FIIA Climate Day 2026: What happens when climate commitments fall short?

Lauri Peterson is a Senior Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Law School, where he is a member of the Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law (CCEEL). His research examines what drives countries to strengthen their national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, the risks that undermine implementation, and how international cooperation on phasing out fossil fuels affects both environmental and economic outcomes. He has also investigated how political and economic forces, such as from welfare state structures to energy price shocks, shape public and governmental support for climate action.

Outi Honkatukia is the Director of the Climate and Chemicals Unit at the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. She has an extensive experience in national, EU and international climate policy design and implementation. She has worked as the EU Lead Negotiator for climate finance, adaptation, technology, capacity building, budget, and loss and damage in the UN climate negotiations. She is an Economist by training (Licentiate of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki).

Alexandra Urisman Otto is a journalist and author specialising in climate. In 2021, she received an award for her investigation into Sweden’s climate targets, which she carried out in her role as climate reporter for Dagens Nyheter. In 2025 her handbook in climate journalism was published, co-authored by Lisa Röstlund.

Photo attached, byline: Roger Turesson

Anne Tarvainen is Director of International Cooperation at WWF Finland. She works at the intersection of international biodiversity and climate policy and Finnish foreign, security, development and trade policy. With extensive experience in international cooperation and policy advocacy, she focuses on advancing global equity and resilience by promoting nature-positive solutions, sustainable economies and strong international partnerships.

Karoliina Pietarila is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center on Climate Politics and Security (CLIPS) at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Pietarila is part of the Strategic Research Council funded project Glowater, which studies global connections and collaborative solutions for sustainable water security. Her previous research has focused on UN climate negotiations, China’s role in global climate politics, transparency in the international climate regime, and climate responsibility questions.

She earned her D.Soc.Sci degree in World Politics at the University of Helsinki in 2023. Her doctoral dissertation focused on China’s role and the construction of climate leadership in the social interaction between the Global North and South (Hurri 2023).

Pietarila is also a visiting researcher in the Arctic International Relations research group at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland.