How Finland is making sure its infrastructure can withstand the climate crisis

There’s no denying that the effects of climate change are upon us, such as higher temperatures, severe storms and rising sea levels.

Finland's strategy is to use infrastructure to help the country adapt to climate change.

This embodies principle 1 of the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) guidance: governments need a clear vision of the outcomes they want to achieve for their country.

Finland wants to be resilient to climate change, and that means having a vision of how infrastructure can achieve this.

Finland's climate policy

The Finnish government is constantly updating legislation on climate change.

The Climate Act (2022) sets out climate policy plans, including a national climate change adaptation plan (NAP) that must be updated at least every second parliamentary term.

This helps ensure the plan is up to date and that new adaptation measures can be assessed.

The first version of NAP was published in 2014. The latest plan, NAP2030, was implemented in 2023 to support Finland’s wellbeing, safety and security in a changing climate until 2030.

Preparing infrastructure to respond to the threats of climate change

NAP2030 includes water, transportation, and energy as key sectors that should focus on adapting to the climate crisis.

1. Water infrastructure

Finland expects to be impacted by warmer temperatures and droughts.

It believes the quality and quantity of raw water will decrease, leading to higher health risks. This will also affect wastewater and stormwater.

How this will affect water facilities and service networks needs to be assessed, as NAP2030 outlines.

The government must work to ensure safe water for drinking and bathing, while making sure that its water infrastructure can withstand extreme weather.

To support the plan's recommendations, the EU Drinking Water Directive was implemented in Finnish legislation to improve water risk assessment and management.

Additionally, a stormwater management plan was recently created in Lappeenranta, and eight wetlands have already been built. This will guarantee that lake water is safe for people to use.

2. Transport infrastructure

Extreme weather events like floods, extreme wind, and snowstorms will affect how long transport infrastructure can be in service for.

More funding is needed to prioritise maintenance and create a climate-resilient transport network, as NAP2030 outlines.

This recommendation informed the National Transport System Plan, which provides a financial framework for developing a transport system that can withstand the effects of climate change.

To support NAP2030’s vision, the government has also prioritised energy-efficient heating systems to ensure trains can operate in extreme temperatures.

3. Energy infrastructure

Like the transportation sector, extreme weather also impacts the energy sector.

Storms, for example, cause power outages which can leave people without electricity for hours or days.

NAP2030 guides the energy sector to prioritise weather-resilient power grids that can still be used during extreme weather events.

To respond to these recommendations, Finland has created a National Climate and Energy Strategy to focus on generating greener electricity and rely less on energy from oil.

Since implementing this strategy, Finland has become a leader in producing electricity from low-carbon sources of infrastructure, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric dams.

Improving long-term outcomes in Finland

Finland has set out a clear plan to address climate change.

NAP2030 sets out a vision of how water, transportation and energy can be more climate resilient, which is reflected in the sector-specific plans that have been created.

Moving forward, Finland could consider creating a longer-term adaptation plan that extends beyond 2030 to strengthen its overall approach to responding to climate change.

This would support its climate resilience for the next 10, 20, or 30 years, no matter which government party is in power.

Learning from international best practice

The Finnish government could look to Northern Ireland as an example of a country whose long-term vision has helped support decades of strong decision-making in infrastructure planning.

Its Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS), introduced in 2002, identified investment priorities, including developing roads and transport.

The same approach has continued to be supported in the Regional Development Strategy, which sets out a plan to develop the priorities outlined in the RTS.

This includes focusing on transport initiatives that will make it easier for individuals to access more cities and towns across Northern Ireland.

Despite political and project changes, the same goal from over 20 years ago is still helping the government achieve its long-term vision of having a modern, sustainable, and safe transportation system.