National Audit Office report on government efforts for climate adaptation of the built environment

The plan states a climate emergency where all political decisions must take account of the acute crisis and where the state must take greater responsibility through long-term societal planning and climate investments. To steer the state grant towards the most pressing preventive measures against natural disasters and increase the long-term nature of financing follows from this. The plan does not address the committee's reasons that the work is in a development phase and should be evaluated first.

• climate crisis governs all decisionsdecisive»Omställningen behöver ske omgående och alla politiska beslut behöver ta hänsyn till den akuta kris som vi befinner oss i.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The transition needs to happen immediately and all political decisions need to take account of the acute crisis we are in.”
• climate emergency»Vi befinner oss i ett klimatnödläge.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are in a climate emergency.”
• long-term planning and climate investments»Därför behövs en kraftfull lagstiftning, ekonomiska styrmedel, långsiktig samhällsplanering, klimatinvesteringar« (party programme ↗)“Therefore we need strong legislation, economic instruments, long-term societal planning, climate investments”
• state takes greater responsibility»Utbyggnaden av transportinfrastruktur och fiber går alldeles för sakta, staten behöver gå in och ta ett större ansvar för utbyggnaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The expansion of transport infrastructure and fibre is going far too slowly, the state needs to take greater responsibility for the expansion.”

The election manifesto explicitly promises continued large investments so that municipalities can adapt to climate change locally, with reference to downpours, drought and forest fires in Sweden. That directly bears the counter-proposal's requirement for increased long-term funding and for government grants to go to the most urgent projects. The party programme moreover requires the party to act swiftly in climate work.

• government funding for climate adaptationdecisive»Vi vill fortsätta de stora investeringarna så att kommunerna kan klimatanpassa lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue the large investments so that municipalities can adapt to climate change locally.”
• preparedness against extreme weather»Konsekvenserna av klimatförändringarna syns alltmer här i Sverige. Skogsbränder hotar folks hem. Skyfall svämmar över stadskärnor och torka slår ut skördar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The consequences of climate change are increasingly visible here in Sweden. Forest fires threaten people's homes. Downpours flood city centres and drought destroys crops.”
• long-term climate framework»Det klimatpolitiska ramverket ska ligga fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate policy framework shall remain fixed.”
• swift climate responsibility»Vi socialdemokrater ser det som vår uppgift att ta initiativet och agera skyndsamt« (party programme ↗)“We social democrats see it as our task to take the initiative and act swiftly”

The election manifesto explicitly promises investments in climate adaptation to meet the effects of climate change, and the party programme requires coordination and resources to seriously reduce society's vulnerability to extreme rainfall and flooding. The counter-proposal's requirement that state grants be directed to the most pressing projects and that funding becomes longer-term is precisely such a strengthening. The plan therefore supports the demand.

• investments in climate adaptationdecisive»investera i klimatanpassning för att möta effekterna av klimatförändringarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest in climate adaptation to meet the effects of climate change.”
• reduce society's vulnerability»kräver ett arbete med klimatanpassning för att minska samhällets sårbarhet« (party programme ↗)“requires work on climate adaptation to reduce society's vulnerability”
• adapt built environment for extreme rainfall»anpassa äldreboenden, skolor och förskolor för att klara skyfall och hetta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“adapt care homes for the elderly, schools and preschools to handle extreme rainfall and heat.”

The plan puts climate first and requires leadership that prioritizes effective measures over symbolism and inaction, which directly bears the requirement that government funding for preventive measures against natural disasters be directed to the most urgent projects. The plan also sees rapid and concrete climate action as worthwhile compared to inaction, which speaks for increased long-term planning in financing. The requirement that public funds be used well points the same way.

• effective measures over symbolismdecisive»Ett ledarskap som prioriterar effektiva åtgärder framför symbolpolitik eller passivitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Leadership that prioritizes effective measures over symbolism or inaction.”
• early climate action pays off»Snabba, konkreta åtgärder för klimatet lönar sig« (party programme ↗)“Quick, concrete action for the climate pays off”
• climate first»Centerpartiet sätter klimatet först, för att framtiden måste vara grön.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Center Party puts climate first, because the future must be green.”
• targeted use of public funds»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Politics must manage taxpayers' money carefully.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly says that there is a need for urban planning to manage the consequences of climate change, which is exactly what the state grant against natural disasters shall finance. Liberal environmental policy shall build on responsibility-taking and effective instruments rather than symbolism, which supports the requirement that funds are directed to the most urgent projects and given long-term stability. The plan however does not state its position on the grant's design, so the position is derived.

• planning for climate adaptationdecisive»Det behövs samhällsplanering för att klara klimatförändringarnas följder« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for urban planning to manage the consequences of climate change”
• effective measures instead of symbolism»En klimatpolitik som ersätter den symbolpolitik där bidrag betalas ut till klimatångest i stället för det vi vet är allra viktigast: mer ny teknik, mer internationellt samarbete och fler effektiva styrmedel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A climate policy that replaces the symbol politics where grants are paid out against climate anxiety instead of what we know is the most important: more new technology, more international cooperation, and more effective instruments.”
• knowledge-based environmental policy»Liberal miljöpolitik handlar om ansvarstagande utifrån kunskap och marknadsekonomiskt tänkande.« (party programme ↗)“Liberal environmental policy is about responsibility-taking based on knowledge and market-economy thinking.”
• restored wetlands»Den naturliga koldioxidinlagringen ska stärkas genom att fler tidigare våtmarker återställs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Natural carbon storage shall be strengthened by restoring more previously wetland areas.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

Stewardship and the precautionary principle require that measures be taken where the risk of irreversible damage is greatest, which is the meaning of the requirement that state grants shall go to the most urgent projects. The plan requires the state to support municipalities that cannot manage the task themselves and requires that decisions be made with a future perspective, which argues for increased long-term thinking in financing.

• the precautionary principledecisive»också att agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“also that action is based on the precautionary principle.”
• decisions with a future perspective»Alla politiska beslut bör fattas i enlighet med förvaltarskapsprincipen« (party programme ↗)“All political decisions should be made in accordance with the principle of stewardship”
• state support to municipalities»Det är en statlig uppgift att stödja kommuner som« (party programme ↗)“It is a state task to support municipalities”
• impact assessment in planning»Inför planbeslut ska konsekvensbeskrivningar göras, som beskriver hur olika delar av samhället påverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Before planning decisions, impact assessments shall be prepared, describing how different parts of society are affected.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that climate and environmental policy shall be based on science and maintained with very high precision, and rejects expensive symbolic politics. Directing the state grant for preventive measures against natural disasters to the most pressing projects and making financing more long-term is precisely the kind of accuracy and stewardship across generations that the plan demands. The demand thus aligns with the plan's commitments.

• knowledge-based environmental policyweak support»Vetenskap och fakta ska vara ledande i klimat- och miljöpolitiken.« (party programme ↗)“Science and facts shall be leading in climate and environmental policy.”
• against ineffective symbolic politicsdecisive»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik eller snäv klimatnationalism.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy shall never be reduced to expensive symbolic politics or narrow climate nationalism.”
• stewardship across generations»Vårt förvaltaransvar är ett ansvar mot kommande generationer,« (party programme ↗)“Our stewardship responsibility is a responsibility to coming generations,”
• accurate use of tax funds»Offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas.« (party programme ↗)“Public waste in all forms shall be combated.”

flags: citat_svagt

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's environmental line is to seek the measures that deliver the most environmental benefit per krona and that municipalities should be given increased support in environmental work. That the state grant for preventive measures against natural disasters is directed to the most urgent projects and receives increased long-term focus directly meets this efficiency requirement and the requirement for clear results from every public investment. The plan, however, does not specifically mention climate adaptation of the built environment.

• most environmental benefit per kronadecisive»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find the measures that deliver the most environmental benefit per krona”
• support for municipalities' environmental work»Kommunerna måste ges ökat stöd och hjälp i miljöarbetet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Municipalities must be given increased support and help in environmental work.”
• results requirement for investments»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Demand clear results from every public investment”
• planning for natural disasters»Analysera och planera för olika typer av stora kriser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Analyse and plan for different types of major crises”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.