Need to act together to address climate change, says Finnish President

Finnish President Alexander Stubb emphasizes local action and clean energy innovation as vital to combat climate change during Mumbai address.

Climate change is a global problem, but many of the solutions are going to be local, Finland President Alexander Stubb said in Mumbai on Saturday (March 7, 2026), emphasising the need for collective action to address the issue.

He was speaking to college students at the University of Mumbai campus after delivering an address on “Rebalancing the new world order: multilateral cooperation in the age of fragmentation”. “We need to set global standards and levels, and then try to invest in technologies so that there will be innovations to lead towards a more sustainable system. The truth is that our consumption of energy is not going to go down. So, the question is, how can we generate clean energy?” he said.

Speaking about Finland’s clean energy strategy, he said the country had started investing in renewable energy, nuclear energy and hydro-energy several years ago.

Mr. Stubb spoke about the current global order, adding that the current churn and a multipolar order should lead to a multilateral world. “The Global South has a big role to play in it,” he said.

Addressing the students, Mr. Stubb shared what he called a simple message for young people. “Dream, believe, work hard and succeed. Dream is something all of us should have. You should dream big. Realise that not all those dreams will be fulfilled. But don’t let anyone tell you, it is not possible,” he said. Emphasising the importance of self-belief, he said, “There are so many things in the world today that try to put you down. Don’t allow that to bring you down. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.”

Encouraging students to work hard, he said, being uncomfortable and pushed to the limits was not necessarily “a bad thing”.