The Health Insurance Fund is preparing to cut essential services for people. In a country with some of the highest food prices in Europe and lowest incomes, buying food will become even more difficult for many families starting in July. The state budget deficit is growing, even as the government hands out generous tax breaks to the wealthiest and makes cuts precisely where neglect does the most harm — to people's health, education and living environment. How did we get here?

Given that more than half of the world's GDP — worth nearly $44 trillion — depends on natural capital, and that ongoing biodiversity loss combined with climate change threatens the global economy, food security, human health, quality of life and incomes, it would be logical for a responsible government to prioritize the restoration of natural capital. But today's government doesn't even attempt to slow the pace of pollution, let alone give us any hope that nature might be restored under their leadership.

The Reform Party's understanding of the economy and environmental policy is outdated. This is evident not only in its obstruction of cleaner industrial development and desire to clear-cut the country's remaining natural forests, but also in the government's failure to offer a sustainable, future-proof economic strategy that supports the well-being of Estonian people and the international competitiveness of the local economy.

A raw materials-based pollution economy has no future

For years now, we've lived with the understanding that one of the reasons for Estonia's struggling economy is its inefficiency and high energy consumption, especially when compared to other countries that smartly refine their natural resources and sell them with higher added value. Put plainly, in the 21st century, Estonia is still a raw materials country, where oligarchs have the right to drain our land of its resources and clear-cut its forests. And the damage caused by this kind of "business activity" is shouldered by society, meaning individual taxpayers. Meanwhile, countries that promote environmentally friendly industry and impose higher taxes on polluters are able to earn more euros with the same amount of labor and raw materials. That is what increasing economic competitiveness actually looks like. And it benefits the state, because it creates better jobs and generates more tax revenue to fund essential public services.

Although strengthening the competitiveness of the economy was one of [then] Climate Minister Kristen Michal's (Reform) key promises— and one of the main justifications for why Estonia needs a climate law at all — the Reform Party–led government has abandoned this pledge. Instead, they've reverted to a cowboy-capitalist mindset, where the answer to a lack of funds isn't a smart tax reform or a fair tax environment, but a series of price hikes and budget cuts. The Reform Party's government lacks the courage to make any meaningful decisions that would affect the wealthy or large corporations, while those who are already struggling are forced to pay even more.

Greenwashing instead of a green transition

For example, the government abandoned the 100 percent renewable energy target, which would have increased Estonia's energy security and lowered electricity prices, without any analysis or substantive explanation. Meanwhile, experts warn that such a move stifles progress and drives away investors. Indeed, a country with a polluting and unstable economic environment, a government that supports oligarchy and a border shared with terrorist-run Russia doesn't exactly sound appealing.

When the current government justifies the burning of fossil fuels as a rationale for building a polluting oil plant, it becomes clear that the Reform Party has deceived voters. When young people are forced to go to court over government decisions that jeopardize their future, there is no doubt that the government has prioritized the interests of a few business owners over the environment, public health and a long-term economic vision.

The same applies to forestry — when the government hands over 70 percent of our shared forests to the timber industry, we have to ask: Who benefits from that decision?

Certainly not the young people whose future the government is supposed to protect. Not the teachers, first responders, conservationists or local communities. Not the mothers who hold on to the hope that their efforts are not in vain, and who, like me, worry every day about whether our children will grow up in a safe homeland, with clean air and a livable future.

The current government is not capable of realizing Estonia's potential.
An economic policy that takes climate change into account and protects nature doesn't mean holding back development — it means adding value to resources, developing smart technology, building strong education and reliable healthcare systems that create a stable environment for investment and jobs. But the Reform Party has lost touch with both global economic realities and its own voters. Their campaign promises — lower taxes, better protection of nature through sustainable development — have been tossed in the trash.

The losers are the people who wait months to see a doctor, whose children aren't getting the support they need in school, whose grocery bills keep rising and the young people whose education is cut short because there aren't enough study places. Farmers, too, are losing out, as climate change continues to reduce their yields. The winners are a small group of business owners for whom every political delay hidden behind a call for "more analysis" means yet another year of uninterrupted profit — at the expense of the environment and our communities.

If we want an Estonia where our children receive a good education, where people get the help they need and where nature continues to thrive, we must start voting for the future. We cannot call a country competitive if it cannot even fulfill its basic functions. And we cannot allow our future to be stolen by remaining a polluting raw materials economy.

A government that lacks the courage and will to keep its promises and govern for the benefit of more than one special interest group should, honestly, step down.

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