DEBATE • Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an essential, odorless and colorless gas, composed of carbon and oxygen atoms, where one of the emission sources is human exhalation, which only has significance for indoor air quality.
The Swedish political sphere has for many years—with a high pitch and sometimes unreasonable demands—placed carbon dioxide emissions at the center, with doomsday prophecies and frightening claims that carbon dioxide is our planet’s most dangerous gas. The world will end if Sweden’s carbon dioxide emissions are not reduced, while it is also claimed that Sweden is to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare nation—a very odd claim and an incorrect analysis, lacking any basis in reality, merely a political cliché and a wishful dream! However, it is possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but never to zero.
All carbon dioxide molecules look the same, but come from different sources: biogenic carbon dioxide is part of the atmospheric carbon cycle and arises when biological material decomposes, while fossil carbon dioxide is released during combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil, or natural gas combined with atmospheric oxygen. This largely stems from electricity and heat production, biogas plants (waste incineration), refineries, and cement manufacturing.
Sweden’s emissions are the lowest in the EU
In addition to carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gases include water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, laughing gas, and ozone—some connected to transport, energy, agriculture, deforestation, and industrial activities. Of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions, Europe accounts for about 6–7 percent, and Sweden for under 0.2 percent, and has the lowest per capita emissions in the EU.
Statistics from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency show preliminarily that Sweden’s total gross output of greenhouse gases in 2024 was about 47.5 million tonnes, which can be compared with the :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89: total of 40 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq). At present, there are no official statistics available for 2025—these will be published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in mid-June 2026. Sweden’s net emissions, where forest absorption of CO2 is included, are essentially zero.
Wind power is not carbon neutral
There are incorrect claims that wind power is carbon neutral, but a life-cycle analysis conducted by Vattenfall shows that over its lifetime, a wind turbine emits 12.8 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour produced, including production, transport, installation, and decommissioning.
Wind power production is governed by the weather, not by demand. When it is windy, there is a surplus of electricity, and during calm and cold winter days, the wind turbines often stand still, which creates a systemic problem. One can conclude that more wind power does not lead to better power supply, but rather to greater imbalance in the electricity system.
Wind turbines also give rise to health-hazardous levels of infrasound and the spread of small fragments that detach from the turbine blades, which nature is unable to break down. In addition, there is a major cause for concern regarding the future disposal of wind turbines.
Today, eight out of ten Swedish wind power facilities operate at a loss and are more or less bankrupt, despite subsidies.
Boo Nilsson