NordenBladet – Norwegian entrepreneur Geir Olsen will supply bars, restaurants and cruise boats all over the world with exclusive ice cubes from Norway’s second largest glacier.
The company Svaice AS will extract ice cubes from Norway’s second largest glacier, but has been met with criticism from both environmental and tourism organizations, and politicians locally and nationally, according to NRK.
The ice cube comes from a sample of 50 tonnes of ice from Svartisen. Currently, the ice is located on a cold store in one of the buildings of the former solar cell company REC in Glomfjord, which went bankrupt in 2012.
Geir Olsen and his company Svaice AS bought the building cheaply, and have so far invested NOK 12 million in ice cube production.
Svaice applied to collect up to 3600 m³ of ice from Svartisen and transport it by helicopter. The application met violent protests both locally and nationally.
After the protest, the company has decided not to pick up ice during the tourist season in the summer. They will start in September and finish the production in April.
Geir Olsen rejects that ice cube production will affect the approximately 370 square kilometer glacier that extends through the municipalities of Rana, Meløy and Rødøy,
The tourism offices in Meløy fears the ice cube project will destroy the image of the region and fewer tourists will come.
They fear that the noise from helicopters, machines and vehicles will scare away the tourists.
When the idea was proposed in 2015, both Meløy municipality and the county municipality were positive . But then the mood has changed. Last year, both the County Governor of Nordland and Nordland County Council said that they did not want the continuation of the activities of the company.
However, in February this year, the County Governor withdrew his objection.
Geir Olsen is not willing to give up despite the criticism. He has worked for four years to realize the plans to sell exclusive ice cubes for drinks to be served in Monaco and Dubai.
NordenBladet – The perpetrator of the terror attacks in New Zealand claims in his manifesto that he was in contact with Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 69 people in Norway in 2011, according to Australian media.
Australia’s Prime Minister confirmed on Friday that the suspected perpetrator of the terrorist attacks against two mosques in the city of Christchurch in New Zealand is Brenton Tarrant, “an Australian right-wing terrorist.”
The police confirm that at least 49 people have been killed and another 20 have been seriously injured after the terror attacks.
Australian Tarrant has come to New Zealand to plan and execute the attacks, according to Radio New Zealand.
In a manifest which was allegedly written by Tarrant, he refers to Anders Behring Breivik and claims he has been in contact with the Norwegian right wing extremist who killed 69 people in 2011. He also writes that he has received support for his plans from Breivik’s supporters.
Furthermore, he praises US President Donald Trump and calls him a symbol of renewed white identity.
The writings are an echo of what Anders Behring Breivik wrote in his manifesto, writes the Sydney Morning Herald.
Norway Prime Minister Points Out The Resemblence
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg also noted there are associations with the terror attacks by Breivik in Norway. She added that the terrorist attacks in New Zeland shows the importance of international work against extremism.
-But first and foremost, we today have to show solidarity with the families of all those killed and wounded, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg to VG.
This is a strong reminder that we have to fight extremism in all forms, she says.
-What this looks like is a terrorist attack from the right-wing extremist against immigrants and refugees, and even though it is across the globe, there is a strong reminder of how important it is for all of us to help us bring down tension, works against extremism, and that we have solidarity with each other when something like that happens, adds she.
Featured image: Australian right-wing terrorist Brenton Tarrant (on the left) and Anders Behring Breivik (on the right) serving life sentence in Norway. Photos: Twitter and Oslo Police
NordenBladet – Finland is number one in the newest Good Country Index, which seeks to measure “what each country on earth contributes to the good of humanity.” We talk to the index’s creator, Simon Anholt, about what it means to be “goodest.”
So many international rankings and reports exist. What sets the Good Country Index apart from the Global Competitiveness Index, the Prosperity Index, the World Happiness Report, the Environmental Performance Index and all the others?
The Good Country Index takes stock of 35 measurements that show countries’ contributions in seven different categories: science and technology; culture; peace and security; world order; planet and climate; prosperity and equality; and health and wellbeing.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, the Good Country Index is all about what nations do for the rest of the world, not about what happens within their own borders.
“Pretty much every single one of [the other indexes] looks at countries’ internal performance in one way or another,” says Anholt. “Consequently, [they] treat the world as if it were made of entirely separate independent islands of humanity that have nothing to do with each other.”
Since the 1990s, London-based Anholt has advised the leaders of more than 50 countries in what became known as nation branding. In 2005 he founded the Anholt Nation Brands Index. Gradually perceiving a need for a new kind of study, he inaugurated the Good Country Index in 2014. (Finland was second that year.)
“Because we live in a massively interconnected, interdependent age, an age of advanced globalisation, it also made a lot of sense to look at how countries affect each other and affect the whole system,” he says.
While the Good Country Index gathers an immense amount of data, he characterises it as “a toe in the water;” it has limitations. “Reducing a country’s impact on the world to 35 data sets is obviously just a hint.”
The index also offers opportunities: “It is supposed to be the start of a new kind of conversation. The reason for it is to get people to start asking new questions about countries.”
This holds true no matter where your country ranks. In fact, the word “ranking” is misleading. The Good Country Index aims to encourage conversation, collaboration and cooperation, rather than competition to see who “wins” the rankings race.
“I’m not judging,” says Anholt. For this reason, the various categories of data aren’t weighted in the overall results. “I publish it in the form of a ranking because that’s the easiest way to crunch all of that data and present people with an overall picture.” A comparative listing gets people discussing the results.
After the release of the first edition of the index, Australian political activists told him they used the data matrix of the Good Country Index to focus questions for election candidates about how they would address certain categories in which the country was underperforming. “It’s a tool,” says Anholt. “If people do choose to use it to hold their governments to account, then that’s great. That means it’s working.” Finland is holding parliamentary elections in April 2019, and European Parliament elections happen in May 2019.
While the Good Country Index aims to encourage discussion and cooperation, it’s not against the idea of competition. If countries vie to be the “goodest,” that’s healthy.
“Competition is fine,” says Anholt. “It’s a very effective driver, but it only becomes a problem when it’s the only altar at which we worship, and that’s the case for most countries most of the time.” He believes that “the culture of governance worldwide” can shift from fundamentally competitive to fundamentally collaborative.
Work together a little more, compete against each other a little less; this is his straightforward suggestion. The Nordic countries, who possess a long history of regional cooperation, often find themselves at the top of the index (the newest results put Sweden, Denmark and Norway in third, fifth and seventh place).
What’s good for your neighbours and the rest of the world is frequently good for you, too. “You often end up doing better work domestically because you’re drawing inspiration and experience from other countries,” Anholt says. “You’re sharing good ideas.”
Out of the seven categories in the Good Country Index, Finland places highest in prosperity and equality, in which it is second. The 35 subcategories include birth rate; ecological footprint; renewable energy; giving to charity; accumulated Noble Prizes; creative goods exports; humanitarian aid donations; and number of UN volunteers sent abroad.
Finland’s strong suits are freedom of movement; press freedom; number of patents; number of international publications; foreign direct investment outflow; food aid funding; compliance with environmental agreements; and cybersecurity. One area for improvement is international students: Finland is famous for its education system, but figures indicate it should do more to attract foreign students.
“My message to Finland is the same message I would give to any country that comes top of the index,” says Anholt. “This is not a reward. Who am I to reward a country for its behaviour? This is a message about your obligations.”
Doing well in the Good Country Index indicates that a nation is good at collaborating and has “figured out a few things” that some of the others haven’t, says Anholt. It should “continue to demonstrate the benefit – domestic and international – of enhanced cooperation and collaboration.”
It’s about countries “making [themselves] willing and available to work with other countries,” says Anholt. “So it’s an opportunity for Finland to start working with other countries in a new way.”
“Countries working together” has hardly been a common rallying cry among politicians in recent years. We constantly hear the word “polarisation” in the news.
“If this isn’t the most obvious case for more cooperation and more collaboration, then what is?” asks Anholt. He’s talking about cooperation between people who are concerned about the world as a whole and those who focus more on their own countries. Both have validity, he says. “It’s very important that the Good Country Index doesn’t become another piece of tribalism.”
The measurements in the index point to difficult questions about climate change, human migration, healthcare, poverty and more. How do you stay positive when your work involves delving into these stats?
You create a country. In Anholt’s newest project, he and American Madeline Hung have co-founded the Good Country, most easily described as a virtual country, “to prove that if countries learn to work together, then we will start to make real progress.” Anyone who wants to participate in solving global challenges can sign up online and become a citizen.
In real life, Finland will continue to consider how its actions can contribute to humanity. At the moment, that’s the “goodest” thing to do.
Source: Finland.fi (By Peter Marten, January 2019)
NordenBladet – If you have participated in the Foreign Correspondents’ Programme or Young Journalists, as it was first called in the 90’s, now you might have a chance for another Finland-packed experience. Foreign Correspondents’ Programme – Alumni Edition 2019 starts on June 10th and ends on June 16th, 2019.
Come and spend a week learning about Finland today, Finnish society and the Finnish way of life – not forgetting meeting friends that have had the same original and mind-blowing FCP experience in their lives!
Who’s eligible for the 2019 FCP alumni edition? This year’s Foreign Correspondents’ Programme – Alumni Edition is definitely for you, if you are:
a) A media professional that has participated in the programme of FCP or Young Journalists 1990 – 2015.
b) Has participated from or is currently living in Europe.
c) Is an active media professional working in a media house (TV, print or Web) or in social media, for example as an accomplished blogger or vlogger, or otherwise involved in the communications sphere or politics.
d) Is still interested in learning new things, meeting new people from different cultures and spending a week in Finland (full-time attendance required).
e) Is excited to meet Finland again and continue to be a lifelong friend of ours.
How to apply? Applicants must fill an application in English and upload an English language CV including photo as an attachment.
The closing date for applications is 21st March 2019 at 24:00 hrs (Finnish time). Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The online application will be functional during 26th February at 00:00 hrs – 21st March 2019 at 24:00 hrs (Finnish time)
Selection process? All together 10 representatives will be chosen from European coutries. The embassies in each country will make the selection, that is then confirmed at the Communications Department in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
The chosen alumni will be contacted by 8th April 2019 with travel arrangement information.
What does the programme include? The Foreign Correspondents’ Program starts on 22th August and ends on 28 August 2016. Tentatively the program will be built around the following current topics: Finnish EU presidency, domestic and foreign politics, economical situation and business strengths, nature/forest, education and top science/research, media house visit, creative industries, food culture and urban culture, visit outside of Helsinki and a host-family weekend.
The alumni meeting’s short duration sets limitations to the program. Therefore any changes are possible.
There is an intention to include half-a-day for the participants own meetings and interviews. If the participant wishes to add extra days in the beginning or end of the program, it is very much possible but unfortunately the accommodation for those days is by her/his own expense.
What costs are covered? The program covers the costs of travel to and from Finland, local travel in Helsinki, accommodation and the daily program, including transportation and some meals. The program does not cover medical insurance, per diem allowance or meals not listed as part of the program.
NordenBladet – It is a priority for the Danish government to ensure an effective international environmental cooperation. UN assesses that especially on the environmental part of the Sustainable Development Goals there is a lack of progress. Therefore, the Danish government has chosen to increase its contribution to UN Environment in 2019.
Denmark has long had a good working relationship with UN Environment, and with the appointment of Inger Andersen as executive director for UN Environment, there is confidence in that UN Environment will create even better results in future. She has been Director General for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2015 and has more than 30 years of experience in development economics and sustainable environment and has the ability to create effective results.
The Danish minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs says:
“It is with great pleasure that we increase the Danish contribution to UN Environment to 30 million Danish kroner in 2019. Denmark supports the promotion of sustainable initiatives in the developing countries and, not least, the Sustainable Development Goals. There is a lot of focus on the fight against climate change, which is crucial, but we must not forget the other environmental issues. Therefore, we now want to give an additional contribution to UN Environment. With Inger Andersen as executive director I am sure that the cooperation with UN Environment will develop even more positively in the coming years.”
The Danish minister for Environment and Food Jakob Ellemann-Jensen is currently participating in the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, where he focuses on the need for global solutions:
“It is crucial that we have a strong international environmental program that can help us solve global environmental problems and protect nature. We are in Nairobi to fight for less deforestation, less plastic in our oceans, safe handling of chemicals and generally more sustainable consumption and production patterns. When the UN member states agree on new initiatives, it is often UN Environment that plays the leading role in the execution. Therefore, it makes good sense to strengthen UN Environment,” says Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
NordenBladet – Norway Police Intelligence Service (PST) has charged Laila Anita Bertheussen, the partner of the Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security, with the accusation of faking an attack on their family car.
PST wrote on its website today that the arrest is related to violation of section 225 letter b of the Penal Code – for having done something to raise suspicion that criminal act has been committed, when it has not.
The charges concern the fire that started on the night between Saturday and Sunday 10 March in the family car, which was parked outside the family´s residence in Oslo.
“We suspect the charged person to have started the fire, thus giving the impression that the fire was started by one or more unknown perpetrators”, wrote PST.
This incident is seen in connection with previously alleged threats against the Minister of Justice and his partner, where the charged person may have caused the police to investigate this incident, as an escalation of the previous threats. PST will continue to investigate these former incidents as violations of section 115 and 263 of the Penal Code.
The investigation is in a preliminary phase, and Laila Bertheussen is currently being questioned by PST. The offence can, under the circumstances, be punishable under several other penal provisions.
Today, Oslo District Court issued a warrant to search the the justice minister’s residence. The court thus finds that there are reasonable grounds to suspect Berhetussen of the offence with which she is charged.
Section 225 – Accusation of a fictitious criminal act
A penalty of a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 1 year shall be applied to any person who
a) reports a criminal act which has not been committed to the courts, the prosecuting authority or another public authority, or
b) raises suspicion that a criminal act has been committed, when it has not.
The incident was the fifth known “threat” associated with Wara’s home since December last year. In addition, there have been several incidents that have so far been kept secret by the police and PST.
Thursday afternoon, PST chief Benedicte Bjørnland held a press conference where they informed about the charge against the cohabitant.
Bertheussen is not charged with any of the previous incident at the residence, but PST does not rule out that they can have a connection.
The penalty for the charge is one year’s imprisonment.
About the incident
The house and car shared by Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara and Bertheussen have been vandalised at least five times in recent months after a theatre targeting the right wing politician and Justice Minister Benedicte Bjørnland. They have included tagging that seemed to accuse Wara of being racist, and two bomb threats.
Since some of the tagging included misspellings of the Norwegian word for racist, others have speculated that it could have been made to look as if non-Norwegians were behind it. PST now investigates the tagging and the earlier incidents also in relation to the recent accusations against the partner of the justice minister.
NordenBladet – The UN Secretary-General has requested Denmark to take up a leading position towards the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, 23 September 2019. Specifically, Denmark is due to lead the energy transition track in order to advance sustainable energy. A particular focus will be on clean energy investments in emerging economies and least developed countries.
An accelerated global energy transition is urgent, if the world is to live up to the ambitious targets of the Paris Agreement. To reach our common goals, developed countries, major emerging economies as well as developing countries must carry out significant transformations of their energy sectors. Particularly the world’s poorest countries can benefit from cooperation and exchange of best practice in order to improve a sustainable development.
At the UN Climate Action Summit, 23 September 2019, the nation states, multilateral development banks, private companies and investors as well as the civil society will exchange best practices and solutions to ensure a focus on increasing climate ambitions and accelerating the green transition. Denmark has been requested to lead the track on promoting the transition of the energy sector towards sustainable energy at a global level. This is recognition of the Danish global climate engagement and development cooperation as well as our front-runner position within green transition.
The energy transition track will be co-led with Ethiopia and the organisation Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). Together, we will focus on the sharing of best practice, concrete solutions and partnerships within renewable energy, energy efficiency, access to energy and sustainable development.
With the Danish engagement in the summit, we build on last year’s successful P4G Summit in Copenhagen as well as many years of experience with development cooperation, including efforts to support reorganisation and improvement of energy sectors in both emerging economies and least developed countries – thus improving global climate and the development of these countries.
“In Denmark, we are proud to take up this leading role and proud to promote our ideas and concrete solutions that has the potential to scale up and increase benefits within energy transformation. We need faster action through innovation, public-private partnerships – as experienced at P4G – and private investments to reach the Paris Agreement. Especially, we need this innovation in the developing countries, where we see the greatest challenges. Denmark is a frontrunner in this area”, says Minister for Development Cooperation, Ulla Tørnæs.
The energy sector is responsible for approximately 80 pct. of the global CO2 emissions. Therefore, a green transition of the energy sector is essential. This is an area, where Denmark has significant experience, including with mobilisation of private investments. Denmark has initiated a Clean Energy Investment Coalition to ensure ambitious commitments in clean energy from governments, international organisations and the private sector.
“The urgent need to address climate change requires a global transition of the energy sector. Therefore, we need massively increased investments in modern and green technology. In this area, we can draw on many years of Danish experience with securing a cost efficient transition towards a sustainable energy system”, says Minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate Lars Chr. Lilleholt (V).
In the months to come, the Danish government, with support from Denmark’s Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Ditlev Engel, will work to engage countries, international organizations, investors and civil society in the Danish energy track towards the UN Climate Action Summit 2019.
Facts
Denmark has been appointed to lead the track on “Energy Transition” at the “Climate Action Summit 2019” in New York, 23 September 2019.
The energy sector is responsible for approximately 80 pct. of the global CO2 emissions. Therefore, a green transition of the energy sector is essential to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Through the Clean Energy Investment Coalition, Denmark is working towards securing better framework conditions for investments in clean energy. This is essential for the green transition to succeed.
P4G is a global, trade-oriented initiative aimed at accelerating green transition and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in growth and development economies by bringing together the private sector, public sector and civil society to create public-private partnerships. Focus is on finding solutions to be scaled up and thereby contribute to systematic changes.
NordenBladet —At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, deliberation of the matter of significant national importance “Information security and the associated threats to democracy and the rule of law” was held at the initiative of the Estonian Free Party Faction. Andres Herkel, Chairman of the Estonian Free Party Faction, Ilmar Raag, strategic communication expert, Helen Eenmaa-Dimitrieva, Research Fellow in IT Law at the School of Law of the University of Tartu, and Ivo Juurvee, Research Fellow at the International Centre for Defence and Security, made reports.
To introduce the deliberation, Andres Herkel spoke of the concept of information security. He said that the list of the problems linked to the field was much more extensive than interpretation of the information spreading via social media. Herkel pointed out that the security of large databases, the security of Internet communication and data transmission, and human rights on the Internet were also information security. He added that inasmuch as the strategic infrastructure and services such as transport and banking were operated on the basis of the Internet, the security of these sectors was also information security. “Very big security threats may be involved here. And last of all, the protection of our statehood and the democratic institutions of the state against cyber attacks and other information attacks,” Herkel said.
In his report, Ilmar Raag said that, when analysing information, the state should ask about its potential impact on the behaviour of the people and the constitutional order. He pointed out that, according to European experts’ assessment, in the case of certain criteria, the Member States had the right to define for themselves what kind of speech or influencing activity could be criminalised or repressed in another way. “The first of them is about whether the messages or activities contain a clear call to violence, and the other one is about whether it contains operations for introducing lies into public space, carried out knowingly,” Raag explained.
Helen Eenmaa-Dimitrieva spoke of the influence of technology on legal systems. She stated that little research had been done on how datafication could serve the interests of being a citizen, and freedom and social justice, but it was indispensable. “Within the context of information security, what we need is more substantive combination of mechanisms and competition – that would be of much use. It is good to use all opportunities to develop the cooperation capacity of society and the decision-making processes,” Eenmaa-Dimitrieva said.
Ivo Juurvee spoke of the influencing activities of special services in the past and today. He said that influencing activities did not include only manipulation of big data, but influencing agents had not disappeared anywhere either, and it was simpler to use them thanks to technological development. He suggested that the problem of influence agents could be reduced to a certain extent with Acts against money laundering and Acts against defamation. “And finally, more specific regulation of lobbying is also a question that the next Riigikogu could perhaps consider,” Juurvee said.
During the debate, Erki Savisaar (Centre Party), Andres Herkel (Estonian Free Party), Keit Pentus-Rosimannus (Reform Party) and Tanel Talve (Social Democratic Party) took the floor on behalf of the factions.
Erki Savisaar said that the information analysis skill was paramount for ensuring security. When reading news and documents, people should think critically why and in whose interests they have been written. He added that innovative solutions should be found how to protect people against fake news and how to offer even better and more human-centered national services.
In his speech, Andres Herkel also called on to critically evaluate information sources, and stressed the importance of digital education. He extended a call to all political parties to conclude an agreement of goodwill to the effect that politicians do not write anonymous comments or use fake accounts.
Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said that greater unity was needed to counter extensive information and influencing operations of foreign countries. For that, she said, a coordinating unit should be designated who would address the issue, and where the know-how and experience of the field would be collected.
Tanel Talve noted in his speech that, when developing new e-services, more attention should be paid to security. He found that cross-party cooperation was possible in that issue, and called on the following Riigikogu to address it.
Three Bills passed the second reading:
The Bill on Amendments to the Estonian Defence League Act (786 SE), initiated by Member of the Riigikogu Ants Laaneots, will specify the co-operation of the Defence League with the Defence Forces in reservist trainings, in the military defence of the country and in the preparation for the collective self-defence, and upon participation in international military cooperation. Where necessary, the Government will establish additional duties for the Defence League by an order.
The Bill will also extend the entitlement of an active member of the Defence League to unpaid holidays for up to 30 days from his or her employer upon participation in military training or involvement in the activities of the Defence Forces or law enforcement. The Defence League may pay compensation for such a holiday. Under the current Act, compensation is paid to the extent of up to five days.
The Bill on Amendments to the Police and Border Guard Act and the Rescue Service Act (768 SE), initiated by the Government, provides for a more flexible organisation of the employment in service of the Deputy Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board, and the promotion in the service rank of a police officer, and specifies the grant of the state old-age pension of rescue service workers.
Under the current procedure, old-age pension is granted to rescue service workers on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act. In addition, the Rescue Service Act provides for an increase of 10-15 per cent in old-age pension, depending on the length of service of rescue service worker (starting from the tenth year). In practice the question has arisen as to whether a person who has the required length of rescue service but who attains pension age after 1 March 2023 would not benefit from an increase in their pension. According to the Bill, the person would retain the entitlement to the increase in old-age pension.
The Bill also provides for the entitlement to an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker also for persons who were in rescue service at the time of entry into force of the Act (on 1 March 2008) but who have left the service after that and are not retiring from rescue service. Under the current procedure, the state old-age pension of rescue service worker is granted and paid after termination of employment in the position of rescue service worker. Until the end of 2017, the Act was interpreted to mean that only rescue service workers retiring immediately from rescue service benefited from an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker. Under the Bill, rescue service workers who do not retire immediately from rescue service will also benefit from an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker if the conditions for receiving the pension are met. This concerns the persons who were in rescue service at the time of entry into force of the Act and who have the length of rescue service required for an increase in old-age pension. The increase will be paid retroactively also to the persons for whom no increase in old-age pension was calculated earlier.
The general objective of the Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (658 SE), initiated by the Government, is to reduce recidivism and to increase social security.
The Bill will create the possibility to impose life imprisonment on persons with recidivist past who commit manslaughter or a sexual offence again. Victims of serious crimes will be given an opportunity to express their opinion on the release of an offender on parole. The amendment aims to pay more attention to the rights of the victim and the liability of criminals.
In addition, the Bill will organise the regulation of life imprisonment. Under the current law, a person can be released on parole in the case of life imprisonment after he or she has served thirty years of imprisonment. The Bill will allow for a person serving life imprisonment to be placed in an open prison if he or she has served at least 23 years of imprisonment. The Bill will create the possibility to release on parole a prisoner serving life imprisonment if he or she has served at least 25 years of imprisonment. A person who is released on parole in the case of life imprisonment will undertake to be subjected to supervision of conduct in order that his or her coping in society would be secure.
The Bill will also create the possibility to enter into an agreement for leaving the country with an alien within the framework of settlement proceedings (except with regard to a person accused of a serious crime), which will involve prohibition on entry.
NordenBladet —The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson is taking part in the meeting of the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Nordic and Baltic parliaments (NB8) in Bergen, Norway, to discuss various problems of international security, ranging from the situation in Afghanistan to food security and condition of the oceans.
Mihkelson cites the situation in Afghanistan as the first topic to be discussed. “The US and allied forces have kept the Afghanistan crisis under control for a long time, barred the spreading of terrorism, and have trained and supported the Afghan security forces,” Mihkelson said. “However, the supposed plan of the US President to leave Afghanistan can now lead to unforeseeable consequences. We will try to shape a common understanding about the further activities with our Nordic and Baltic colleagues.”
The host country Norway also presented its foreign policy goals to the guests yesterday. Another topic was global food security and sustainable management of oceans. Mihkelson said that global food security would keep increasing in importance because the world population is growing, and even now, food security is precarious in certain regions.
“It is critical for every country to remain self-sufficient in strategic food sectors like dairy, meat, fish, and grains, but we must work together to ensure food supplies in countries that suffer from crop failures or military and economic crises,” Mihkelson said.
On the topic of sustainable management of oceans, Mihkelson listed illegal fishing, piracy, climate changes, and marine pollution, all of which put the condition of the oceans at risk. “At the meeting in Bergen, we were looking for ways to ensure safe, secure, clean and fertile seas and oceans worldwide; these regulate our climate, supply us with food and clean air, but also drive our economic growth,” Mihkelson said.
Today, the programme will continue with a visit to the Institute of Marine Reasearch in Austevoll.
NordenBladet —A new assessment of threatened species indicates an increasing loss of biodiversity in Finnish nature. Of the 22 000 species evaluated, 11.9% were classified as threatened, compared to 10.5% in the previous assessment. All species groups include threatened species, and the highest proportion can be found among birds and bryophytes (mosses). The primary cause of threat is the decline and deterioration of natural habitat. Much can be done to stop this development, but urgent action is needed.
Largest proportion of threatened species among birds and bryophytes
Approximately one third of Finnish bird and bryophyte species are under threat. The proportion of threatened species is also large among lichens, vascular plants, butterflies and moths, and hymenopterans. The situation has deteriorated in all of these groups since the previous evaluation. Almost one third of vertebrate animals are endangered. Critically endangered species include, for example, the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), Landlocked salmon (Salmon salar m. sebago) and Ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana), among twenty other species.
Approximately 10% of Finnish insect species are threatened. For some insects, the situation has improved, as many of the southern species have benefited from climate warming. On the other hand, over 200 butterfly and moth species are even more endangered than before, even if the situation has improved for 152 species.
Species becoming more threatened in all habitats
Species are becoming threatened the fastest in fell areas, mires, aquatic habitats and rock outcrops. Only some improvements have occurred among species living in such areas. The threatened species in fell areas include particularly butterflies, moths and vascular plants suffering from, for example, the effects of climate change.
The majority of threatened species live in forests and rural biotopes, as well as other environments established as a result of human activity. Part of the species in such habitats have become threatened, but at the same time, the situation has improved for other species. As a whole, species in such habitats are declining at a slower pace than in fell areas and mires. The forests and rural biotopes are home to the largest number of species, which partly explains the large number of threatened species.
The biggest threat is the decline and degradation of habitat
Changes in the forest environment are the most significant cause of threat to species, as is the case with 733 threatened species. These changes include forest management activities, as well as the reduction of old-growth forests and large trees, as well as decreasing amounts of dead and decaying wood.
The second most common threat to species is the overgrowing of open habitats, which is the primary cause of threat to 639 species. Climate change poses a threat to, in particular, species in fell areas.
Concrete actions to improve the situation for species
Much can be done to stop the decline of species. In the Red List of Finnish Species, both broad and targeted measures are presented to improve the living conditions of species. Conservation areas alone cannot ensure the protection of species. Instead, biodiversity must be taken into account in all use of natural resources and areas.
Active conservation, restoration and management measures should be significantly increased, in particular, to protect species in mires and bird wetlands. In addition, more information about the occurrence of species and observations on their way of life are also required. Also the availability and usability of information should be improved.
The fifth assessment of threatened species in Finland
The assessment of threatened species in Finland was carried out for the fifth time. The work was coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), and it involved 180 experts from universities, museums of natural history, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Metsähallitus and the Finnish Mammalogical Society. In addition, expert enthusiasts and retired natural scientists gave their valuable contribution to the assessment. A steering group appointed by the Ministry of the Environment guided the work and approved the assessments.
Further information:
Senior Ministerial Adviser Esko Hyvärinen, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 400 143 876, firstname.o.lastname@ym.fi
Senior Researcher Ulla-Maija Liukko, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), tel. +358 295 251 387, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Unit Director Aino Juslén, Finnish Museum of Natural History, tel. +358 50 310 9703, firstname.lastname@helsinki.fi
Biodiversity & Communication Expert Riku Lumiaro, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), tel. +358 40 509 8654, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
A new assessment of threatened species indicates an increasing loss of biodiversity in Finnish nature. Of the 22 000 species evaluated, 11.9% were classified as threatened, compared to 10.5% in the previous assessment. All species groups include threatened species, and the highest proportion can be found among birds and bryophytes (mosses). The primary cause of threat is the decline and deterioration of natural habitat. Much can be done to stop this development, but urgent action is needed.
