Swedish industry will generate zero carbon dioxide emissions in 2045 according to the Swedish climate targets. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's preliminary statistics, it currently accounts for almost 39 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions in Sweden. The steel industry is the biggest culprit.

Sweden has a carbon dioxide tax of around SEK 1,000 per tonne of carbon dioxide. Last year, the steel company SSAB released nearly five million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to eleven percent of total carbon dioxide emissions.

At the same time, the company does not have to pay carbon dioxide tax and until the end of last year SSAB did not have to pay for any emission rights from the EU. The reason is that EU countries protect competitive industry so that production does not move to other countries. But as of this year, the company is paying for a smaller part of the emission rights.

Nature Conservation Association: System error

Among other things, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation is upset that emissions can only continue and that it does not cost the industry so much.

- This is a typical example of the system failure that we have built into when we want to reduce emissions radically and at the same time have emissions that are basically free, says Johanna Sandahl, chairman of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

She believes that the moral dilemma may be that Sweden wants a continued competitive industry, while at the same time the country wants to be a role model in climate work.

- These two images are not always easily compatible, says Sandahl.

Industry organization Jernkontoret's energy and environment manager Helén Axelsson.

New technology takes time

Emissions have increased in recent years and the new technology for producing steel takes time to develop. SSAB is currently developing a world-leading fossil-free industry. Corporate management was invited this week to the UN Climate Summit in New York to talk about it. At present, a fossil-free industry exists only at the experimental stage.

- The climate issue is global, the steel industry is also global. The emissions that would not happen in Sweden if we reduced production here, they would happen elsewhere, says Helén Axelsson, energy and environmental manager for the industry organization Jernkontoret.

SSAB's CEO Martin Lindqvist was invited to the UN Climate Summit in 2019 this week and talked about the company's world-leading project for a fossil-free industry. Photo: Jason DeCrow / AP Photo / TT

See SSAB's CEO Martin Lindqivst and Swedish Minister for Trade and Industry Ibrahim Baylan (S) in tonight's Agenda at 21.15 in SVT2 and SVT Play.