Slow Emergency but Urgent Action! What to make of Climate Emergency Statements by Municipalities?

In June 2022, Josefine Henman completed her Master’s thesis research at Lund University in Sweden on the topic of municipal climate emergency statements. She focused on the political implications of the statements by three municipalities in Sweden, and the extent to which the climate strategies of these municipalities correspond to what is considered a climate emergency mode. In this article, Kes McCormick interviews Josefine on her key findings for research and practice.

In recent years, more than 2000 jurisdictions worldwide have declared a climate emergency. While such declarations have been found to have the potential to spark transformative climate action, the scholarly knowledge of this emerging phenomenon remains limited and there is much disagreement about the merits and effects of climate emergency framings.

This thesis addresses this research gap by exploring the climate emergency statements issued by the Swedish cities of Lund, Malmö and Kalmar. To gather empirical data, semi-structured interviews with relevant local actors were conducted, as well as a review of climate strategy documents of the municipalities.

KES: Can you explain the topic of your research?

JOSEFINE: I have studied the emerging phenomenon of framing climate change as an ‘emergency’. In recent years, more than 2000 cities worldwide — which cover over 1 billion people — have issued formal climate emergency declarations (CEDs), often as a result of demands from climate activist groups such as “Fridays For Future” and “Extinction Rebellion”.

I find this topic fascinating, because while climate emergency framings have been found to have the potential to spark transformative climate action, the scholarly knowledge of CEDs remains limited and there is much disagreement about their merits. Also, previous studies show significant variety in the scope and implications of CEDs issued to this date. And until now, no studies had been conducted on the topic from a Swedish perspective.

Therefore, my research explores the role of CEDs in relation to Swedish urban climate action. Specifically, I focus on the three Swedish cities that have made formal climate emergency statements — Lund, Malmo and Kalmar. Through this focus, my aim has been to contribute to the understanding of if and how climate emergency framings can spark transformative local climate action, and how the climate emergency statements by Swedish cities can be understood in relation to CEDs issued elsewhere.

KES: What were the methods and approach behind your research?

JOSEFINE: My research followed a qualitative, explorative design and it was guided by two research questions. First, I explored the perceived political implications of the climate emergency statements. Second, I looked at the extent to which the climate strategies of the three cities correspond to what is considered a climate emergency mode.

To gather data, I conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with local politicians, civil servants, and climate activists, and reviewed the main climate strategy document of each of the three cities. To analyze the collected data, I applied and tested two recently developed frameworks — the typology of political effects of emergency framings by Patterson et al (2021), and the climate emergency response attributes framework by Davidson et al (2020).

KES: What were the key findings from your research and data?

JOSEFINE: I found that the political implications of the climate emergency statements are perceived to be rather limited. It seems like the statements neither have disrupted or reinforced the overall discourse, and there are no noticeable shifts in the factual operations of the municipalities as a result of the statements. However, my findings indicate that the statements — at least to some extent — have empowered the climate movement, and invited reflections on the capacity of municipalities to act on the climate crisis.

Moreover, the document review suggests that the cities exhibit — at least implicitly — many of the attributes that are suggested to be signs of a climate emergency mode. At the same time, there seems to be a lack of prioritization of climate issues in the municipal strategies, and a gap between stated goals and concrete action.

Thus, rather than driving transformative change per se, my research suggests that the climate emergency statements might be considered potential stepping stones for transformative change, as they shine light on challenging aspects of municipal climate action, related to the responsibility and possibility of cities to act on the climate crisis, sprung from the position of cities vis-a-vis other political levels, as well as vis-a-vis citizens.

KES: Were there any surprises in your findings?

JOSEFINE: I was surprised by what I would call the perceived ‘dual nature’ of the climate emergency statements — with regards to their (a)political character and (mere) symbolic value — that emerged from my findings. The statements seem to be perceived as both highly political and as apolitical, scientific descriptions of reality, and to be considered both empty words and important stepping stones for climate action. I would say that these dualities pinpoint a central question that arguably needs to be considered in a ‘climate emergency’, namely “What is the role of symbolic action in times of crisis?”

KES: What are your key recommendations for action?

JOSEFINE: If symbolic acts such as the Swedish municipal climate emergency statements are to assist transformative change, they must be coupled with political and practical action. The findings of my research indicate a gap between stated goals and concrete action. To close that gap — and to do so in a democratic and socially just way — it is not unlikely that a re-evaluation of the capacity and responsibility of cities is needed. Here, lessons could be drawn from other recent ‘emergencies’, such as the rapid and extensive action orchestrated globally to respond to the pandemic and its lasting impacts.

Moreover, to take advantage of the public demand for radical climate action, cities are recommended to enhance their commitment of involving citizens in the transition, and to dedicate time and resources to develop and find new strategies for meaningful citizen dialogue. For the climate movement and other advocators for CEDs, the overall recommendation would be to (continue to) hold city councils accountable for what they promise, as this seems to have the potential to empower the movement as well as those local politicians and civil servants that want to see an acceleration of the municipal climate action.

Kes McCormick is an Associate Professor at Lund University in Sweden. He acted as a supervisor for Josefine Henman on her Master’s thesis research. Click here to download the full thesis.