The Paris Agreement, the EU Green Deal and Agenda 2030 - how does it all fit together?

The Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030, Sweden's environmental objectives and the EU Green Deal - there are many agreements, goals and frameworks surrounding sustainability issues. But what do they actually mean? And how does it all fit together?

The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is an international, binding climate agreement adopted in 2015 in Paris, with the aim of reducing global warming. More specifically, the overarching goal of the agreement is to reduce the world's greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to keep the rise in global temperature below 2 degrees and preferably below 1.5 degrees. Most countries in the world have signed the Paris Agreement.

Agenda 2030

Like the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030 was also adopted in 2015 but, unlike the Paris Agreement, it is not binding. Agenda 2030 consists of 17 global goals to achieve an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable society across the world by the year 2030. This includes, among other things, ensuring that all people have access to clean water, that poverty is eradicated and that the loss of biodiversity is halted. Each goal also has an indicator that makes it possible to measure and thereby evaluate the work towards the goals.

Sweden's environmental objectives

Sweden's work for the environment is largely governed by Sweden's environmental objectives. The environmental objectives were adopted in 1999 and have since evolved to today consist of one generational goal, 16 environmental quality objectives and a number of milestone targets:

• The generational goal states that the major Swedish environmental problems should be solved by the next generation, without at the same time causing environmental problems in other countries.
• The environmental quality objectives consist of specific goals for different areas, such as ensuring that biodiversity is preserved and that greenhouse gas emissions are limited to a sustainable level in the long term.
• The milestone targets are intended to facilitate the work towards the generational goal and the environmental quality objectives, through more detailed goals in areas such as the use of hazardous substances, food management and the reuse of materials.

If Sweden achieves the environmental objectives, it means that we also achieve the environment-related global goals in Agenda 2030.

The EU Green Deal

The EU Green Deal is a transition plan for the EU that was introduced in 2019. The plan includes making the EU more sustainable through green infrastructure, fossil-free energy, sustainable technology and other initiatives, with the aim of reducing the EU's emissions by at least 55% by the year 2030 and making the EU climate neutral by 2050. The Green Deal therefore functions as one of the EU's main strategies for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and also laid the foundation for the CSRD.

How can companies contribute?

In summary, there are several agreements and goals in Sweden, the EU and internationally that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive the transition towards a society that is sustainable in the long term. Here, companies all over the world have the opportunity to contribute to the transition by finding ways to reduce their energy use, offer sustainable products and review their purchasing.

So where should you start? An important first step for companies is to get a clear grip on their emissions, in order to gain an overview of the areas where there are good opportunities to make more sustainable choices. Wellfish offers an AI-powered system that quickly interprets your purchases and produces a clear picture of your emission sources - from the business trips by air to the new coffee machine in the break room.

Lina Fraenell