The chairmanship of the Arctic Council will be transferred to Finland in May. Finland has knowledge and experience of the Arctic region, its special characteristics and the dramatic climate change taking place there. Climate change increases travel, shipping and utilisation of natural resources in that region and thus also demand for observational data and services on the Arctic environment.

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A new study shows that due to climate change the capacity of plants on earth to absorb carbon has increased by up to one third since the beginning of the 20th century. It is estimated that plants and soil currently absorb about one quarter of the emissions from fossil fuels. However, the adverse effects of climate change might overrule the benefits from the increased absorbtion by plants.

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A research studied the historical development and climate impacts of a boreal peatland located in Southern Finland. The peatland had a warming impact on climate during the first 7000 years since its formation until the change from a fen to bog type peatland ultimately turned the climate impact from warming to cooling.

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Storm-induced forest damage went through a change point in 1990 after which the worst storms have been 3.5 times as catastrophic as before, mainly because of climate change. There have been more widespread gusts with wind speeds exceeding 42 m/s than before. The worsening of the catastrophic storms is a wintertime phenomenon, whereas the intensity of the strongest autumn storms has decreased since 1990.

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Emissions from municipalities in the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) network declined by an average 29 percent in 2007 - 2015. The greatest decreases in emissions were in Ii, Kitee, Lieksa, Lohja and Rauma. The main reason for the reduction of climate emissions was a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Currently 36 municipalities are in the HINKU network.

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