Climate adaptation: “Society needs to be better equipped to tackle climate change”

Sustainable environment Sustainable environment

Sustainable society Sustainable society Sustainable transition

CLIMATE ADAPTATION

“Society needs to be better equipped to tackle climate change”

Extreme rainfall, heatwaves and droughts will become increasingly common as the climate changes. This will impose significant strains on society. The extent of the impact will be dependent on the extent of the climate change, but also on our ability to adapt society to these changes. Local authorities will play a central role in this work, believes Hanna Matschke Ekholm at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

“The Swedish society needs to be better equipped to tackle extreme weather and climate change. All local authorities need to analyse how they will be affected by a changing climate and then implement measures to reduce their vulnerability.”

In the summer of 2021, Sweden and many other countries were affected by both extreme rainfall as well as heatwaves and drought. This type of extreme weather will become increasingly common in the future due to climate change. The weather in Europe is expected to change significantly within just a few decades, according to the UN climate panel, the IPCC. In much of Sweden, days with extremely heavy rainfall are expected to be both more common and more intense. In parts of southern and eastern Sweden, water shortages will become an increasing problem.

“Emissions need to be reduced quickly and radically, yet at the same time we need to adapt society to the climate change that is already here and the change that is to come. The extent of the future damage – and the costs – caused by climate change will largely be determined by our ability to adapt society. The local authorities have a very important role to play in this work, as they are responsible for implementing tangible measures,” said Hanna Matschke Ekholm at IVL.

She has mapped the work of the local authorities regarding climate adaptation on behalf of the trade association Insurance Sweden. This mapping process, which is performed every two years, shows the needs and challenges that exist and is intended to encourage more local authorities to work systematically on climate adaptation.

In the latest mapping round, presented in June 2021, nearly all the local authorities that took part in the survey indicated that they have been affected by climate change and extreme weather events, although fewer than half have allocated resources for climate adaptation measures. Only six out of ten local authorities have analysed the way in which they have been affected by previous extreme weather events.

There are also significant differences between different local authorities. Smaller towns and local authorities in rural areas have generally not come as far as larger local authorities in their climate adaptation work. Many local authorities state that they need more support and increased resources.

THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES THAT HAVE COME FURTHEST One thing that the local authorities at the top of the rankings have in common is that they have made policy decisions to work on climate adaptation. They have also integrated climate adaptation into their regular activities and allocated resources to coordinate the work.

Hanna Matschke Ekholm considers that more local authorities need to work this way.

“Key factors include having a mandate, for climate adaptation to be prioritised and for there to be someone who is coordinating the work, as well as for the local authority to allocate resources – this provides the conditions to be able to pursue long-term and systematic climate adaptation work,” she says.

The extent of the future damage and the costs caused by climate change will largely be determined by our ability to adapt society.

Based on the results of the survey, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Insurance Sweden have listed the following five recommendations for climate adaptation work:

1. Analysing how the local authority is affected.

All local authorities need to analyse how they will be affected by extreme weather events and long-term climate change. More local authorities also need to get better at analysing the consequences of past events and using the knowledge going forward.

2. Working systematically.

The local authorities’ climate adaptation work needs to be longterm and systematic. All local authorities have to devise strategies to ensure that vulnerabilities are reduced and future developments are robust throughout their lifespan.

3. Political will is crucial.

The decision to work on climate adaptation must be taken at a political level. The local authorities that have come a long way in their climate adaptation work highlight political will and having a mandate as success factors.

4. Collaborating more.

Collaboration needs to be strengthened, both internally between different administrations and municipal companies and externally with property owners and insurance companies, for example. In addition, the climate adaptation work should involve several different areas of expertise and take place across sectors and across the entire administration.

5. Increasing support for local government.

The local authorities need support from the state through national guidelines and with increased resources for the climate adaptation work. In addition, many local authorities need help with instructive examples, where tailored forums for collaboration and dialogue for climate adaptation work can be one method.

The report is available to download at ivl.se

Name: Hanna Matschke Ekholm Age: 35 years Function at IVL: Project manager at the Stockholm Office, expert in the field of climate adaptation Background: Trained political scientist with a Master’s Degree in applied climate strategy. Has worked at IVL for five years, above all on issues related to climate adaptation.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

Every two years, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Insurance Sweden carry out a survey to chart the way local authorities in Sweden are working with climate adaptation. The aim is to examine how far the local authorities have come in their work, clarify needs and challenges, as well as highlight good examples.

In 2021, the mapping work was carried out during the spring, and all 290 local authorities in Sweden had the opportunity to respond to the survey. In all, 180 local authorities responded.

The results from the survey form the basis for a comparison and ranking of the local authorities’ work.

The highest ranked local authorities in the 2021 mapping process were Lomma, which came in first place, Norrköping which came second, while third place was split between Ängelholm, Söderhamn, Skövde, Kristianstad and Arvika.

IVL CONTRIBUTES TO THE GLOBAL GOALS BY:

11.B Implement policies for inclusion, resource efficiency and disaster risk reduction 13.1 Strengthening resilience and adaptability to climate related disasters 13.3 Increasing knowledge and capacity to tackle climate change 13.A Implement the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 13.B Promoting mechanisms for raising the capacity for climate-related planning and management