Response to interpellation 2025/26:509 on new legislation for climate adaptation
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L believes that climate adaptation is necessary in all areas of society and that the responsibility is shared between the state, the municipality, and the individual property owner 1. L argues that the government is working towards strengthened preparedness in water security issues and that the state should promote good conditions by providing actors with decision-making bases 2. L emphasizes that the government takes more responsibility for climate adaptation work and investigates what role the state should have regarding coastal protection 3. L argues that the new assignments to SMHI, Boverket, and Trafikverket create better predictability and guidance for coastal planning 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! Katarina Luhr has asked me what has happened with the report Better conditions for climate adaptation (SOU: 2025:51) and why the government has not presented any bill yet.
She has also asked whether I consider that the state should initiate work to protect coastal municipalities against rising seas and if the government will act in this matter.
She has also asked which climate adaptation measures I and the government consider should be prioritized in the ongoing work to protect people and infrastructure against current and future climate changes, and whether I consider that the state should take a greater responsibility for climate adaptation measures than it does today.
Let me begin by thanking you for the questions and at the same time start by stating that the extreme weather events of recent years clearly show that our entire society needs to become more robust against natural disasters and the effects of climate change. Climate adaptation is necessary in all areas of society and at all levels of society.
Through the government's climate adaptation strategy, the need for new legislation to streamline climate adaptation work has been identified, and a government inquiry has been commissioned. The climate adaptation inquiry has submitted a comprehensive report which is currently being prepared in the Government Offices.
The Government notes that it is important to address the risks that rising sea levels pose to society, infrastructure, and the business sector. The Government is therefore working towards strengthened preparedness in water security issues.
A central starting point in the climate adaptation work is that vulnerabilities and needs differ across Sweden and that the responsibility for adapting communities, property, and activities lies primarily at the regional and local level. The State shall promote good conditions for climate adaptation and provide society's actors with adequate decision-making bases.
There are state interventions for climate adaptation on a broad front with measures focusing on identifying, mapping, and preventing climate risks. 53 agencies are responsible for working with climate adaptation, where a majority of the interventions aim to produce knowledge bases and provide support for local and regional cooperation in the work of implementing measures. The work includes, among other things, support to the country's coastal municipalities to manage rising sea levels and flood risks. The Authority for Civil Defence also distributes approximately 500 million kronor in state grants annually for preventive work against, among other things, flood risks in vulnerable municipalities.
The Government decided in January on a new assignment for SMHI, Boverket and Trafikverket to develop national guidelines for the choice of climate scenarios. The assignment aims to create better predictability and guidance for, among other things, coastal planning by establishing a common starting point to adhere to when planning infrastructure and housing.
Finally, I also want to point out that the National Expert Council for Climate Adaptation at SMHI will present a climate and vulnerability analysis for Sweden in June. The basis will be an important foundation for the government to continue to work towards creating the conditions for Sweden to become climate-adapted and resilient.
Katarina Luhr (MP)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer. Unfortunately, I still lack an answer as to when and if we will see any result of the climate adaptation investigation that was presented more than a year ago.
We are currently in a situation where we know that we have a number of major decisions to make and that many more measures are required to protect Sweden and its inhabitants from the effects of a changed climate. This has been highlighted by many, from authorities and insurance companies to Svenskt näringsliv.
In May last year, after a relatively long process, the investigation Better conditions for climate adaptation was presented. The investigation was tasked with analyzing and, if necessary, proposing new or adapted legislation to streamline climate adaptation measures and ensure that they can be implemented. It was also tasked with identifying possible financing models for climate adaptation measures.
The investigation submitted eleven legislative proposals to create better conditions for implementing climate adaptation measures. Despite the government's directive that the measures should not cost the state anything, the investigation nevertheless proposed that the state should take on the responsibility for establishing protection against flooding from the sea along certain coastal stretches and submitted proposals for a process for this.
When the investigation was presented, the investigator highlighted, among other things, the risks of delaying measures and that, if one waits too long, it may be necessary to prioritize between different coastal communities and operations. One will then no longer be able to protect all coastal communities against rising sea levels. This was a clarity that one rarely hears from a state investigator, but for everyone who has worked with climate adaptation previously, it was a much-needed concession to the government.
The large-scale climate adaptation measures will be difficult, expensive, and take a long time to implement, and the state needs to take greater responsibility so that a broad effort can get underway. The report has been out for broad consultation. The deadline for the consultation was October 17, 2025. Eight months have passed since then, but we have still heard nothing from the government.
Today, many are waiting for a government bill, not least county administrative boards and municipalities, because several of the measures are highly anticipated and the needs are great. The legislative changes proposed in the report clarify, for example, the distribution of responsibility, something that the minister mentioned in the previous debate was important, and point out who needs to act. This is something that many have requested for a long time when it comes to precisely the climate adaptation issues.
We know that there is a great need for the climate adaptation investigation's proposals in municipalities and regions. I therefore want to ask acting Minister for Climate and Environment Johan Britz again: What has happened with the report, and why have we not seen any government bill yet? Does the Minister believe that the state should start a more extensive work to protect the coastal municipalities against the rising seas, and will the government act in this matter?
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! Climate adaptation is necessary in all areas of society and at all levels of society. The responsibility therefore lies with both the state, the municipality, and the individual property owner. The Government is therefore implementing a number of measures to strengthen climate adaptation. I mentioned some earlier, but I can repeat them.
We invest 500 million kronor annually in state grants to municipalities for the prevention of natural disasters. We also allocate 115 million kronor to counteract landslide, avalanche, and erosion risks in the Göta älvdalen.
Today, 32 national agencies and all 21 county administrative boards are responsible for the work on climate adaptation. That work includes measures to identify, map, and prevent climate risks. As I mentioned, SMHI runs the National Knowledge Centre for Climate Adaptation, which is a node for collective knowledge on climate adaptation in Sweden.
At the same time, the Civil Preparedness Authority and the Swedish Geotechnical Institute provide county administrative boards and municipalities with map materials for managing climate risks, Boverket coordinates the national climate adaptation work for the built environment, and the National Expert Council for Climate Adaptation produces a national climate and vulnerability analysis.
The investigation that Katarina Luhr refers to is being prepared. It contains a number of exciting proposals that we will look into further.
Katarina Luhr (MP)
Mr. Speaker and Minister! Sweden has until now been relatively spared from extreme weather compared to other countries. If I were to stand and say that to the residents of Gävle who were hit by floods after the heavy rainfalls in 2021 a few years ago, or to all forest owners or residents near the forests that burned after the hot and dry summer of 2018, perhaps not everyone would recognize themselves. Nor would it perhaps be the farmers who have been able to paddle canoes on their fields during some late summers in recent years.
Climate change is here, and it is already more or less visible and noticeable for most of us. As we have heard earlier in the debate, there has been severe drought during the spring this year and low water levels already in May in several parts of Sweden. The weather and the climate are changing, we know that, and now we need to manage the effects.
In the report that I am asking about today, solutions are put forward for several of the problems for climate adaptation work that have been highlighted for a long time. One thing that is taken up in the report is that the unclear responsibility needs to be clarified. The responsibility for climate adaptation is today spread between state, municipalities and private actors, and the investigation proposes much clearer roles for this. It is also desired that the municipalities should receive a greater responsibility for local adaptation, while the state should provide better guidance, knowledge and coordination, and I believe that we agree on that.
It is also argued that strengthened legislation and clearer requirements are needed. The investigation proposes that climate risks should be given much greater weight in the Planning and Building Act and that the municipalities must take more account of future climate changes in detailed development plans and building permits.
It is considered that better planning and greater long-term perspective are needed. Climate adaptation must be included in ordinary societal planning and should not be seen as a separate issue. It is also considered that decisions must be made with regard to future risks, not just today's climate.
One also sees that financing continues to be a major challenge. A critical issue that needs to be resolved relatively quickly is that there are no clear systems for who should pay for the climate adaptation. Here, the investigation points out a certain distribution of responsibility but also points out that in some cases state support is needed.
Finally, the investigation also points out the need for more knowledge and support. What I understand from the Minister's written response is that it is the latter part that is being worked on at present, namely to produce better decision-making bases for municipalities. It is a small part, but also actually the only part of the investigation that the municipalities themselves could do.
What the state needs to do today is to clarify and decide on the distribution of responsibility. The government needs to stand its ground and show clearer leadership. I would therefore like to ask the Minister which of the proposals in the investigation he and the government stand behind at this stage. I also want to ask if the government wants to point out any direction for the municipalities. Finally, I want to ask again if the government plans to present any of the proposals for legislative changes in the near future.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! An important part of the government's climate adaptation work, which is ongoing even if we do not have any answers to give regarding the entirety of the investigation that Katarina Luhr refers to, is to provide society's actors with adequate decision-making bases and different types of support and guidelines so that measures can be implemented.
Speaking of guidance, the government has decided on three new climate adaptation assignments.
SMHI shall, together with Boverket and Trafikverket, present proposals for national guidelines for climate adaptation. That assignment aims to create better predictability and guidance for, among other things, coastal planning.
The Government has also tasked SMHI with reviewing the Climate Adaptation Ordinance in order to develop the requirements for the authorities' work and contribute to a more socio-economically efficient, strategic, and action-oriented climate adaptation.
Finally, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute has been commissioned to map historical costs for landslides, rockslides, erosion, and flooding. That assignment aims to provide a better picture of the costs of climate change for society.
Overall, these assignments provide more guidance and better knowledge on how we should work with climate adaptation measures in the future.
Katarina Luhr (MP)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the debate.
I think the answers well correspond to what we have seen from the government during the mandate period when it comes to the work with climate and environment, not least the view on the long-term work that is needed to make Sweden safer: It really goes very slowly. Investigations move sluggishly. Deadlines are pushed forward. When investigators come with sharp proposals, one ducks. Either one claims that they do not have popular acceptance or one puts them away on a shelf.
I therefore wonder if the Minister thinks that the government should take a greater responsibility for climate adaptation than it does today. There is very much that we need to do to protect both people and their homes as well as important infrastructure from extreme weather. It is clear that we need to do this. We need to prevent before we are hit by heavy rainfall, droughts, fires or rising sea levels.
What I understand from this debate is that climate adaptation is not something that has been prioritized highly by the government. Therefore, I suspect that this too will become a task for a new government to address after the election. I would like to give the minister a chance to answer whether I am right or wrong in this case.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! The Government is taking more and more responsibility for climate adaptation work, which also takes place in municipalities and regions. In the climate adaptation strategy that the Government has presented, we note that rising sea levels are a pressing climate challenge, and we are working to strengthen preparedness for water security issues. It is precisely for that reason that we have had investigated what needs exist as well as what role and what responsibility the state should have regarding coastal protection for rising sea levels. It is also those proposals that are currently being prepared in the Government Offices.
Already today, responsible authorities are collaborating to produce knowledge bases and provide support for local and regional cooperation to manage rising sea levels and flood risks in built-up environments and in connection with physical planning. It is a task that we intend to continue with in order to create the conditions for Sweden to become climate-adapted and resilient.
With that, I would like to thank you very much for this debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.