Disturbing the dead: Climate change and the potential relocation of Swedish cemeteries

Abstract

This study focuses on the contradiction of mobility and immobility in relation to interred human remains. While society generally embraces human mobility, once individuals pass away and are disposed of, mobility ceases to be the norm. Some counties, like Sweden, has a rigid burial legislation that prohibits the re-location of interred human remains. However, both society- and climate-related events are increasingly affecting the eternal rest of the deceased. Utilizing quantitative data on all cemeteries in Sweden, this study aims to assess and analyse the potential magnitude of future large-scale moves of human remains due to expected impacts of climate change, and to put this into a relational context of norms and laws. Results show that climate change poses an apparent risk to cemeteries in Sweden, especially in the south-west of the country, and that this is mainly caused by increased risk of landslides and erosion, as a result of expected increased precipitation. A low estimate state that by the end of this century, some 30.000 interred remains and some 146.000 living survivors will likely be affected by climate-related risks.