Climate adaptation in multi‐level governance systems: Security, risk, or normal politics?

Abstract

Using a securitization lens, this article explores the climate adaptation discourse and its impact on the making and implementation of adaptation strategies in Sweden. The main goal is to discern whether climate change is understood and addressed as a security issue within Swedish climate adaptation policy, examining its practical implications from national to local levels. We scrutinize the discourses employed to frame climate adaptation and assess whether these align with threatification, riskification, or normal politics. We explore the actors and tools involved in creating this framing. Our findings reveal examples of threat‐ and risk‐oriented securitizations of climate adaptation strategy; however, most evidence highlights discourses and practices associated with normal politics across governance levels. Nationally, climate adaptation is managed akin to any other policy domain. Prioritization of adaptation goals takes place through centralized decision‐making, then monitored through accountability mechanisms spanning national, subregional, and local levels. The national government maintains financial and monitoring control throughout this chain. Municipalities possess significant autonomy in determining the means and methods to achieve adaptation objectives. This indicates that some securitization, but mainly normal policymaking, describes climate change adaption in Sweden ‐ an outcome strongly influenced by organizational fragmentation, scarce resources, and a pronounced role for experts.