Oil-free and Lovin’ It!
According to an article published back in 2006, Sweden claimed that it wanted to be completely free from being dependent on oil, and it was determined to make that happen by the year 2020. If the plan actually worked, it would be the world’s first ‘almost’ oil-free economy.
According to the Swedish government, Sweden’s intention is to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change destroys economies and growing oil scarcity leads to huge new price rises. Additionally, a governmental official claimed:
We want to be both mentally and technically prepared for a world without oil. The plan is a response to global climate change, rising petroleum prices and warnings by some experts that the world may soon be running out of oil.
A Glance at the Past and Outlooks for the Future
Kudos to Sweden for at least doing something to make environmental changes for the better. And even though a lot of critics are ready to shoot their grand plan down, there are some signs of progress. In 1970, 77 percent of Sweden’s energy came from oil. However, by 2003, the number fell to 32 percent. Additionally, renewable sources supply 26 percent of Sweden’s energy needs, and they are phasing out nuclear energy altogether.
Today, Sweden has built wind power and water plants, including a wind farm that is scheduled to start producing energy as early as 2009. The country also sponsors innovative programs, according to another article, to help promote the use of alternative fuels from everything from home heating to transportation. This country is making significant strides and serves as a positive example to the rest of us to try to emulate. Do you think that there are other countries out there who are making bigger and better changes? We’d love to hear your feedback!
Escpecially when considering that Sweden is such a small country in size – about the size of California – we’ve achieved very much in several fields.
A lot of research and experiments are going on and we also does have a lot of famous inventions coming from here. I’m proud of that fact, as I’m born in Sweden.
We are very aware of environment influences in Sweden and try to live as green as possible – not an easy task these days…!