Green Party Pushes for Legislative Changes to Prevent Logging in Risk Zones

Following a damning investigation by Aftonbladet revealing extensive logging in high-risk flood and landslide areas in Västernorrland, the Green Party (Miljöpartiet) is calling for urgent amendments to the Environmental Code. The report highlighted that over the past decade, 954 logging operations were carried out within flood-risk areas, affecting approximately 4,300 hectares of forest and contributing to the repercussions of recent severe weather events, including fatalities and infrastructure damage.

Amanda Lind, spokesperson for the Green Party, criticized the government's lack of effective climate adaptation measures, stating, "It's absurd to be logging in these areas despite the known risks associated with climate change." The call for legislative change stems from the need to prohibit logging in steep and unstable regions, as insists experts like Anders Lindroth. He advocates for a national strategy to establish no-logging zones, especially around critical infrastructure, to mitigate erosion and landslide risks as extreme weather events become increasingly frequent.

The Aftonbladet investigation also notes that logging has occurred in areas identified by the Swedish Forest Agency as vulnerable to landslides, raising concerns about the sustainability of current forestry practices.

As the Green Party pushes for these changes, they highlight a broader issue concerning the balance between forestry activities and environmental safety, emphasizing that immediate action is essential to protect communities and mitigate disaster risks in the face of climate change.