Threatification, riskification, or normal politics? A review of Swedish climate adaptation policy 2005–2022

Abstract

While the securitization of climate change has attracted considerable attention in academia, there is less research on the securitization of climate adaptation. We study securitization trends in Swedish climate adaptation policy from 2005 to 2022 and investigate whether Swedish climate adaptation policy adheres to threatification, riskification, or normal politics. More specifically, we look at i) discourses, ii) actor constellations, and iii) tools and resources. We find that in 2005, extreme weather events triggered a discourse shift in climate adaptation from a non-political issue towards riskification. Sweden adopted a national climate adaptation strategy in 2018, framing climate change as a risk that can be controlled through adaptation. So far, climate adaptation is managed using existing tools and strategies including research and decision support, recommendations from expert agencies, and climate risk assessments. In a similar vein, actor constellations resemble the normal governance structure. Climate adaptation appears to be integrated into business-as-usual politics rather than enforcing risk governance, and managed through existing tools and strategies instead of prompting extraordinary measures beyond day-to-day operations.