Estonia's new climate minister to focus on nature conservation, green reform in economy

TALLINN – Yoko Alender, who took up the job of Estonia's minister of climate on Tuesday, has listed effective nature conservation and green reform of the economy as her focus areas, so that future generations will also have a good life in Estonia and the country will be attractive for new clean business.

The climate minister is responsible for climate and the green reform, biodiversity and environmental protection, energy and mineral resources. In a press release, Alender described all these areas as important for the feeling of confidence and good quality of life of residents of Estonia.

The first priority for Alender is to launch a debate in society on the climate-proof economy bill.

"My colleagues at the Ministry of Climate have already done a lot of work in preparing the bill, my first goal is to get the bill ready and then reach broader agreements and decisions," the minister said.

In the field of energy, the minister's focus is on increasing renewable energy production capacity and ensuring the security of supply.

Another important subject for the minister is achieving clarity between conservation and economic goals, so that natural values are protected and businesses have clarity on how and to what extent natural resources can be used.

"It is important to me that nature conservation is effective. Estonia recently ranked first in the Environmental Performance Index, which highly rated our efforts in developing renewable energy, but we can do better in several areas. In environmental permits and impact assessments, we can definitely  improve both quality and pace. With legislative and green reform roadmaps, we aim to create investment certainty for entrepreneurs," the minister said.

Green reform roadmaps are sector-specific action plans that describe how the green transition is taking place in the sector, and what are the activities, responsibilities and sources of funding needed for it. 

Alender, 45, obtained a master's degree in architecture from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2010. Since 2022, she has been on a doctoral program in architecture and urban planning. She has worked in both the private and public sectors as an architect and a coach, as chief specialist at the division for cultural heritage and milieu areas of the Tallinn Cultural Heritage Department, and as an adviser on architecture and design at the Ministry of Culture.

Alender has been active in politics since 2013, when she won a seat in the Tallinn city council on the ticket of the Isamaa and Res Publica Union. She joined the Reform Party in 2014 and has been a member of three successive parliaments. Alender was vice chair of the parliament's environment committee from 2019 to 2021 and chair of the committee from 2021 to 2023. Besides, she has sat on the supervisory boards of the state real estate management company RKAS and the state forest management company RMK.