If you're looking for a climate success story, you'll find it, of course, in Scandinavia. Sweden has cut 80% of its net emissions since 1990 – while growing ...
They are looking at the time since 1990. So a lot of these are decisions made by previous governments, which just take time to go to actual infrastructure. As an example, when you want to turn your district heating system green, the government first has to pass the laws to push the company owning it to do that(regardless of state owned or private). Then the actual engineering begins of what to built instead, then it gets built and only then you are actually saving emissions. Obviously that process takes years from the first law to the actual say large heat pump being built. However when you have the company already in the process of building the heat pump, even a change in government and sometimes even a change in law, does not mean they shut down the project. At this point it is fairly likely that sunk cost just drives it forward.
That is to say the current Swedish governments actions will start to be felt about now and really start to cause problems maybe around 2026 or so.
They are looking at the time since 1990. So a lot of these are decisions made by previous governments, which just take time to go to actual infrastructure. As an example, when you want to turn your district heating system green, the government first has to pass the laws to push the company owning it to do that(regardless of state owned or private). Then the actual engineering begins of what to built instead, then it gets built and only then you are actually saving emissions. Obviously that process takes years from the first law to the actual say large heat pump being built. However when you have the company already in the process of building the heat pump, even a change in government and sometimes even a change in law, does not mean they shut down the project. At this point it is fairly likely that sunk cost just drives it forward.
That is to say the current Swedish governments actions will start to be felt about now and really start to cause problems maybe around 2026 or so.