Finland: A paradise for pest-free living
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist
Scandinavian countries and their consistent performance on the happiness rankings have often made me wonder: what do they have that we don’t? Heikki Väänänen, while writing for Forbes, addresses the very question – ‘What Makes Finland the Happiest Country in The World?’ Exploring multiple facets of everyday human life, like the sense of security, workplace equality, welfare policies, economic growth, social freedom, Heikki doesn’t seem too surprised with Finland as the obvious choice.
What strikes me is the ambition of the country’s leadership, in particular. Finland is aiming to become a leader in implementing Agenda 2030, the 17 sustainable goals under UNDP. It is already close to reaching many of the SDGs related to social and economic stability. In fact, according to Environmental Performance Index (EPI) prepared by Yale and Columbia Universities in 2016, Finland was the world’s cleanest and greenest country.
Finland has neat and clean air because of strict environmental regulations. And it even plans to become a carbon-neutral country by 2035 by adopting renewable energy sources, protecting forests, and using electric vehicles.
If pest-free living has ever been a real possibility, then this Baltic State deserves the credit for it. Back in 2018, the country enacted The Finnish National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products 2018-2022. Finland set up a health and environmental risk assessment for PPP (Plant Protection Products), which is used for food crops to protect them from pests, weeds, and plant diseases. The NAP has championed the shift from using organic pesticides to no pesticides and relying entirely on natural solutions with large-scale changes in farming guidelines, pesticides regulations and approval of machinery to be used in treatment.
To quote yet another example, Finland has adopted the policy of Climate Change Act to cope with climate change, according to which Finland must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 from the levels in 1990.
I do not know about you, but I am already sweating in trying to keep pace with developments in this happiest nation on earth. But no doubt, what we really need is those few thoughtful, committed citizens who will help other nations bump up their happiness scores.
Aditi joined us as a student of Class 11 at St. Mary's Convent High School, Kanpur. She likes sketching, gardening and writing on matters related to public awareness. Aditi strongly believes in Albert Einstein’s famous saying - “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”