CLIMATE PLANS
Mitigation
The current version of the Climate Action Plan was presented by the Government of Iceland in 2024. The plan builds on the previous two versions, but introduces more detailed description of actions falling under government responsibility and relies more on consultation with the business community.
The Climate Action Plan is Iceland´s contribution to the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The aim of the plan is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to lay the foundation for the goal of carbon neutral Iceland in 2040.
The Action Plan is divided into sections depending on how the measures are linked to Iceland´s international commitments as well as from which sources the emissions originate. The new plan prioritises the shift to renewable energy in transport, with a special emphasis on the electrification of land transport. It also emphasises the restoration of wetlands as an important priority.
Following the consultation process the plan also includes measures to increase investments in green agriculture, and investments in research and development, with a special focus on decreasing emissions from industries within the ETS system. The plan also includes measures to obtain better data concerning emissions from land use and land use change and forestry. In total the Action Plan includes 110 projects touching all sectors of the Icelandic economy.
The Action Plan is compiled by a steering committee for climate action with representatives from the Prime Minister´s Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Innovation, Ministry of Transport and Local Government, Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, The Icelandic Association of Local Authorities and the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, whose representative chairs the committee.
Adaptation
Iceland’s Adaptation Plan sets out how the government aims to reduce climate-related risks by strengthening the resilience of communities and ecosystems.
In this first adaptation plan, issued in late 2025, the focus is on monitoring, response, and assessing the impacts of climate change on Iceland’s nature, society, and infrastructure. Measures set as priority, lay the groundwork for further adaptation-related decision-making and a safer society.
Work on the adaptation plan began in 2022 with a steering group and broad consultation through workshops with stakeholders and experts. The proposal Climate-Resilient Iceland was submitted in autumn 2023, followed by further dialogue with organizations and bodies expected to implement set measures.