Major ministerial changes within Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party took effect on Friday.
Sari Multala succeeded Kai Mykkänen as Minister of the Environment and Climate when Mykkänen stepped down to serve as mayor of his hometown, Espoo.
MP Mari-Leena Talvitie takes over Multala's portfolio as the Minister of Science and Culture. She has represented the Oulu electoral district since 2015. Talvitie has a master's degree in environmental engineering, unlike Multala, who has no formal background in environmental issues.
Henrik Vuornos from Espoo rises in the ranks of NCP to become an MP. Vuornos has previously served as Orpo's political special adviser and as secretary to the NCP's ministerial group.
Plans to boost higher education
Incoming science and culture minister Talvitie said that the government's goal is to ensure that more young people receive higher education.
"The goal is for 50 percent of young people to pursue higher education," she said on Friday.
Currently, less than 40 percent of young people in Finland have a higher education degree.
Clean energy as investment opportunity
Environment minister Multala highlighted the government's commitment to focus on protecting the climate and nature. She described climate and environmental issues as "questions of the fate of the entire planet."
She said that Finland's most significant contribution to tackling the climate crisis lies in exporting Finnish climate technology globally.
"We believe that clean energy can also create new investment opportunities in Finland," Multala said.
The environment ministry has been in the news recently for a government proposal to abolish the climate panel and consolidate four independent scientific advisory panels into one.
Multala has downplayed the report, saying that no decisions have been made yet. She declined to say whether she supports the move.