Swedish PM: Act Today to Save Tomorrow

Fredrik Reinfeldt, Swedish prime minister and chairman of the Nordic Council of Ministers, called on Tuesday for European and world political leaders to take stock. "The financial crisis is not an excuse not to act," he proclaimed to more than 1,200 Nordic and international business leaders at the Nordic Climate Solutions confernece in Copenhagen. "The clock is ticking and pressure is rising," he added. "The climate crisis is long-term, and will only be more expensive to deal with if we do not act now. We must act today, in order to save tomorrow."

The Swedish PM further encouraged EU leaders to display unity and show political world leadership. "If Europe cannot [come together], how should we convince others?" He explained that any excuse for the United States not to act would also be an excuse for coal-dependent China not to either.

Ultimately, Reinfeldt declared that next year's UN climate summit in Copenhagen should aim for binding targets for 2020. This, he explained, would force signatories of a new climate treaty to start acting on climate change as soon as they get home from COP15, rather than leave it to their successors to deal with.

This plea could prove to be important, as Sweden holds the EU Presidency from July 2009, and during the COP15 climate negtiations in Copenhagen, in December.

Background: Nordic Climate Solutions

Nearly 1,200 influential business leaders and thinkers met at the Bella Center, in Copenhagen, to share and present potential solutions to the climate crisis on the opening day of Nordic Climate Solutions, the largest clean-tech conference in Scandinavia, yesterday.

Key speakers included, Danish Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Professor Hunter Lovins, Time magazine's Millennium Hero of the Planet, and world renowned designer of cars driven by James Bond (007), Al Gore, and others, Henrik Fisker, who unveiled his new eco-sport car, for the first time in Scandinavia. The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid with both an electric and a fuel engine. When charged, the first 80 kilometers are emissions free – which mean that people would only have to fuel their car once in a while, as most commutes are short.

The Climate Cup Awards 2008 were also presented with small and large companies commended for their efforts to combat climate change and make a difference to the environment. In addition to the Reduction, Strategy, Innovation, and City categories, an extra unexpected award was announced for what the judges called an "extraordinary innovative idea." The award went to CO2PENHAGEN who are creating the first C0₂-neutral festival in the world.