User:Igeland/sandbox

Birgitta Hambraeus (born on April, 11, 1930) is a Swedish politician. She has been one of the pioneers in the Swedish environmental movement, especially in the opposition to nuclear power.

Career
Between 1971 and 1998 she was a representative for the Center party in the Swedish Parliament. As a new member of parliament she investigated how nuclear power affects people, nature and society. Together with the professor Hannes Alfvén she convinced the Center party to oppose the Swedish nuclear program. It was a time of growing environmental consciousness in Sweden, and Hambraeus was an important voice in this. After a proposal from Hambraeus 1973, the Swedish parliament decided to postpone the enlargement of the nuclear program until more research was conducted. The Center party made nuclear power their main issue in the election campaign 1976 and received a lot of support. This was one of the reasons why Swedish Social Democrats lost power after almost 60 years in cabinet. From this time on Hambraeus, together with the environmental movement, have been working for a transition of the Swedish energy system. This work has contributed to the decision to dismantle nuclear power and fossil fuels in Sweden, and to replace it with renewable energy sources and an energy-effective society.

In the Swedish European Union membership referendum, 1994, Hambraeus took leadership in the campaign against Sweden joining the EU. Since 2009 Hambraeus is independent from political parties. She supports ecological farming and is active in networks to promote a sustainable world.