Come and join the dis­cus­sion on the green tran­si­tion in Oulu – On Jan­u­ary 16, the Oulu Pan­el at the open­ing week of Cen­tral Library Saari cel­e­brates the Cap­i­tal of Cul­ture year with an impres­sive pro­gram on cur­rent top­ics

Join the most inter­est­ing cur­rent affairs dis­cus­sion of 2026 on the green tran­si­tion in Oulu!
The planned green tran­si­tion facil­i­ties and con­struc­tion in Oulu will have pos­i­tive impacts, such as mit­i­gat­ing cli­mate change and cre­at­ing new jobs. The effects will also extend to land­scapes and nature.

On 16 Jan­u­ary 2026, dur­ing the open­ing week of Cen­tral Library Saari, the City of Oulu will host a cit­i­zen pan­el called Oulu Pan­el, where we will explore how the green tran­si­tion can be imple­ment­ed fair­ly and just­ly. In this pub­lic event, we will dis­cuss togeth­er what the green tran­si­tion means—and what it should mean—for Oulu and its res­i­dents. Ordi­nary Oulu cit­i­zens will have their say in the pan­el!

This free and open event offers an oppor­tu­ni­ty to dive into the top­ic, hear local per­spec­tives, and dis­cuss Oulu’s future. The event will gath­er insights that will be con­sid­ered in plan­ning the green tran­si­tion. You can join the dis­cus­sion using your own dig­i­tal device—or sim­ply fol­low the con­ver­sa­tion from the audi­ence. The choice is yours.

What is the green tran­si­tion?
The green tran­si­tion is a shift toward a sus­tain­able econ­o­my, empha­siz­ing low car­bon, cir­cu­lar econ­o­my, bio­di­ver­si­ty, and replac­ing fos­sil fuels with clean ener­gy. Plan­ning the tran­si­tion takes into account var­i­ous fac­tors: exist­ing munic­i­pal infra­struc­ture, bio­di­ver­si­ty loss, land­scape val­ues, busi­ness con­di­tions, and impacts on peo­ple. In Oulu, the green tran­si­tion is reflect­ed in planned hydro­gen econ­o­my invest­ments. The city strat­e­gy aims for a car­bon-neu­tral Oulu by 2035.

Top­ics of dis­cus­sion include:

How will the green tran­si­tion affect Oulu’s indus­try and jobs?
How can we ensure the tran­si­tion is fair for all par­ties?
What oppor­tu­ni­ties and chal­lenges does the green tran­si­tion bring to Oulu res­i­dents?

Join us at Oulu Pan­el on 16 Jan­u­ary, 17:30–19:30 in Pakkala Hall at Cen­tral Library Saari!
Please note: free cof­fee and pas­tries will be served before the event in front of Pakkala Hall.

Pro­gram

16:50–17:20 Cof­fee and pas­try for the first 100 par­tic­i­pants
17:30 Event begins in Pakkala Hall. Intro­duc­tion: Sebas­t­ian Sten­fors, Vice Chair of the Urban Plan­ning Com­mit­tee
17:40 Pre­sen­ta­tion of Oulu Pan­el and start of dis­cus­sion. Host: Pasi Lauk­ka, Head of Com­mu­ni­ty Engage­ment, City of Oulu
19:30 Event ends

Oulu Pan­el is part of the Oulu2026 Euro­pean Cap­i­tal of Cul­ture pro­gram: an impact­ful dis­cus­sion event on the green tran­si­tion by the peo­ple of Oulu.