FINLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Tarja Pirinen, Fiiu Linninen, Teija Lius and Marko Koski, HPP Attorneys Ltd
master plan regulations specifically prohibiting mining operations entirely in certain areas of the municipality are illegal. However, it should be noted that the municipalities currently have more control in the matter, as the mining activ - ity shall be based on a local detailed plan or a legally binding local master plan. The Finnish Network for Sustainable Mining was established in 2014 as a discussion and co- operation forum for the mining industry and its stakeholders. The work of the network created a solid foundation for the joint responsibility work of mines by developing tools to promote more responsible and sustainable exploration and mining and to increase dialogue between mines and stakeholders. In particular, stakeholder co- operation was of primary importance in starting and establishing the industry-level responsibil - ity work. The application of the TSM standard to Finland was a significant joint effort and the result achieved was meritorious in many ways. Thereafter, focus of the network’s work shifted to implementing the standard. As a result, the responsibility of organising the responsibility work in the mining sector was taken over and is currently being carried by the Finnish Min - ing Association. The next step is to strengthen the standard and change the way of working to match TSM’s international model.
energy may also have an impact on the min - ing industry, since mining companies will aim to reduce their carbon emissions. 3.2 Climate Change Legislation and Proposals Related to Mining Finland’s most central climate change legisla - tion, the Climate Act (No 423/2022, ilmastolaki ), was renewed in 2022. According to the Act, Fin - land’s goal is to become carbon neutral by 2035. The law also aims to ensure that the greenhouse gas emissions from the effort-sharing and emis - sions-trading sectors decrease by at least 60% by 2030 and by at least 80% by 2040 compared to the 1990 levels. The aim is also to decrease 90–95% by 2050. According to the Act, Finland should also take national measures to adapt to climate change by promoting climate change resilience and the management of climate risks. Central government authorities shall promote the achievement of these objectives in their activities. According to the new Government Programme published on 20 June 2023, the government will prepare a new energy and climate strategy aimed at carbon negativity, with the promotion of clean transition and investments in industry as key elements. Previous regulations related to mining and cli - mate issues included, for example, the Act on prohibiting the use of coal in energy production (416/2019, laki hiilen energiakäytön kieltämises- tä ). This Act entered into force on 1 April 2019, and it prohibited the use of coal as a source for electricity and heat production as of 1 May 2029. Also, the Act on promoting biofuels (No 418/2019, laki biopolttoöljyn käytön edistämis- estä ) entered into force on 1 April 2019, with the intention of promoting the use of biofuels in heat production, working machines and some
3. Climate Change, Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in Mining 3.1 Climate Change Effects
In general, initiatives to deal with climate change are appearing in the mining industry in the form of tighter emission limits in environmental per - mits. The limitations on use of coal in energy production and promoting of biofuels and green
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