Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces

Climate change has become a critical issue in security policy and military organizations are ever more involved in handling it. Yet, little is known about how armed forces, which often possess substantial resources, are hierarchically structured and have the capacity to exercise force, actually acco...

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Main Author: Rickard Söder
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-01-01
Series:Earth System Governance
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258981162300006X
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author Rickard Söder
author_facet Rickard Söder
author_sort Rickard Söder
collection DOAJ
description Climate change has become a critical issue in security policy and military organizations are ever more involved in handling it. Yet, little is known about how armed forces, which often possess substantial resources, are hierarchically structured and have the capacity to exercise force, actually account for climate change and its relationship to security. This article addresses the research gap by analyzing how the Swedish Armed Forces approach climate change and related security issues. The article adopts a qualitative case study research design and an analytical framework for examining climate security discourses, and finds that climate change has become institutionalized in the Swedish Armed Forces. The Swedish Armed Forces conceptualizes climate change in terms of risks and vulnerabilities, and expects the phenomenon to become increasingly critical to its activities. Data for the analysis consist of official documents, publications and public statements by senior officials in the Swedish Armed Forces.
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spelling doaj.art-f9dded0a4e524eada4c59224207ad5e92023-02-18T04:17:30ZengElsevierEarth System Governance2589-81162023-01-0115100169Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forcesRickard Söder0Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Signalistgatan 9, 169 72, Solna, Sweden; Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.Climate change has become a critical issue in security policy and military organizations are ever more involved in handling it. Yet, little is known about how armed forces, which often possess substantial resources, are hierarchically structured and have the capacity to exercise force, actually account for climate change and its relationship to security. This article addresses the research gap by analyzing how the Swedish Armed Forces approach climate change and related security issues. The article adopts a qualitative case study research design and an analytical framework for examining climate security discourses, and finds that climate change has become institutionalized in the Swedish Armed Forces. The Swedish Armed Forces conceptualizes climate change in terms of risks and vulnerabilities, and expects the phenomenon to become increasingly critical to its activities. Data for the analysis consist of official documents, publications and public statements by senior officials in the Swedish Armed Forces.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258981162300006XClimate changeSecurityArmed forcesClimate governanceRisk
spellingShingle Rickard Söder
Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
Earth System Governance
Climate change
Security
Armed forces
Climate governance
Risk
title Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
title_full Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
title_fullStr Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
title_full_unstemmed Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
title_short Climate change, security and military organizations: Changing notions in the Swedish armed forces
title_sort climate change security and military organizations changing notions in the swedish armed forces
topic Climate change
Security
Armed forces
Climate governance
Risk
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258981162300006X
work_keys_str_mv AT rickardsoder climatechangesecurityandmilitaryorganizationschangingnotionsintheswedisharmedforces