Responsibility from decision-makers is demanded in the theses shaped through multidisciplinary research collaboration and citizen workshops, to ensure no one is left behind in the sustainability transformation.
Sustainable development has been a topic of discussion for decades, and climate action has increased in many ways. However, many people across Finland feel that actions for social and ecological sustainability are not aligned. When implemented shortsightedly, green transition efforts can paradoxically deepen inequalities and polarization between different social groups and between rural and urban areas. In contrast, a just sustainability transition can break down societal marginalization, promote equity, and pave the way for a profound shift in values and actions toward comprehensive sustainability. But such a transformation does not happen on its own.
A sustainability transformation refers to a broad systemic change of societal structures aimed at creating conditions for a more sustainable future. For the transformation to succeed, we must recognize the intertwined nature of ecological and social sustainability, minimize the risks of marginalization and exclusion, and develop cross-sectoral and cross-administrative resource and social policies that also include the voices of citizens.
A good life within planetary boundaries
Faced with crises like climate change, large-scale societal change is inevitable. The pressure for change affects not only societal structures but also our thinking—our values and assumptions about what constitutes a good life. A shift in values and attitudes can foster a new willingness to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Recent climate and nature barometers already indicate that many Finns have changed their lifestyles—such as mobility, eating habits, housing, and consumption—for climate reasons.
Yet in this societal transformation, it is crucial to ensure that such lifestyle choices are made accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or place of residence. These structures must be developed with a long-term perspective, while also ensuring that well-being is not allocated to specific groups at the expense of the conditions necessary for others’ good life.
When experiences of exclusion and marginalization grow alongside the degradation of the environment, this creates rifts between citizens and decision-makers, and within local communities.
Ecological and social risks disproportionately affect those least able to adapt or cope. Recognizing the interlinkage between environmental and social issues is essential when designing transition policies that promote social justice alongside strong environmental action. A useful metric for assessing the fairness of sustainability transformation measures is how they impact society’s vulnerable communities and peripheries. When experiences of exclusion and marginalization grow alongside the degradation of the environment, this creates rifts between citizens and decision-makers, and within local communities.
A successful transformation builds a just society in which full participation is accessible, holistic, and meaningful, and where the conditions for a good life are ensured for a growing number of people.
A thriving natural environment is the foundation for all human activity
While our lifestyles and personal actions do matter in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, it is crucial to understand these issues as structural challenges that require systemic change. Phasing out the fossil economy is urgent and unavoidable as part of climate action and economic restructuring. However, the green transition increases pressure on natural resources, especially as competition for critical raw materials intensifies.
Risks associated with resource use impact both ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of local populations in resource-rich areas. In Finland, the Sámi people—a group already in a vulnerable position regarding environmental threats—face new human rights risks from the green transition. The transition must be implemented in line with the principles of environmental justice, recognizing local characteristics, interests, and rights, and ensuring local voices are heard and included.
If the transition is based on the assumption of continuous economic and consumption growth, it turns against its own valuable goals and reduces sustainability policies to mere greening of the current system. A forward-looking approach is needed to truly address the climate crisis and foster equitable, sustainable well-being.
Transformation of work
The broad sustainability transformation is also reshaping the world of work. Current labor market structures often cause marginalization by placing unrealistic demands on workers and excluding those who cannot meet them from full societal participation.
As fossil-dependent regions face structural changes, they need support to diversify their economies. The sustainability transformation can also create opportunities to reorganize work and better recognize diverse forms of agency, skills, and activity that are in harmony with ecological limits. Instead of a competitive society, the transformation of work will increasingly emphasize social cohesion, inclusion, and care.
Ten theses for justice
A successful sustainability transformation requires not only understanding the scale of the polycrisis but also dismantling siloed governance and decision-making. Current discussions about the transformation are strongly segmented into separate sectors that divide dimensions of sustainability and disconnect decision-making from everyday realities.
The Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project (2023–2025) explored the justice of the transformation by organizing a series of events across Finland, consisting of citizen workshops and expert seminars. The citizen workshops brought together local people from different regions, many of whom had already experienced the impacts of the environmental crisis and related policy measures—whether in urban or rural settings. The discussions reflected diverse experiences of being left behind or feeling excluded from sustainability efforts. However, they also contained visions of a future in which intangible aspects of well-being—such as community, agency, and mutual respect—are central societal ideals. Participants identified numerous concrete ways to pursue such a future that is good for everyone.
Based on citizen participation and academic research, the project’s report, Syrjivästä siirtymästä reiluun kestävyysmurrokseen (’From a discriminatory transition to a just sustainability transformation’), outlines concrete action proposals and ten theses for achieving a just transformation:
1. A just transformation recognizes local realities A just transformation consists of actions on sustainability that must take into account local constraints, knowledge, and the specific impacts on different communities and ecosystems.
2. A just transformation breaks down silos The transformation must identify the interconnectedness of ecological and social issues and actively dismantle polarizations and segmented discussion and decision-making.
3. A just transformation is research-based Value-based decisions to implement the transition must always be transparently grounded in research evidence.
4. A just transformation is moderate Overconsumption must be significantly and systematically reduced to allow fair distribution of resources.
5. A just transformation provides support In changes to production methods and economic structures, it is essential to ensure adequate support for those most affected by the transition. Decision-makers at all levels need to develop a deeper understanding of how their decisions impact regions and people who are excluded from the decision-making process.
6. A just transformation requires fair energy production An energy policy debate grounded in values must take place at both national and regional levels: increasing renewable energy production to maintain current consumption levels, and locating energy projects in ways that displace other forms of land use (including traditional Sámi livelihoods), do not support a just sustainability transformation.
7. A just transformation must be accessible Sustainable choices and the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles must be made possible and sufficiently accessible for all citizens, regardless of their socioeconomic status, functional capacity, or geographic location.
8. A just transformation requires participation Participation in sustainability must be supported by strengthening existing and developing new consultation and engagement processes, as well as by ensuring that perspectives and initiatives supporting the sustainability transformation are carried through to decision-making.
9. A just transformation builds bridges Encounters between people with different perspectives and backgrounds, grounded in reliable knowledge, genuine dialogue, and mutual respect, foster understanding across differences. This is essential for achieving a just sustainability transformation.
10. A just sustainability transformation recognizes the plurality of nature’s values Acknowledging and incorporating environmental grief, along with the diverse meanings and values that nature holds, into decision-making processes helps reduce experiences of injustice.
ANNA MUSTONEN, EMMI SALMIVUORI & TIIA-MARI TERVAHARJU
Header photo: Tiia-Mari Tervaharju
The article has been translated into English using an artificial intelligence translation program. The translation has been reviewed by an editor at Versus.
The Research debate is based on the report published as part of the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit Argumenta project, funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation: Mustonen, A., Salmivuori, E., Tervaharju, T-M., Armila, P., Häyrynen, S., Kallio, K-P., Kuusiola, T., Laihonen, M., Luhtavaara, A., Lyytimäki, J., Salonen, A. O., Vainikka, V. & Valkonen, J. (2025). Syrjivästä siirtymästä reiluun kestävyysmurrokseen (’From a discriminatory transition to a just sustainability transformation’). University of Eastern Finland.
Comments for the Research debate were requested from Members of Parliament across different parties and regions of Finland.
Anna Mustonen
Anna Mustonen is a doctoral researcher in environmental policy at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland. Anna also serves as the project lead for the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
Emmi Salmivuori
Emmi Salmivuori works as a doctoral researcher at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies at the University of Eastern Finland and works with the funding of the Kone Foundation. Emmi is also the project coordinator for the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
Tiia-Mari Tervaharju
Tiia-Mari Tervaharju holds a Master’s degree in Education and works as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. Tiia-Mari is responsible for communications and serves as a substitute project coordinator in the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
Krista Mikkonen is a Green MP from Joensuu and a member of the Joensuu City Council. She served as Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment from 2019 to 2021.
Better use of knowledge in decision-making
We are consuming the planet’s natural resources faster than they can regenerate. Earth Overshoot Day now falls as early as late July or early August. For over a century, our energy systems have relied on fossil fuels, which formed over millions of years. Their use releases immense amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in a short time. The consequences—climate crisis and biodiversity loss—are visible to all. Clearly, this cannot continue. A sustainability transformation is essential; our lives must fit within the planet’s ecological limits.
The traditional dimensions of sustainable development include ecological, social, and economic sustainability, sometimes also cultural sustainability. Occasionally, the term “comprehensive sustainability” is used to emphasize the equal importance of all dimensions. However, these dimensions are not interchangeable. Ecological sustainability is the foundation of all others—without a livable planet, human life becomes impossible in the long run. Thus, ensuring ecological sustainability must be the foundation on which all other aspects are built.
The sustainability transformation must reach all sectors of society. In addition to the ongoing energy transition, we need transformation in transportation, food systems, cities, and the economy. We must recognize that the transition will change how we operate. We have to do more with less and moderate consumption levels. For example, the current energy transition cannot be solved simply by replacing fossil fuels with zero-emission sources while otherwise maintaining the status quo. Alongside phasing out fossil fuels, we must use energy more efficiently, sparingly, and flexibly. This is not yet fully understood. Much is said about increasing renewable energy, and indeed the need is enormous—renewables must be tripled by the 2030s. At the same time, energy efficiency and savings must be doubled, but this side of the equation is often overlooked.
The transformation requires knowledge. Though its importance is widely acknowledged, information is often disregarded in decision-making. The scientific community provides valuable background data and concrete policy recommendations, but these often fail to reach decision-makers. It is also not uncommon for available knowledge to go unused, even when it exists. A recent example is the current government’s decision to abolish the Government’s Analysis, Assessment and Research Activities unit (VNTEAS), which was tasked with producing research and analysis to support policymaking. The government has also announced plans to weaken the roles of the Finnish Climate Change Panel and the Finnish Nature Panel. Both are independent scientific advisory bodies established to provide knowledge-based support for the government. These moves suggest that knowledge is being sidelined.
The fact that decision-making is guided by political interests rather than scientific knowledge is, of course, nothing new. Nor is it uncommon for there to be political attempts to steer the scientific community. The idea is that with the ’right kind of knowledge’, decisions can be easily justified as evidence-based. For example, during the last government term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry established the Forest Bioeconomy Science Panel, seemingly hoping it would produce more favorable data than the Climate Change and Nature Panels—particularly regarding forests’ role in biodiversity, carbon sinks, and carbon storage. Yet the message from all three panels was remarkably consistent. Nonetheless, political decisions have lagged.
Beyond knowledge, the transformation also requires citizen participation. Unfortunately, reality often falls short of the ideal. Participation requires access to information. Often, policymakers fail to share the data or reasoning behind decisions, making it difficult for people to understand—especially when decisions adversely affect them. If background information is withheld, participation becomes meaningless. However, when participants are properly informed, they can provide well-reasoned, thoughtful contributions. For example, the Ministry of the Environment has conducted citizens’ assemblies to support climate policy development. One key theme was climate justice. Participants were willing to make sacrifices if they understood that doing so advanced climate action fairly.
KRISTA MIKKONEN
Laura Meriluoto
Laura Meriluoto is a first-term MP from Kuopio, a member of the county council in North Savo, and holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. She previously worked in the NGO sector, focusing on improving the position of people in vulnerable circumstances. Photo: Hanne Salonen.
A just sustainability transformation is an economic issue
Working toward a fair sustainability transformation is at the heart of my daily work as an MP for the Left Alliance. As a modern red-green party, the Left Alliance recognizes that transforming society into an environmentally sustainable one is our greatest challenge. We aim to solve this challenge by reinforcing social justice. All societal structures must be fundamentally reformed so that ecological and social sustainability are interwoven.
The ecological transition must be carried out in a way that does not impose excessive costs on low- and middle-income groups or widen income disparities. Public authorities play a key role in directing investments toward well-being, new production technologies, and research, which in turn will generate new green jobs. Worker incomes, job creation, and access to retraining or re-education must be guaranteed. As fossil energy becomes more expensive, lower- income households must be compensated. The ramp-up of renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure should be supported through public investment, taking into account regional differences and local needs. Crucially, no green transition project should come at the expense of nature or local communities’ rights. Environmental governance and permitting processes must play a central role. Polluters must always be held accountable.
The Left Alliance supports creating a redistribution mechanism to return environmental tax revenues to citizens based on social and regional criteria. Simultaneously, we must launch a comprehensive tax reform to ensure environmental taxation genuinely steers behavior and reflects external costs.
Well-being must be decoupled from environmental degradation and resource use. This requires a fundamental shift in economic thinking. Endless economic growth cannot be our goal. Instead, we must transform the economy to one that functions sustainably within planetary boundaries. Such an economy can still be vibrant and generate well-being. For this, Finland’s industrial structure must be reformed. Production should move from cheap, simple products to high value-added goods and from virgin resource use toward circular economy principles. Again, this demands an active and strategic industrial policy from the state. On the demand side, the future economy should focus on domestic goods and, above all, on consumption of services and experiences, which have significantly lower carbon footprints. We must end overconsumption of natural resources and shift to an economy that can generate well-being without depending on growth—and that can withstand crises.
The scale of overconsumption and the risks posed by ecological crises are distributed in society according to wealth. However, these risks disproportionately threaten those already in the weakest positions. The Left Alliance is committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported during the ecological transition, and that everyone has access to work and a livelihood. The wealth accumulated by top earners must be used for public investment to implement the ecological transition.
We must also expand the recognition of nature’s conservation and rights. The well-being of all animals and biodiversity are core values for our party. Other species have the right to live alongside us on this shared planet.
Responsibility from decision-makers is demanded in the theses shaped through multidisciplinary research collaboration and citizen workshops, to ensure no one is left behind in the sustainability transformation.
Sustainable development has been a topic of discussion for decades, and climate action has increased in many ways. However, many people across Finland feel that actions for social and ecological sustainability are not aligned. When implemented shortsightedly, green transition efforts can paradoxically deepen inequalities and polarization between different social groups and between rural and urban areas. In contrast, a just sustainability transition can break down societal marginalization, promote equity, and pave the way for a profound shift in values and actions toward comprehensive sustainability. But such a transformation does not happen on its own.
A sustainability transformation refers to a broad systemic change of societal structures aimed at creating conditions for a more sustainable future. For the transformation to succeed, we must recognize the intertwined nature of ecological and social sustainability, minimize the risks of marginalization and exclusion, and develop cross-sectoral and cross-administrative resource and social policies that also include the voices of citizens.
A good life within planetary boundaries
Faced with crises like climate change, large-scale societal change is inevitable. The pressure for change affects not only societal structures but also our thinking—our values and assumptions about what constitutes a good life. A shift in values and attitudes can foster a new willingness to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Recent climate and nature barometers already indicate that many Finns have changed their lifestyles—such as mobility, eating habits, housing, and consumption—for climate reasons.
Yet in this societal transformation, it is crucial to ensure that such lifestyle choices are made accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or place of residence. These structures must be developed with a long-term perspective, while also ensuring that well-being is not allocated to specific groups at the expense of the conditions necessary for others’ good life.
Ecological and social risks disproportionately affect those least able to adapt or cope. Recognizing the interlinkage between environmental and social issues is essential when designing transition policies that promote social justice alongside strong environmental action. A useful metric for assessing the fairness of sustainability transformation measures is how they impact society’s vulnerable communities and peripheries. When experiences of exclusion and marginalization grow alongside the degradation of the environment, this creates rifts between citizens and decision-makers, and within local communities.
A successful transformation builds a just society in which full participation is accessible, holistic, and meaningful, and where the conditions for a good life are ensured for a growing number of people.
A thriving natural environment is the foundation for all human activity
While our lifestyles and personal actions do matter in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, it is crucial to understand these issues as structural challenges that require systemic change. Phasing out the fossil economy is urgent and unavoidable as part of climate action and economic restructuring. However, the green transition increases pressure on natural resources, especially as competition for critical raw materials intensifies.
Risks associated with resource use impact both ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of local populations in resource-rich areas. In Finland, the Sámi people—a group already in a vulnerable position regarding environmental threats—face new human rights risks from the green transition. The transition must be implemented in line with the principles of environmental justice, recognizing local characteristics, interests, and rights, and ensuring local voices are heard and included.
If the transition is based on the assumption of continuous economic and consumption growth, it turns against its own valuable goals and reduces sustainability policies to mere greening of the current system. A forward-looking approach is needed to truly address the climate crisis and foster equitable, sustainable well-being.
Transformation of work
The broad sustainability transformation is also reshaping the world of work. Current labor market structures often cause marginalization by placing unrealistic demands on workers and excluding those who cannot meet them from full societal participation.
As fossil-dependent regions face structural changes, they need support to diversify their economies. The sustainability transformation can also create opportunities to reorganize work and better recognize diverse forms of agency, skills, and activity that are in harmony with ecological limits. Instead of a competitive society, the transformation of work will increasingly emphasize social cohesion, inclusion, and care.
Ten theses for justice
A successful sustainability transformation requires not only understanding the scale of the polycrisis but also dismantling siloed governance and decision-making. Current discussions about the transformation are strongly segmented into separate sectors that divide dimensions of sustainability and disconnect decision-making from everyday realities.
The Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project (2023–2025) explored the justice of the transformation by organizing a series of events across Finland, consisting of citizen workshops and expert seminars. The citizen workshops brought together local people from different regions, many of whom had already experienced the impacts of the environmental crisis and related policy measures—whether in urban or rural settings. The discussions reflected diverse experiences of being left behind or feeling excluded from sustainability efforts. However, they also contained visions of a future in which intangible aspects of well-being—such as community, agency, and mutual respect—are central societal ideals. Participants identified numerous concrete ways to pursue such a future that is good for everyone.
Based on citizen participation and academic research, the project’s report, Syrjivästä siirtymästä reiluun kestävyysmurrokseen (’From a discriminatory transition to a just sustainability transformation’), outlines concrete action proposals and ten theses for achieving a just transformation:
1. A just transformation recognizes local realities
A just transformation consists of actions on sustainability that must take into account local constraints, knowledge, and the specific impacts on different communities and ecosystems.
2. A just transformation breaks down silos
The transformation must identify the interconnectedness of ecological and social issues and actively dismantle polarizations and segmented discussion and decision-making.
3. A just transformation is research-based
Value-based decisions to implement the transition must always be transparently grounded in research evidence.
4. A just transformation is moderate
Overconsumption must be significantly and systematically reduced to allow fair distribution of resources.
5. A just transformation provides support
In changes to production methods and economic structures, it is essential to ensure adequate support for those most affected by the transition. Decision-makers at all levels need to develop a deeper understanding of how their decisions impact regions and people who are excluded from the decision-making process.
6. A just transformation requires fair energy production
An energy policy debate grounded in values must take place at both national and regional levels: increasing renewable energy production to maintain current consumption levels, and locating energy projects in ways that displace other forms of land use (including traditional Sámi livelihoods), do not support a just sustainability transformation.
7. A just transformation must be accessible
Sustainable choices and the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles must be made possible and sufficiently accessible for all citizens, regardless of their socioeconomic status, functional capacity, or geographic location.
8. A just transformation requires participation
Participation in sustainability must be supported by strengthening existing and developing new consultation and engagement processes, as well as by ensuring that perspectives and initiatives supporting the sustainability transformation are carried through to decision-making.
9. A just transformation builds bridges
Encounters between people with different perspectives and backgrounds, grounded in reliable knowledge, genuine dialogue, and mutual respect, foster understanding across differences. This is essential for achieving a just sustainability transformation.
10. A just sustainability transformation recognizes the plurality of nature’s values
Acknowledging and incorporating environmental grief, along with the diverse meanings and values that nature holds, into decision-making processes helps reduce experiences of injustice.
ANNA MUSTONEN, EMMI SALMIVUORI & TIIA-MARI TERVAHARJU
Header photo: Tiia-Mari Tervaharju
Comments for the Research debate were requested from Members of Parliament across different parties and regions of Finland.
Anna Mustonen
Anna Mustonen is a doctoral researcher in environmental policy at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland. Anna also serves as the project lead for the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
Emmi Salmivuori
Emmi Salmivuori works as a doctoral researcher at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies at the University of Eastern Finland and works with the funding of the Kone Foundation. Emmi is also the project coordinator for the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
Tiia-Mari Tervaharju
Tiia-Mari Tervaharju holds a Master’s degree in Education and works as a project researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. Tiia-Mari is responsible for communications and serves as a substitute project coordinator in the Kestävyysmurroksen marginaalit (’Sustainability transformation from the margins’) project.
read the commentaries:
Krista Mikkonen
Krista Mikkonen is a Green MP from Joensuu and a member of the Joensuu City Council. She served as Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment from 2019 to 2021.
Better use of knowledge in decision-making
We are consuming the planet’s natural resources faster than they can regenerate. Earth Overshoot Day now falls as early as late July or early August. For over a century, our energy systems have relied on fossil fuels, which formed over millions of years. Their use releases immense amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in a short time. The consequences—climate crisis and biodiversity loss—are visible to all. Clearly, this cannot continue. A sustainability transformation is essential; our lives must fit within the planet’s ecological limits.
The traditional dimensions of sustainable development include ecological, social, and economic sustainability, sometimes also cultural sustainability. Occasionally, the term “comprehensive sustainability” is used to emphasize the equal importance of all dimensions. However, these dimensions are not interchangeable. Ecological sustainability is the foundation of all others—without a livable planet, human life becomes impossible in the long run. Thus, ensuring ecological sustainability must be the foundation on which all other aspects are built.
The sustainability transformation must reach all sectors of society. In addition to the ongoing energy transition, we need transformation in transportation, food systems, cities, and the economy. We must recognize that the transition will change how we operate. We have to do more with less and moderate consumption levels. For example, the current energy transition cannot be solved simply by replacing fossil fuels with zero-emission sources while otherwise maintaining the status quo. Alongside phasing out fossil fuels, we must use energy more efficiently, sparingly, and flexibly. This is not yet fully understood. Much is said about increasing renewable energy, and indeed the need is enormous—renewables must be tripled by the 2030s. At the same time, energy efficiency and savings must be doubled, but this side of the equation is often overlooked.
The transformation requires knowledge. Though its importance is widely acknowledged, information is often disregarded in decision-making. The scientific community provides valuable background data and concrete policy recommendations, but these often fail to reach decision-makers. It is also not uncommon for available knowledge to go unused, even when it exists. A recent example is the current government’s decision to abolish the Government’s Analysis, Assessment and Research Activities unit (VNTEAS), which was tasked with producing research and analysis to support policymaking. The government has also announced plans to weaken the roles of the Finnish Climate Change Panel and the Finnish Nature Panel. Both are independent scientific advisory bodies established to provide knowledge-based support for the government. These moves suggest that knowledge is being sidelined.
The fact that decision-making is guided by political interests rather than scientific knowledge is, of course, nothing new. Nor is it uncommon for there to be political attempts to steer the scientific community. The idea is that with the ’right kind of knowledge’, decisions can be easily justified as evidence-based. For example, during the last government term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry established the Forest Bioeconomy Science Panel, seemingly hoping it would produce more favorable data than the Climate Change and Nature Panels—particularly regarding forests’ role in biodiversity, carbon sinks, and carbon storage. Yet the message from all three panels was remarkably consistent. Nonetheless, political decisions have lagged.
Beyond knowledge, the transformation also requires citizen participation. Unfortunately, reality often falls short of the ideal. Participation requires access to information. Often, policymakers fail to share the data or reasoning behind decisions, making it difficult for people to understand—especially when decisions adversely affect them. If background information is withheld, participation becomes meaningless. However, when participants are properly informed, they can provide well-reasoned, thoughtful contributions. For example, the Ministry of the Environment has conducted citizens’ assemblies to support climate policy development. One key theme was climate justice. Participants were willing to make sacrifices if they understood that doing so advanced climate action fairly.
KRISTA MIKKONEN
Laura Meriluoto
Laura Meriluoto is a first-term MP from Kuopio, a member of the county council in North Savo, and holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. She previously worked in the NGO sector, focusing on improving the position of people in vulnerable circumstances. Photo: Hanne Salonen.
A just sustainability transformation is an economic issue
Working toward a fair sustainability transformation is at the heart of my daily work as an MP for the Left Alliance. As a modern red-green party, the Left Alliance recognizes that transforming society into an environmentally sustainable one is our greatest challenge. We aim to solve this challenge by reinforcing social justice. All societal structures must be fundamentally reformed so that ecological and social sustainability are interwoven.
The ecological transition must be carried out in a way that does not impose excessive costs on low- and middle-income groups or widen income disparities. Public authorities play a key role in directing investments toward well-being, new production technologies, and research, which in turn will generate new green jobs. Worker incomes, job creation, and access to retraining or re-education must be guaranteed. As fossil energy becomes more expensive, lower- income households must be compensated. The ramp-up of renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure should be supported through public investment, taking into account regional differences and local needs. Crucially, no green transition project should come at the expense of nature or local communities’ rights. Environmental governance and permitting processes must play a central role. Polluters must always be held accountable.
The Left Alliance supports creating a redistribution mechanism to return environmental tax revenues to citizens based on social and regional criteria. Simultaneously, we must launch a comprehensive tax reform to ensure environmental taxation genuinely steers behavior and reflects external costs.
Well-being must be decoupled from environmental degradation and resource use. This requires a fundamental shift in economic thinking. Endless economic growth cannot be our goal. Instead, we must transform the economy to one that functions sustainably within planetary boundaries. Such an economy can still be vibrant and generate well-being. For this, Finland’s industrial structure must be reformed. Production should move from cheap, simple products to high value-added goods and from virgin resource use toward circular economy principles. Again, this demands an active and strategic industrial policy from the state. On the demand side, the future economy should focus on domestic goods and, above all, on consumption of services and experiences, which have significantly lower carbon footprints. We must end overconsumption of natural resources and shift to an economy that can generate well-being without depending on growth—and that can withstand crises.
The scale of overconsumption and the risks posed by ecological crises are distributed in society according to wealth. However, these risks disproportionately threaten those already in the weakest positions. The Left Alliance is committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported during the ecological transition, and that everyone has access to work and a livelihood. The wealth accumulated by top earners must be used for public investment to implement the ecological transition.
We must also expand the recognition of nature’s conservation and rights. The well-being of all animals and biodiversity are core values for our party. Other species have the right to live alongside us on this shared planet.
LAURA MERILUOTO