Sweden will take more measures to deal with climate change issues. One of the important measures is that to invest 13.6 billion kronors or about 2.2 billion US dollars into railway lines so that the train transport capacity will increase by 50% by 2020.
Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren made such a bold decision so that more people will travel by train instead of by car.
Sweden's first railway opened in 1856. The country has 11,904 kilometers of railway lines. The highest speed of the Swedish train can reach a record high of 281 kilometers per hour.
With heated discussions, many people think travel by train is a climate-smart way of travelling in Sweden. The government promised an even better environment for travelling by train.
Meanwhile, a new proposal under discussion is to try to get 100% environmentally friendly cars in the Swedish car market by 2015. That is to say that traditonal cars using petrol or diesel only will disappear from the market.
The goal seems to be ambitious, but central party spokesperson Claes Vasterteg said in his article that it is possible to realize this goal.
According to its plan, Sweden should decrease its climate impact by 38% by 2020. And to decrease dependence on fossil fuel is the way to realize the goal.
On the basis that during 2008, about 100 thousand environmental-friendly cars will be sold, by 2020, the petrol and diesel only cars will be disappearing.
Due to Swedish pro-active policies in encouraging environmentally friendly cars, Ford and General Motors have decided to establish their R and D center for developing green cars in Sweden.
The idea is to implement the policy in Sweden, set up standards and then try to promote it in the whole European Union.
The government has already made policies to encourage people to buy green cars. For example, 10 thousand kronor subsidies, tax reduction and free parking places have resulted in a green car sale increase.
The proposal also stated that they would set up a kind of certificate system so that those who grow crops for biofuel should get certificate first and avoid negative impacts such as food price hyke, according to the local media report.
According to a press release from the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2007, carbon dioxide emissions from new petrol and diesel cars in Sweden dropped by a little over four per cent, from 189 to 181 grams per kilometre.
"New tax incentives and the media's extensive reporting on climate change have both encouraged people to opt for more fuel-efficient cars," says Kjell Andersson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Transport and Energy Section.
Another measure is to provide grants for local climate investment programs by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. That means any one or community which has a good practice in reducing carbon emission can get such grants.
Sweden aims to be independent from fossil fuel for both climate and economic reasons.
By Xuefei Chen, People's Daily Online correspondent in Stockholm.
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