ABSTRACT
This chapter contributes to the emerging study of neoliberal environmentalism by examining how the Finnish free-market think tank Elinkeinoelämän Valtuuskunta [the Council of Economic Organizations in Finland] (EVA) responded to the emerging demands of the environmental movement in the 1970s and early 1980s. Drawing on archival documents of EVA, the author analyzes the arguments used by the think tank leaders to respond to demands for environmental regulation. He shows how, in the context of the oil crisis, the think tank was initially shocked by the threat of resource depletion, but soon developed an environmental vision based on growth, voluntary environmental action, and nuclear power. He also discusses the role of environmental policy in the EVA leaders’ overall vision of how the Finnish welfare state and its economic governance should be organized. The Nordic countries provide an interesting context for studying forms of neoliberal environmentalism: since the 1970s, the Nordic welfare states have undergone neoliberal reforms while struggling to implement environmental policies. Despite being portrayed as environmental pioneers, these governments have struggled to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the unsustainable use of natural resources.
