Climate change in Sweden

In Sweden, climate has always varied, though the rise in temperatures and precipitation over the past 15 years has been unusually large, from a 100-year perspective (Sweden Commission on Climate and Vulnerability, 2007). Below is the summary of expected climate changes in Sweden (Johansson and Mobjörk, 2009).

-          Temperature increase 3-5 C by 2080

-          Increase number of warm days

-          Increase precipitation in autumn, winter, and spring all over the country

-          Warmer and drier summers especially in the southern parts

-          More heavy rainfall events in autumn and winter

-          Higher water flow and more frequent flooding

-          Up to 0.8 sea level rise in southern parts

One of the significant impacts of climate change in Sweden which effects largely human settlements is increased risk of extreme weather events. Some of the recent extreme weather events in Sweden are:

Storm Gudrun, 8 January 2005: 

The strong winds of storm Gudrun, falling trees and pieces of timber flying around caused major disruption and damage to the infrastructure for electricity, electronic communications, roads and railways. The indirect consequences were serious, due to society’s huge dependence on electricity and telecommunications. Various functions were affected, including water supply, care of the elderly, heating and transport (Sweden Commission on Climate and Vulnerability, 2007).

A number of floods have affected many areas of the country since 2000:  

The road sector has been hit hard in recent years by serious water flows and flooding. Recent flooding has also had negative impacts on dams (Sweden Commission on Climate and Vulnerability, 2007). 

Over 55 large landslides, with a spread of at least one hectare, have occurred in Sweden over the past 100 years:  

The most likely soils to suffer landslides are marine clays which, due to rising land levels, have risen above sea level (quick clay). Particularly vulnerable areas include the Göta Älv valley and other valleys in western Sweden. The landslides caused immense damage primarily to buildings, but also to infrastructure. In the Göta Älv valley, shipping is often affected by underwater slides (Sweden Commission on Climate and Vulnerability, 2007).

In summer 2006, a road and rail embankment was 

washed away at Ånn in Jämtland after intensive rain 

upstream, resulting in a high flow and erosion.

  

In the table below, you can see examples of major projected impacts of climate change in Sweden divided by sector.

Sources:

Sweden Commission on Climate and Vulnerability, 2007, "Sweden Facing Climate Change- threats and opportunities", Swedish Government Official Reports, SOU 2007:60

Johansson B. and Mobjörk M., 2009, "Climate Adaptation in Sweden, Organization and Experiences", FOI, Swedish Defense Research Agency