Finland pledges to become carbon neutral by 2035 - New left-leaning government sets ambitious target as it plans major rise in public spending

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Finland's new left-leaning coalition government has pledged to make the country carbon neutral by 2035 as part of a policy programme that includes a major increase in public spending on welfare and infrastructure.

The Social Democratic party leader, Antti Rinne, who formed the five-party alliance of centrist, leftist and Green parties after narrowly beating the nationalist Finns party in an election in April, said it was time to "Invest in the future" after years of austerity.

Besides cutting back on planned logging investments, the 2035 carbon neutral target - which is to be written into law - will require Finland to radically reduce its consumption of fossil fuels and peat, which together supply about 40% of the country's energy needs.

The target should not involve Finland buying credits for CO2-reducing projects in other countries, the government said, although that would be subject to a review scheduled for 2025.

Rinne, the country's first leftist prime minister in 20 years, said his administration's plans were aimed squarely at reducing income differences in Finland through increased spending on education, pensions and social services.

The nationalist, Eurosceptic Finns were excluded from the coalition talks, with Rinne opting instead to partner with the Centre party of the outgoing prime minister, Juha Sipilä, as his main coalition ally, in addition to the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's party of Finland.

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