Climate adaptation of the built environment

The plan describes a climate emergency and demands that all political decisions take account of the acute crisis as well as ambitious environmental goals that are monitored through strict legislation. The counter-proposal's demands for clearer legislation on responsibility for storm water and surface water, national monitoring of municipalities and binding emission targets for the building sector is an application of that commitment. The plan moreover wants greater societal control and planning of construction so that it becomes climate-smart.

• climate considerations in 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.”
• strict climate legislation»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are monitored through strict legislation and practical work.”
• societal direction of construction»Med större kontroll och planering från samhällets sida, kan byggandet både öka i takt och bli miljösmart och lagra kol istället för att släppa ut koldioxid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With greater control and planning from society's side, construction can both increase in pace and become climate-smart and store carbon instead of releasing carbon dioxide.”
• climate emergency»Vi befinner oss i ett klimatnödläge.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are in a climate emergency.”

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 commits to strengthening preparedness for extreme weather and continuing the large investments so that municipalities can adapt locally to climate change. The counter-proposal's requirements for clearer responsibility legislation, national monitoring of municipalities' work and raised ambition for governance and financing go in the same direction. The requirement for climate perspective in all decisions also supports binding emissions targets for the building sector.

• funded municipal 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 locally to climate change.”
• preparedness for extreme weather»Stärk beredskapen mot extremväder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen preparedness for extreme weather.”
• climate perspective in all decisions»Klimatperspektiv på alla nivåer av beslut och beslutsfattande.« (party programme ↗)“Climate perspective at all levels of decision and decision-making.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme explicitly requires that the division of responsibility between the state, municipalities and other actors is clarified and that climate adaptation measures receive stable financing, and notes that sufficient efforts are lacking today. Climate adaptation should also be an obvious and integrated part of societal planning. The counter-proposal's requirements for clearer legislation on responsibility, national monitoring, increased ambition in governance and financing, and binding emission targets for the construction sector follow from these commitments.

• clear division of responsibility for climate adaptationdecisive»Vi vill tydliggöra ansvarsfördelningen mellan stat, kommuner och andra aktörer« (party programme ↗)“We want to clarify the division of responsibility between the state, municipalities and other actors”
• climate adaptation in societal planning»Miljöpartiet vill att klimatanpassning ska vara en självklar och integrerad del av« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party wants climate adaptation to be an obvious and integrated part of”
• investments in climate adaptation»investera i klimatanpassning för att möta effekterna av klimatförändringarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest in climate adaptation to meet the effects of climate change.”
• legally binding climate targets»juridiskt bindande klimatmål som ligger i linje med forskningen.« (party programme ↗)“legally binding climate targets that are in line with research.”

The plan requires effective climate leadership and describes climate change as the greatest environmental threat, while societal preparedness for crisis shall be strengthened. Clearer legislation on responsibility for cloudbursts and stormwater and a higher ambition for climate adaptation of existing buildings follow from this. However, the plan's warning against symbolic politics and expensive regulations makes support for binding emissions targets for the building sector less clear.

• effective climate leadershipdecisive»Sverige behöver ett handlingskraftigt klimatledarskap som gör skillnad på riktigt. För att övervinna klimathotet måste vi ta vara på teknikens möjligheter och företagens innovationskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs effective climate leadership that makes a real difference. To overcome the climate threat we must make use of technology's opportunities and enterprise's innovative power.”
• climate threat as primary environmental threat»Klimatförändringarna är det största miljöhotet mänskligheten känner.« (party programme ↗)“Climate change is the greatest environmental threat humanity faces.”
• strengthened societal preparedness»Även det civila försvaret är livsviktigt. Vi måste rusta civilförsvaret och samhällets beredskap inför krig och kris.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil defence too is vital. We must strengthen civil defence and societal preparedness for war and crisis.”
• effective measures over symbolic politics»Ett ledarskap som prioriterar effektiva åtgärder framför symbolpolitik eller passivitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Leadership that prioritizes effective measures over symbolic politics or passivity.”

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 states that spatial planning is needed to manage the consequences of climate change, such as rising water levels, and that future communities shall be built sustainably. A clearer regulatory framework for who is responsible for stormwater, heavy rainfall and resulting damage lies in line with that commitment. At the same time, the plan requires that climate policy is effective and warns against detailed regulation, which makes support for binding sectoral targets weaker; overall the climate adaptation commitment weighs heaviest.

• planning for climate adaptationdecisive»Det behövs samhällsplanering för att klara klimatförändringarnas« (party programme ↗)“Spatial planning is needed to manage the consequences of climate change,”
• sustainable construction»Framtidens samhällen måste byggas på ett miljömässigt hållbart sätt.« (party programme ↗)“Future communities must be built in an environmentally sustainable way.”
• effective climate policy»Klimatpolitiken måste vara effektiv och långsiktig« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must be effective and long-term”
• rejects detailed regulation»detaljstyrning av människors vardagsliv« (party programme ↗)“detailed regulation of people's everyday life”

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 stewardship and precautionary principles require extra caution in the risk of irreversible environmental damage, and the plan explicitly states legislation with bans and limits as a strategic instrument. Clearer liability rules and increased ambition for climate adaptation of existing buildings follow from this, as well as from the requirement that housing environmental burden be considered in a life cycle perspective. Increased state control of municipalities, however, is in tension with the subsidiarity principle, which lowers certainty.

• the precautionary principledecisive»skada på miljön, måste extra försiktighet tillämpas.« (party programme ↗)“damage to the environment, extra caution must be applied.”
• regulation as environmental instrument»Lagstiftning med förbud och gränsvärden« (party programme ↗)“Legislation with bans and limits”
• life cycle perspective in construction»Bostäders belastning på miljön ur ett livscykelperspektiv ska beaktas.« (party programme ↗)“Housing's burden on the environment from a life cycle perspective shall be considered.”
• municipal self-governance as a limit»Subsidiaritetsprincipen innebär att det som en liten gemenskap själv klarar av att hantera ska« (party programme ↗)“The subsidiarity principle means that what a small community can handle itself should”

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 wants to simplify building regulations and let decisions be taken at the lowest effective level, not increase state control of municipalities or impose binding sector targets on the construction industry. According to the plan, climate policy shall be effective and focused on electrification, technology and cost-effective measures, preferably international. The counter-proposal's demands for higher ambition levels for control and financing and binding emission targets for the construction sector lack support in the plan.

• municipal self-governancedecisive»Det politiska systemet ska bygga på att beslut fattas på lägsta« (party programme ↗)“The political system shall be based on decisions being taken at the lowest”
• simplified building regulations»Ersätta avancerade detaljplaner med enklare byggplaner« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Replace advanced detailed plans with simpler building plans”
• cost-effective climate policy»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbolic politics”
• cheapest emissions reduction first»Samtidigt är kostnaden för att minska utsläppen genom internationella klimatinsatser ofta mycket lägre än för att minska utsläppen i Sverige« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Meanwhile, the cost of reducing emissions through international climate initiatives is often much lower than reducing emissions in Sweden”

The counter-proposal demands increased ambition level for governance and financing and binding targets for climate emissions from the construction sector. The plan on the contrary states that stricter Swedish requirements than in the rest of the world risk knocking out Swedish industries and that Swedish climate targets should be aligned with the EU level, and wants to stop symbolic politics that hinders business. The plan also wants to simplify, not tighten, the regulations around planning and construction.

• no Swedish special requirements on emissionsdecisive»Strängare miljö- och utsläppskrav i Sverige jämfört med i omvärlden riskerar ofta att slå ut svenska näringar och få globalt kontraproduktiva resultat när det kommer till de mål kraven syftar till att uppnå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stricter environmental and emission requirements in Sweden compared to the rest of the world often risk knocking out Swedish industries and producing globally counterproductive results when it comes to the goals the requirements aim to achieve.”
• climate targets in line with EU»De svenska klimatmålen bör anpassas till den klimatlagstiftning som finns på EU-nivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish climate targets should be aligned with the climate legislation that exists at EU level”
• no to hindering symbolic politics»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that undermines the ability to conduct industry and commerce”
• simplified building regulations»Anpassa och förenkla regler och processer för planering och byggnation« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Adapt and simplify rules and processes for planning and construction”