choice.

We also think that more cycle paths are needed in the country to make it easier to choose the bicycle as a means of transport. Greener areas and car-free city centers are also an important solution for climate-smart modes of transport. Whether it is in the city or in the suburbs, it should be equally easy for everyone to choose climate-smart modes of transport. Investments in the suburbs outside the city are an important priority for creating greener areas.

Trains are a means of transport that emits much less than other means of transport and is an energy-efficient and climate-smart way to transport yourself. Therefore, we believe that train and railway maintenance should be regulated and nationalized to ensure a reliable and green alternative, which works equally well throughout the country – regardless of where you live. To make it easier to travel climate-smartly, it should also always be cheaper to take the train than to fly when traveling within Sweden.

Unga Örnar therefore wants that:
- – Train and railway maintenance is regulated and nationalized.
- – It should always be cheaper to travel by train than by plane.
- – Free, expanded public transport accessible to all is introduced.
- – We get more green city centers, suburbs, and car-free city centers are introduced.
- – Municipalities should expand and improve current cycle paths in Sweden to enable cycling.

Sustainable consumption

It is difficult to choose climate-smart when it is much more expensive than the alternatives. Unga Örnar believes that it should always be easier to choose organic and environmentally friendly alternatives. It must be easier to consume both better and less. Therefore, Unga Örnar wants the state and the EU to take their responsibility to make it easier to produce more environmentally friendly goods.

Today, things are not created to last as long as possible. When we can use a product for as long as possible, without having to throw it away, we reduce the need to buy lots of new products. Therefore, Unga Örnar believes that the state should work for a circular flow. This means that the product we use should be repaired, made into something else, or recycled. This will lead to us buying less, and make it easier for the shopper to choose an alternative that lasts longer. In addition to that, we want the state to enact a law against planned obsolescence. Planned obsolescence means that companies create goods with a more limited lifespan, so that things break down faster than they need to. We think that’s wrong.

Unga Örnar wants it to be easier to consume less and climate-smartly. Therefore, we want the state and the EU to help companies switch to ecological and environmentally friendly production. This may involve the company that makes a product, such as a toy, using more climate-smart materials that can be recycled. But also when the toy is made, that there are as few emissions as possible. We also want recycling stations to be accessible to everyone, regardless of where you live.

There are many substances that are toxic and dangerous to the environment. The toxic substances affect and can lead to damage to both animals, nature, and humans. Therefore, we believe that toxic substances in the production of various goods should be prohibited.

Sustainable development takes place in many different ways. We believe that more products produced within the EU should be sustainable from a social, economic, and ecological perspective. Social sustainability is about people’s rights, such as the right to a person’s health and safety. Economic sustainability can be about working long-term to invest money in goods or a production that is better for the environment. And ecological sustainability is about creating long-term conditions for our environment, such as reducing the use of plastic – so that future generations can live in a society, and on a planet that is doing well.

Unga Örnar therefore wants that:
- – The EU and the state should make it easier for companies to switch to ecological and environmentally friendly production.
- – The EU and the state should take greater ecological responsibility and enact a law against planned obsolescence.
- – Toxic substances in the production of various goods are prohibited.
- – It is simplified for circular flows in the economy and it should be easier to consume less.
- – More products produced within the EU should be sustainable from a social, economic, and ecological perspective. And it should be easier to consume climate-smartly.
- – Recycling stations should be accessible to everyone.

A fossil-free world

To create a sustainable future, we must act now. Unga Örnar sees that Sweden has a great responsibility to lead the way towards a greener society where all energy is renewable. By investing in innovation and new solutions, we can lead the development and everyone can participate in the transition.

The combustion of fossil fuels is one of the main causes of global warming. Fossil fuels are substances such as gas, coal, and oil. When these are burned and released, it can lead to elevated temperatures, which in turn leads to floods and that ecosystems – and not least people’s lives – are destroyed. Therefore, we believe that all energy should be renewable.

Another alternative for energy supply is to use the natural resources we have access to. Solar energy, wind power, hydropower, and large investments in energy efficiency are not only technically possible but also necessary. We want available areas within municipalities to be used for solar cells and/or urban cultivation.

The climate crisis is not only in Sweden, it affects the whole world. All people have the right to a just climate transition and therefore we want Sweden to share innovations and make investments to enable climate-friendly municipalities, regions, associations, and companies.

Every day we continue to use fossil fuels is a step closer to an uninhabitable planet.

Unga Örnar therefore wants that:
- – All energy should be renewable.
- – Available areas within municipalities are used for solar cells and/or urban cultivation.
- – Sweden shares innovations and makes investments to enable climate-friendly municipalities, regions, associations, and companies.

Protecting nature

The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. For our future to be sustainable, we must start acting, both locally and globally. We in Unga Örnar want Sweden to take a great ecological responsibility and lead the way towards a society where the climate is prioritized. By reducing our fossil plastics, protecting our seas, and having control over our carbon dioxide emissions, we can have a society where we live in balance with nature.

Today we have great challenges to take care of our nature and our climate. Environmental issues must be prioritized. Unga Örnar wants Sweden to take responsibility and reduce environmental impact and ensure a sustainable future. One of the challenges we have is the use of fossil plastic that affects our climate. The plastic is harmful to animals and nature. Unga Örnar wants the use of fossil plastic to be drastically reduced.

Our seas are becoming more and more polluted and filled with harmful materials. It is a big problem for our ecosystem. The animals and plants that live in the seas are severely affected and have more difficulty surviving. Therefore, we want 50% of Sweden’s, Europe’s, and the world’s seas to be protected, of which 30% receive strict protection, so that those who live in the seas have a chance to survive and recover. Strict protection means that these areas in the sea must not be destroyed or degraded.

Another challenge we face is the increased carbon dioxide emissions that are destroying our planet. The emissions lead to many negative consequences for our planet. We must reduce as much as possible in Sweden and in the world. We want Sweden to have net zero emissions by 2030 at the latest, and the world by 2050.

The capitalist system has accelerated completely in the last 80 years in pace with the advent of fossil fuels. This has led to both human prosperity as well as inequality and depletion of resources. When we are also around 1.3–1.5 degrees in warming and continue to accelerate emissions, we are seriously threatened with humanity. Sweden needs to go ahead and put the macroeconomy on a diet. Therefore, we propose that Sweden needs to create a plan to be able to implement degrowth.

The whole society must change to cope with the climate crisis. This means that everyone must take their responsibility to reduce the consequences. Municipal and regional activities can today use less environmentally friendly alternatives that are imported, we think that is wrong. We think that these activities should be encouraged to have collaborations with organic farming so that there is a greener alternative to choose. Organic farming means that no harmful pesticides or fertilizers that are harmful to the climate may be used and that the animals get a better life.

Unga Örnar therefore wants that:
- – The use of fossil plastic is reduced
- – We must protect 50% of Sweden’s, Europe’s, and the world’s seas, of which 30% must be strictly protected
- – We must have net zero emissions of carbon dioxide in Sweden by 2030 and in the world by 2050 at the latest
- – Sweden must create a plan to be able to implement degrowth.
- – Municipal and regional activities are encouraged to have collaborations with organic farms