AWEEDEN ENVIROMENTAL CE

Sweden has a sound, innovation-oriented economy built on rich reserves of timber, iron ore and
hydropower, a strong industrial base and a highly skilled labour force. The population enjoys a high
standard of living thanks to high income, low inequality and good environmental quality. Water supply,
wastewater treatment and waste management services reach high standards. Less than 1% of municipal
waste is disposed of in landfills, while the rates of recycling and recovery are high. However, generation
of municipal waste grew by 16% between 2000 and 2012. The carbon intensity of the economy is the
second lowest among OECD member countries as renewables and nuclear energy cover more than two-
thirds of Sweden’s energy needs. Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have declined and have been
decoupled from economic growth. Emissions of most air pollutants have also decreased and air quality is
generally good, with just a few exceptions in some cities. Protected natural areas have been expanded to
reach about 14% of land area and inland waters and 6% of marine waters, although the conservation
status of some habitats and species is relatively unfavourable. Several freshwater bodies, most marine
ecosystems and the Baltic Sea suffer from eutrophication. Sweden has a long history in environmental
policy Sweden has created a system of ambitious environmental quality objectives (EQOs), which
constitutes a major society-wide undertaking towards sustainable development. However, it does not
establish policy priorities commensurate with available resources, which has reduced the effectiveness
of actions. Most of the EQOs will not be reached by the 2020 deadline. Sweden has a long tradition of
open, free access to environmental information and of public participation in decision making. Sweden
compares well with other countries in contributing to the development of EU environmental legislation
and in implementing it. Integrated environmental permitting and environmental impact assessment
procedures are well developed. However, the institutional autonomy of the county and local
governments, differences in their implementation capacity and the influence of local interests have
resulted in inconsistencies in implementation and enforcement. There is still insufficient integration of
environmental concerns into municipal spatial planning. A significant share of environmental violations
go essentially unpunished. Clarifying the boundary between administrative and criminal offences would
help close this enforcement gap.