Climate adaptation of infrastructure

The election manifesto declares a climate crisis and requires that the road network and railways be strengthened in large parts of Sweden. The party programme requires a comprehensive and long-term investment plan with expanded railways and a robust society built to handle crises. The counter-proposal's requirement for a targeted additional investment to climate-adapt existing infrastructure, especially railways, is in line with these commitments.

• strengthened railways and roadsdecisive»Vägnätet och järnvägen behöver rustas upp i stora delar av Sverige, när industrierna nu expanderar på nya platser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The road network and railways need to be strengthened in large parts of Sweden, when industries are now expanding in new places.”
• climate crisis»Vi befinner oss i ett klimatnödläge.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are in a climate crisis.”
• long-term investment plan»Det behövs en omfattande och långsiktig investeringsplan för det,« (party programme ↗)“There needs to be a comprehensive and long-term investment plan for that,”
• robust crisis-secure society»Vi vill se ett robust samhälle som är byggt för att klara olika« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a robust society that is built to handle different”

The election manifesto requires that preparedness against extreme weather is strengthened and that major investments in climate adaptation continue, and the party programme requires strong infrastructure for strengthened preparedness. A targeted additional investment to climate-proof existing infrastructure, especially railways, against landslides, erosion and heavy rainfall is an application of these explicit commitments. The plan is not satisfied with assuming that ordinary maintenance provides sufficient resilience.

• preparedness against extreme weatherdecisive»Stärk beredskapen mot extremväder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen preparedness against extreme weather.”
• continued climate adaptation investments»Vi vill fortsätta de stora investeringarna så att kommunerna kan klimatanpassa lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We wish to continue major investments so that municipalities can adapt locally to climate change.”
• robust infrastructure»Stark infrastruktur för stärkt beredskap.« (party programme ↗)“Strong infrastructure for strengthened preparedness.”
• improved maintenance»Förbättrat underhåll av vägar och järnvägar, huvudsakligen i statlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“Improved maintenance of roads and railways, mainly under state management.”

The election manifesto explicitly promises to invest in climate adaptation to meet the effects of climate change, and the party programme states that sufficient efforts are lacking and that the state shall take greater responsibility for preventive climate adaptation with stable financing. The plan also requires investments in maintenance and renovation of existing infrastructure. The counter-proposal's requirement for a targeted additional investment to climate-adapt infrastructure, particularly railways, is therefore supported.

• invest 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.”
• stable financing of climate adaptation»viktiga klimatanpassningsåtgärder får stabil finansiering.« (party programme ↗)“critical climate adaptation measures receive stable financing.”
• insufficient efforts today»Trots allvaret saknas tillräckliga insatser för att anpassa samhällen i tid.« (party programme ↗)“Despite the seriousness, sufficient efforts to adapt societies in time are lacking.”
• renovation of existing infrastructure»Det krävs även satsningar på underhåll och upprustning av befintlig infrastruktur,« (party programme ↗)“It also requires investments in maintenance and renovation of existing infrastructure,”

The plan puts climate first and at the same time requires reliable infrastructure throughout the country, with upgraded railways and better road maintenance year-round. A targeted investment in climate-adapting existing infrastructure against landslides, erosion and heavy rainfall is an application of both these commitments. Therefore, the counter-proposal's demand for additional resources is supported.

• upgraded railwaydecisive»Vi vill rusta upp regionala järnvägar, bygga nya stambanor från norr till söder, höja standarden på det nationella stambanenätet i hela landet och storsatsa på morgondagens tågtrafik — för klimatets och landsbygdens bästa.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to upgrade regional railways, build new main lines from north to south, raise the standard of the national main railway network throughout the country and make a major investment in tomorrow's rail traffic — for the sake of the climate and the countryside.”
• better road maintenance»Landsbygden behöver bättre vägar och bättre tillgång till cykelvägar. Vi vill rusta upp vägarna, göra dem mer trafiksäkra för alla trafikanter, förbättra belysningen, vägunderhållet året runt och bygga fler laddstolpar och snabbladdare i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The countryside needs better roads and better access to cycle paths. We want to upgrade the roads, make them more traffic-safe for all road users, improve lighting, road maintenance year-round and build more charging stations and fast chargers throughout the country.”
• climate first»Centerpartiet sätter klimatet först, för att framtiden måste vara grön.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Centre Party puts climate first, because the future must be green.”
• reliable infrastructure throughout the country»Hela landet ska ha tillgång till en pålitlig infrastruktur, snabbt bredband och pålitlig mobiltäckning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The entire country shall have access to reliable infrastructure, fast broadband and reliable mobile coverage.”

The plan requires societal planning to manage the consequences of climate change and establishes that the rail network is in urgent need of modernization. A targeted effort to climate-adapt existing infrastructure, especially the railways, follows from both commitments. The counter-proposal's demand for extra funding is therefore supported, even if the plan does not specify levels.

• planning for consequences of climatedecisive»Det behövs samhällsplanering för att klara klimatförändringarnas följder, till exempel höjda vattennivåer.« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for societal planning to manage the consequences of climate change, for example rising water levels.”
• modernized railways»Järnvägsnätet för gods- och persontransporter är i starkt behov av upprustning och utbyggnad« (party programme ↗)“The rail network for freight and passenger transport is in urgent need of modernization and expansion”
• large infrastructure investments»Sverige behöver fortsatt stora investeringar i infrastruktur.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs continued large investments in infrastructure.”
• robust existing railways»Vi vill bygga bort järnvägsnätets flaskhalsar och så att tågen går i tid här och nu« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to eliminate the rail network's bottlenecks and make trains run on time here and now”

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 places on the state the responsibility to maintain the investment level in road and rail infrastructure at a high level in the long term, and the stewardship principle requires that the consequences of decisions are weighed in a future perspective. The counter-proposal's targeted additional investment to climate-adapt existing infrastructure against landslides, erosion and flooding is precisely such stewardship of already built assets. The election manifesto's prioritization of upgrading the neglected points in the same direction.

• high investment level in infrastructuredecisive»Staten har ansvar för att investeringsnivån i kommunikationssystemens infrastruktur såsom vägar, järnvägar och elektroniska kommunikationskanaler hålls på en långsiktigt hög nivå så att ekonomisk utveckling och regional balans främjas« (party programme ↗)“The state has responsibility for maintaining the investment level in communication system infrastructure such as roads, railways and electronic communication channels at a long-term high level so that economic development and regional balance are promoted”
• upgrade neglected infrastructure»Miljardsatsning för att rusta eftersatta vägar i hela landet - istället för att bygga dyra höghastighetståg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Billion investment to upgrade neglected roads throughout the country - instead of building expensive high-speed trains.”
• stewardship in a future perspective»Alla politiska beslut bör fattas i enlighet med förvaltarskapsprincipen, vilket innebär att konsekvenserna av besluten ska beaktas utifrån ett framtidsperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“All political decisions should be made in accordance with the stewardship principle, which means that the consequences of decisions shall be considered from a future perspective.”
• the precautionary principle»Det förutsätter också att agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“This also requires that action is based on the precautionary principle.”

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 stated priority is to upgrade the railway that already exists instead of vanity projects, and that high-quality infrastructure is decisive throughout the country. A targeted initiative to make existing railway and road resilient against landslides, erosion and cloudbursts lies within exactly that priority. The party programme also recognises climate change as a real threat that requires human action.

• upgrade existing railwaydecisive»Rusta upp dagens järnväg i stället för att satsa på höghastighetståg som riskerar att vara omoderna redan innan de är klara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade today's railway instead of investing in high-speed trains that risk being outdated before they are complete”
• high-quality infrastructure»En infrastruktur av hög kvalitet är viktig för jobb och tillväxt i alla delar av landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A high-quality infrastructure is important for jobs and growth in all parts of the country.”
• maintained roads»Laga Sveriges vägar så att du kan komma fram säkert och i tid« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Fix Sweden's roads so you can get there safely and on time”
• climate threat is real»Klimatförändringarna är ett hot mot vår framtid, de beror« (party programme ↗)“Climate change is a threat to our future, it depends”

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 election manifesto states that railways are neglected with weak track beds and requires that the existing road and rail network be upgraded and maintained instead of funds going to new prestige projects. The counter-proposal's targeted additional investment to protect existing infrastructure against landslides, erosion, and cloudbursts is precisely such an investment in the network we already have. The plan therefore supports the demand.

• neglected railwaysdecisive»Järnvägen är eftersatt och på sina håll får tågen köra mycket långsamt på grund av krokig sträckning och svaga banvallar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Railways are neglected and in places trains have to run very slowly due to winding routes and weak track beds.”
• maintenance of existing network»Dessa medel bör istället riktas för att underhålla och förbättra det väg- och järnvägsnät vi redan har, med snabbare resultat som kommer fler medborgare till gagn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“These funds should instead be directed to maintain and improve the road and rail network we already have, with faster results that benefit more citizens.”
• upgraded railway network»Rusta upp väg- och järnvägsnätet i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade the road and rail network throughout the country”
• better maintenance»Förbättra underhållet av vägar och järnväg« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve maintenance of roads and railways”

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.