Collaboration avenues and structures within local climate adaptation governance - The case of local climate adaptation governance in Sweden

Abstract: Climate change adaptation is essential to future-proof societies around the world. It is a cross-sectorial undertaking which requires collaboration, structure, long-term planning, and resources. Sweden has placed highly in international indices ranking climate work, yet scholars have recently argued that Sweden’s approach to climate questions, especially adaptation, is fragmented. This thesis furthers those arguments by thoroughly analysing Sweden’s internal collaboration avenues and structures. It brings forward which actors are key in Sweden’s adaptation work, which actors that are the ones experienced as most important by local governments, and how the organizational structure of key actors may influence adaptation work. It also exemplifies challenges within adaptation collaboration by highlighting a somewhat forgotten actor within adaptation, the Transport Administration, which oversees key infrastructure that must be adapted for the future. Moreover, the research highlights one possible avenue for more holistic adaptation, Robust Decision-Making. This thesis finds that; adaptation is not suitably integrated into current institutionalized governance processes; Key actors, mainly SMHI, MSB, CABs, and municipalities, have different structures and approaches to the question of adaptation, potentially inhibiting collaboration; That holistic adaptation approaches are not well utilized by municipalities and seems to be a mainly academic product, thus far.