Stockholm. At the end of August, Greta Thunberg was once again active in her hometown of Stockholm. This time the activist was not concerned with Gaza, but with the issue that made her famous worldwide: climate protection. Together with around 10,000 other people, the 23-year-old demonstrated for Sweden to become more involved here.
On September 13th, almost 8.2 million eligible voters will be called upon to re-elect the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament. And unlike in many other countries, climate protection still plays an important role. So can we still win elections with this issue?
Political scientist Andreas Duit believes it is entirely possible that the right-wing conservative Tidö government will collapse over the issue. Many Swedes are disappointed that the ruling coalition has rolled back many climate protection measures, says the professor, who researches comparative environmental policy at Stockholm University.
A left-wing alliance, led by the Social Democrats under the leadership of former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, has been leading the polls for a long time. But recently Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's Tidö coalition, which governs as a minority government with the support of the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, has narrowed the gap.
The great climate euphoria that existed at the end of the 2010s has now disappeared in Sweden too. But the topic is still important to people. According to a study by the public authority Naturvärdsverket, 93 percent of Swedes are convinced that they will be affected by the effects of the climate crisis now or in the future. Climate deniers play a negligible role in public discourse.
The policies of the right-wing conservative government have led to Sweden now having the lowest petrol price in the European Union. But: “Even most right-wing voters recognize that something needs to be done about climate change,” says Duit.
The industry has also invested a lot in environmental protection measures in the hope of being competitive on global markets. The Tidö government's restrictive climate policy is therefore also met with criticism within its own ranks.
And there are enough parties that are courting disappointed voters. The Social Democrats are taking a particularly moderate approach. Unlike in Germany, they are stable in Sweden and are the strongest force in surveys with 27 percent.
The party tries to present climate protection as necessary, but at the same time wants to protect citizens from unreasonable demands. “Climate change affects your everyday life – through the weather, prices and the jobs of the future,” the Social Democrats address voters. “At the same time, it should be possible to lead a completely normal life, regardless of where in the country you live.”
The liberal and rural center party, which according to surveys is at 8.6 percent, also represents a proactive climate policy. On the left of center, the Miljöpartiet and the Vänster, the counterparts of the Greens and the Left in Sweden, are calling for strong environmental policies.
Specifically, it is about more sustainable energy sources such as sun and wind, a waiver of the expansion of nuclear power and higher gasoline prices. With demands like these, the Miljöpartie achieved a good seven percent in the polls, a good two percentage points more than four years ago. The fact that the party cannot go any further is because the Miljöpartiet represents a very permissive immigration policy, which in turn scares off voters to the right of center, says Duit.
All of these green parties could bring about a change of government and vote out the Tidö government. However, the current Swedish political landscape also allows for a lot of political poker. After election Sunday, many alliances are theoretically conceivable - especially against the background of a possible renewed minority government.
But the left-wing parties no longer want to have anything to do with climate activism à la Greta Thunberg. As recently as 2019, at the beginning of the climate strikes that swept the world from Sweden, social democrat Andersson praised Thunberg as fantastic and spoke of an “existential crisis”. But the climate activists are now too radical for many political actors.
The Miljöpartiet posted a poster in 2018: "Now. The climate cannot wait." The posters showed polar bears on ice floes and angry students. Today, party leaders Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén are pictured with the much more relaxed caption “Sweden wins with green politics.”
The fact that the climate is no longer very important is also due to the multitude of other problems that the green parties are confronted with. The overwhelmed health and care system, taxes, migration, the privatization of schools. There are also geopolitical issues such as the threat from Russia or trade conflicts.
Who continues to raise the alarm with urgency is Greta Thunberg. The climate activist is back in Swedish cities and wrote on Instagram after a protest in Gothenburg on Sunday: “Let’s make this year’s election a climate election!”
