Nordic sustainability briefing: winter power prices, climate adaptation and record greenhouse gases
Sweden's Energy Agency rates winter power supply as stable but warns that price risk remains elevated, while Sitra describes Finland's climate adaptation as fragmented and under-resourced. WMO reports record greenhouse gas concentrations in 2025, a UN assessment finds national climate plans promise about half the 2035 emission cuts estimated last year, and the Green Software Foundation lists its SCI for AI standard as ratified.
Nordic winter power prices: supply judged stable, but price risk stays elevated
Sweden's Energy Agency assesses energy supply as stable and the risk of power shortage as low. It says the risk of high and volatile prices this winter remains elevated, citing low Nordic hydro levels, extended nuclear outages and higher gas prices. Yle reports that forward prices for January–March have risen almost 50% since July, to around 11 cents per kWh before tax and supplier margins.
Sitra foresight review: Finland's climate adaptation is fragmented and under-resourced
Sitra's foresight review, published on 7 October, says Finland has already warmed by more than two degrees relative to pre-industrial times. It describes implementation of adaptation as fragmented, short-term and under-resourced. Yle's coverage reports that Finland is warming twice as fast as the global average and that the review sets out nearly 50 measures for decision-makers through 2040.
WMO bulletin: atmospheric CO2 reached 426.8 ppm in 2025, with methane and nitrous oxide also at records
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports a globally averaged CO2 concentration of 426.8 ppm in 2025, 153% of the 1750 baseline. CO2 rose 2.8 ppm from 2024 to 2025, above the decadal average but slightly below the 2023–24 surge. WMO links the smaller rise to recovery of land carbon sinks after the strong 2023/24 El Niño.
UN assessment: national climate plans now promise about half the 2035 emission cuts estimated last year
Climate Home News, as summarised by Carbon Brief, reports that an annual UN assessment puts emissions at 6% below 2019 levels by 2035, against 12% in last year's assessment. A major factor is the US exit from the Paris Agreement, which removes its plans from the assessment. UN Climate Change says collective progress remains clearly insufficient, and COP31 in Antalya (9–20 November) will pair negotiations with a Global Climate Action Agenda.
Green Software Foundation lists SCI for AI as ratified and runs an SCI self-certification programme
The Green Software Foundation's standards page lists SCI for AI as ratified. It extends the ISO-recognised Software Carbon Intensity method to AI systems, covering training through inference. The foundation has also launched an SCI Self-Certification programme, which lets organisations turn internal measurements into a publicly recognised disclosure.