The left has been criticised, quite justifiably, for the misguided positions of decades past. But almost all of those now hauled into the dock of history simply wanted to build a better world and were naive. It often strikes me as unreasonable and a little absurd when I am called to account for events in some other country that occurred before I was even born.

At the same time as the chairman of the Left Alliance is asked for a confession regarding matters from decades ago, nobody calls to account those who only a couple of years ago blindly placed their faith in completely free markets.

Last month, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held a summit in Rome on food security. The meeting produced little result. The delegates decided that hunger should be eliminated and investment in agriculture stepped up, but they were unable to agree on specific targets.

As they talked, the ranks of the hungry and starving kept growing, added to by recent steep rises in food prices. This year their numbers crossed the billion mark. It is shocking that as much as 80 per cent of the developing world’s hungry are farmers themselves. They cultivate their food for export, rather than for themselves and their families.

Climate and energy matters have been commendably prominent lately. Finland’s Parliament recently discussed a Government foresight report that presented the latest research, and sketched a number of low-carbon developmental proposals for the future.

It has long been clear to the vast majority of the scientific community that global warming is genuine threat that will affect us in several ways. But it now appears that the climate is warming even faster than previously predicted, with a correspondingly greater impact on agriculture and access to drinking water in many parts of the world. We must move quickly from research and deliberation to action.

Finland was once known for high technology, superior primary education and a clean environment. Until the epic failure of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear project, that is.

The fifth nuclear reactor, still under construction in Olkiluoto alongside two existing reactors, was meant to usher in a new age. Finland was to be the first Western industrialised country to commission a nuclear reactor after the Chernobyl meltdown of 1986.

The ailing nuclear industry desperately needed Olkiluoto 3. For years, lobbyists had talked of a nuclear renaissance. Never mind that they had precious little to back up their claims.

As chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for the Future I am involved in envisioning the future of Finland, and developing answers to questions we barely know exist yet. One of the biggest challenges Finland faces at the moment is the economic structural change from an industry- and production-based economy to a competence-driven one. And one of the biggest tasks the Committee faces is to envision what skills we will need to develop in order to be successful in this transition.

Governments around the world are feverishly planning the decisions that should be made at next month’s climate conference in Copenhagen. Evidently, a viable solution will not be found unless the world’s largest emitters, the United States and China, are brought on board. The other major question is how much developed countries are prepared to pay in order to reduce emissions by developing countries.

It is widely accepted that Finland has one of the best education systems in the world. This view is based on the repeatedly excellent scores Finnish high school students achieve in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Still, we keep improving our schooling system.

It is often asked from me what is the secret behind Finland’s success in the PISA evaluations. There are no simple answers. Education is an entity consisting of small pieces. Starting from the primary school children are taught by qualified teachers with a higher university level degree. As defined in the Finnish Constitution, “everyone has the right to basic education free of charge ...

This December, Copenhagen hosts a major summit on a new international climate deal. The negotiations are crucial, as fighting climate change can’t be delayed. Global climate emissions must be reduced by 80 per cent by the year 2050 to limit the rise in global temperature to two degrees, which is the level currently considered at least somewhat safe. Achieving this can only be accomplished through a broad-based, and binding, international agreement.

The present recession does not make reaching an accord any easier. It may indeed prompt countries to undermine the climate deal and avoid making genuine efforts to cut emissions. Unfortunately, seeking short-term ...

The international competitiveness of the Greater Helsinki Region is paramount to the well-being of Finland as a whole. Its success is reflected far beyond its geographical limits. If we do not take care of the only metropolitan area, the rest of the country will find itself in a difficult situation as well.

This realisation was firmly in mind when the government added metropolitan policy to its programme for the first time in Finnish history.

Life leads us down interesting paths. In my youth I would not have dreamed of being a politician, but I have now been an MP for 10 years. As a teenager I worked earnestly in the Lohja parish youth group, where I grew up to feel responsible for the world around me.

At that age, I gave no thought to daily politics, however. There was no societal discussion at home either. My political awakening occurred when my first child was born in 1988. The future of the world and the state of the environment then became my innermost concerns. I felt I had to step out from the comfort of those four walls and do something for the greater good.