Government climate action plan calls for tech industry solutions 

The tech industry is a key player whose solutions play a crucial role in succeeding in the climate transition while strengthening Sweden's competitiveness. The government's upcoming climate policy action plan is therefore a golden opportunity for political and future-oriented leadership that focuses on digital solutions as keys to reducing climate impact. The action plan needs to clearly make the link to digitalization to achieve the overall goals of reduced emissions and energy efficiency improvements.

In 2022, TechSverige presented a sustainability report Sustainable tech & Tech for the climate, which describes the importance of digitalization for all other sectors' opportunities to reduce their climate impact. The report contains nine prioritized proposals for the tech sector to develop and help others to reduce their climate impact. Based on these, TechSverige has developed proposals for the forthcoming climate policy action plan.

TechSverige presents six proposals for the action plan:

1. Take clear leadership and increase competence regarding the link between digitalisation and climate, not least in municipalities and regions. The government should raise its ambition for digital solutions to be used to reduce climate impact. It is crucial that the development of climate-friendly and smart solutions is taken advantage of everywhere, not least in municipalities and regions. They currently have different knowledge and conditions to drive this work forward at the required pace.

2. Introduce a legal requirement for public actors to share open data linked to the environment and climate free of charge, for example on mobility, energy and climate to promote climate-smart solutions. Sweden is lagging behind in making open data available and has data sources that could be used more effectively in climate work.

3. Promote energy efficiency improvements using digital solutions. Today, digital innovations are hampered by the fact that emission-heavy sectors are favored by political instruments. The government should introduce investment support for energy efficiency improvements using digital solutions.

4. Act for world-leading sustainable data centers in Sweden through sustainability requirements. Swedish data centers are among the most energy efficient in the world. The government has decided that the energy tax reduction for data centers will be removed. If this happens, confidence in Sweden as an investment country and digital pioneer will be seriously damaged. The government should instead link sustainability requirements to the tax reduction.

5. Maximize the lifetime of products and promote the sale of second-hand goods by improving the Swedish profit margin taxation and working for a change in the VAT rules. A circular value chain with an increased focus on hardware repairs not only reduces the climate impact but also allows for increased value, when revenue from a product is generated several times instead of only at the time of sale. Simplifying the trade in second-hand goods would also help reduce climate impact by making products last longer.

6. Make a strong and long-term commitment to AI for climate. AI offers completely new opportunities to tackle the climate challenge. The government should initiate an investment in AI for the climate that should include research, development and application.


TechSweden's input to the government's climate policy action plan

Debate article published in Computer Sweden on June 15, 2023