SMHI, the Strategic Research Areas MERGE and BECC, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research held inaugural Swedish Climate Symposium on 16–18 May, 2022, in Norrköping, Sweden. The conference was opened on 16 May in the presence of HRH Crown Princess Victoria

Climate change impacts human society, the physical environment and the ecosystems we depend on. The publication of the 6^th Assessment Report (AR6) of the IPCC in 2021 & 2022 represents the latest landmark summary of our understanding of the physical climate system and how it is changing in response to human activity, as well as the impacts of climate change, mitigation options, and adaptation needs.   

Plenary sessions in the inaugural Swedish Climate Symposium 2022 highlighted the main conclusions of the AR6 and its consequences for Sweden. A series of topical parallel sessions brought together climate scientists to present their contributions to fundamental climate research, providing the necessary foundation for climate assessments such as the AR6. With these sessions, world-leading expertise in climate-related modelling, experimental and field work, the role of paleoclimate science, observations, impact studies, mitigation strategies, climate change interactions with biological diversity and ecosystem services, and the economic and governance aspects of climate change was presented. Scheduled poster and mingle sessions gave scientists the opportunity to interact and forge new contacts.

Devoted sessions where the media, politicians and societal actors were able to meet and interact with scientists, with emphasis on the climate in a Swedish context, were a much appreciated part of the conference.

The Symposium was a unique opportunity for scientists to collectively reflect on and share their contributions to climate science. But perhaps most importantly, we were able to look into the future as a community, and seek to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for the strengthened collaboration we need, nationally and internationally, to further deepen our understanding of climate change and its impacts, as well as the science-based, sustainable development needed to mitigate it.

Debatt från Swedish Climate Symposium 2022: Omsättning av kunskap om klimatet till politisk handling

Vi har kunskapen om klimatet – varför är det så svårt att omsätta den till politisk handling? I klimatdebatten är detta en återkommande fråga. Vad är det som står i vägen för att klimatforskningens slutsatser ska leda till politiska åtgärder? Är kunskapen om klimatet för komplex för att politiker och tjänstemän ska kunna omsätta den i handling? Kan det vara målkonflikter som står i vägen? Går svaret att finna i sektoriseringen av svensk politik och förvaltning – att olika departement och myndigheter drar åt olika håll? Eller är det oron för en svikande väljarbas som gör att politikerna väjer för vissa beslut?

Det är några av de ämnen som diskuterades i paneldebatten nedan som var en del av Swedish Climate Symposium 2022.

ORGANISERS

The organising committee 2022: Erik Kjellström (SMHI), Fariborz Zelli (BECC, Lund University), Gustaf Hugelius (Bolin Centre, Stockholm University), Heather Reese (BECC, University of Gothenburg), Ilona Riipinen (Bolin Centre, Stockholm University), Mattias Hallquist (MERGE, University of Gothenburg), Paul Miller (MERGE, Lund University), Ralf Döscher (MERGE, SMHI), Torben Königk (SMHI), Lina Nikoleris (MERGE/BECC, Lund University) and Josefin Madjidian (BECC, Lund University).

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PARTNERS