Sweden

Sweden drops two spots to rank 13th in the CCPI. The country maintains an overall high rating and has a mixed performance across categories: high in GHG Emissions, very high in Renewable Energy (among the top three), low in Climate Policy, and very low in Energy Use.

The country’s national carbon tax, still one of the highest on Earth, is promising. However, the CCPI country experts note a lack of greater ambition in climate policy. They explain that current policies are being weakened or removed, and fossil fuel use has, in fact, increased and not decreased. For example, the Swedish minority government, which relies on the right-wing Sweden Democrats, announced in November 2024 that it would not grant permits for a notable 13 offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea and with a total planned capacity of 32 GW, while only approving the Poseidon offshore wind farm, citing military security concerns in the geopolitically fragile region.

COP29 financial package sets strong climate finance, wind power share is notable, but biomass remains an issue

Only a couple of days later, the government under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson released the COP29 financial package – legislation aimed at underpinning the country’s leadership in climate finance through supplementary support for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), and Adaptation Fund (AF).

Sweden has a large share of renewable energy and wind power occupies an increasingly large part of the overall energy mix, now feeding more electricity into the grid than all nuclear plants combined.

Sweden traditionally disposes biomass over large capacities. The experts emphasise that this must also be assessed regarding biomass’ impact on biodiversity, climate adaptation, and the rights of the indigenous Sámi population, whom forestry and agriculture practices can affect.

OECD report commends strategy and low emissions, but greater ambition is needed

In spring of 2025, the OECD released the results of an inquiry into the current state of Sweden’s climate policy. Although the report stresses that the long-term strategy and low per-capita emissions are exemplary in many ways, but the country falls short of meeting its own obligations, especially if industrial electrification’s effects on energy intensity are not addressed adequately. The OECD report also highlights the need to implement strong policies in sectors currently not covered by the EU ETS or National Carbon Tax.

Overall, the experts would like to see Swedish climate policy get back on track, with greater ambition, fewer fossil fuel subsidies, and alignment with the country’s national and EU climate targets.

Key Outcomes

CCPI experts

National experts that contributed to the policy evaluation of this year’s CCPI chose to remain anonymous.