Sweden moves to climate proof all economic policies

Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson has said she’s willing to move away from a budget-surplus target and over to a balanced-budget target. Photo: Mikael Sjoberg/Bloomberg

Rafaela Lindeberg and Niclas Rolander

In the home of climate activist Greta Thunberg, a key government minister is calling for economic policy to be overhauled to acknowledge the dangerous pace at which the planet is overheating.

“In this acute climate crisis, we need to invest,” Asa Lindhagen, Sweden’s financial markets minister and a member of the Green Party, said in an interview. The existing framework for fiscal policy “is important for the government’s finances, but it’s also important that it’s adjusted to climate change, so that it doesn’t become a stumbling block for investments that are necessary.”