NEWS Sweden’s Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari visited Umeå University on invitation from the Umeå Association for International Affairs. In addition to giving a talk and taking part in a Q&A session for students and staff, the minister was updated on the latest research from three of the University’s researchers.
Vice-Chancellor Tora Holmberg and Sweden’s Minister for Climate and the Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, at her visit at Umeå Univeristy in May 2025. (Please visit the swedish webpage for more photos). Photo: Mattias Pettersson.
“We are not going to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement if we remain on the current path, but it is unreasonable to place the entire burden of this on the forest and forest owners. Our research often shows that many forest owners have a strong desire to contribute, but they lack clear guidance and concrete tools for how to proceed,” explained Camilla Sandström, a professor at the Department of Political Science who studies environmental and natural resource policy, during her opening remarks at the meeting.
In addition to Professor Sandström, Johan Olofsson, a professor at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, also spoke about the research he is conducting on how such grazing animals as reindeer and lemmings impact vegetation in the Arctic. This is a factor that also needs to be considered when studying changes caused by rising temperatures and climate change.
Maria Nilsson, a professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, was the last to speak at the meeting. Her remarks included discussing the impact of climate change on health – from cardiovascular disease and mental illness to the increasing occurrence of allergies and infections. When asked by the Minister what consequences of climate change have the greatest impact on health, Professor Nilsson replied:
“The greatest negative impact on health is the increase in temperature. Vulnerable groups, such as elderly people, are greatly affected by heat waves, and in our part of the world, buildings are not built to protect from the heat.”
After the meeting, Vice-Chancellor Tora Holmberg welcomed the Minister to the University and spoke about the University’s important role in addressing environmental and climate issues, both in the present and historically.
“Umeå University has a leading role in Arctic research, and since its establishment 60 years ago, we have conducted successful research in, and about, the Northern Hemisphere.” Our Sámi research centre Várdduo was founded 25 years ago, and we are now home to the European Polar Board (EPB), active in the Arctic Six and other European research collaborations, and bring together a number of researchers in the Arctic Centre. In total, we currently have around 300–350 researchers who are in some way studying issues related to the Arctic.”
Minister Romina Pourmokhtari then spoke about her own background and what drives her:
“The reason that I became a politician is basically because my parents came to Sweden, not because they were fleeing war or a conflict and not because of poverty, but because the dominating political policies were unsustainable. These policies resulted in limiting the opportunities and rights of women in a way that had not previously been the case. Somehow, this has shaped me quite a bit, that a democracy is truly incredible. This is why I really want to be part of a democracy and contribute to making our democratic system work.”
The Minister also emphasised the importance of getting out of our trench warfare approach and being open to and daring to cooperate to solve this huge challenge we face with climate change, both nationally and internationally. “There is no either/or, most things are both,” said the minister, who also pointed to the importance of facts and research along with policy and commitment to address the climate challenge.
“What we need to do, in fact, is to solve this challenge and ensure we significantly reduce emissions, both in Sweden and internationally. And you do that by becoming involved in a field you find interesting. So I would like to emphasise that if you agree with me that this may be our generation’s challenge, I think you should start getting involved, simply put.”
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dieter Müller then held a short Q&A session, and afterwards there was time for students and staff to ask individual questions to Romina Pourmokhtari, who earlier in the day had visited the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), which is run jointly with Umeå University.
