The Greens’ goals and themes

Political programme of the Greens 2023-2027

Let’s protect our environment

Let’s halt the loss of biodiversity and safeguard the rights of animals. Decisions must be made and solutions found before climate change and the extinction of species get out of hand.

Humans are part of — and completely dependent on — nature. However, our lifestyles have outstripped nature’s ability to regenerate. The Greens aim to find ways in which humans can co-exist sustainably with the entire spectrum of life.

We must make ambitious decisions to protect nature, combat climate change and adapt to its effects. The Greens are seeking fair change, leaving no one behind and distributing the impacts in a just way.

We must urgently change what we are doing, to ensure that a diverse range of life forms continues on Earth. Tomorrow may be too late, so now is the time to start building a sustainable society.

Let’s halt climate change

Wind millsClimate change must be combated urgently. Bringing global warming at a halt at 1.5 degrees is the most important task of our time.

We must replace fossil fuels with renewables, create more carbon sinks, and invest in rail transport. At the same time, climate action offers opportunities to create new jobs and livelihoods.

The Greens aim to make Finland carbon-neutral by 2030. This means carbon sinks in Finland absorbing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the country emits. Shortly after that, negative emissions must be the aim — sequestering more carbon than we emit into the atmosphere.

Let’s invest in education

Regardless of their background or life situation, every child, young person and adult has the right to life-long learning and education.

Student drawingWe take pride in high-quality education at all levels in Finland, and this is the nation’s trump card in international competition. Let’s give everyone a high-quality early childhood education, basic education and an upper secondary education qualification, and invest in higher education to build skills and general knowledge.

An egalitarian education system has always been the basis of Finland’s success – we keep everyone on board. Education is an investment on which we can build the future.

Finland must be made a world leader in its level of education, learning outcomes and basis for higher education and research.

Let’s combat poverty and inequality

The most equal societies are the happiest and perform best in international comparisons. We want a Finland that resolutely defends equality and the inalienable right to human dignity. A Finland that belongs to everyone, equally.

A fair society keeps everyone on board. We must introduce a guaranteed basic income and repair our health and social welfare services. The family leave model must also be equal and flexible. We must prevent poverty and develop services for the most vulnerable.

Fair change is needed

Despite the coronavirus crisis, climate change has not come to a halt. There is also a risk that the coronavirus pandemic will deepen inequality. We must build a society that is sustainable for the environment and people.

Fair change means simultaneously reducing emissions, poverty and inequality. This means a policy that does not burden the most vulnerable with the costs of climate action, or penalise people without a genuine opportunity to choose sustainable alternatives. Fair change is a reasonable, systematic and just way of responding to the climate and environmental crisis.

“Our wellbeing must be given a sustainable basis and emissions must be reduced. We can engage in systematic and fair change, so that no one is left behind and quality of life improves. That is what fair change is all about.”

– Maria Ohisalo, Chair of the Greens

Let’s defend human rights and equality

Everyone is entitled to human rights. All policies must be based on respect for and promotion of fundamental and human rights.

We must eradicate racism and other types of discrimination in Finland and globally. We must not close our eyes or doors to the world, because we must bear our global responsibility.

Finland must implement feminist policies that dismantle structures of inequality and honour every person’s right to be themselves. We must shatter glass ceilings and put an end to racism, discrimination and harassment. We must address unjustified pay gaps and increase pay transparency to make pay differences visible.

Equality does not apply only to the people alive today. Public authorities must take responsibility for safeguarding the living conditions and human rights of future generations as well.