"Environmental politics should be included in all politics"

Published 17 October 2014

A new report from "miljöforskningsberedningen" (MFB), a council for dialogue between the scientific community and the Swedish Minister for climate and the Environment, is arguing that the environmental politics has to change fundamentally in order to be effective. Henrik Smith, coordinator of BECC at Lund University, and Olof Johansson-Stenman, University of Gothenburg, are two of the 12 authors of the report and of a debate article in Dagens Nyheter on October 17th.

The report "Miljöpolitikens spelplan" was submitted on Thursday the 17 October, arguing that environmental politics cannot be isolated from all other politics but need to be included in the other political areas. The poorest people often suffer the most from environmental and climate change, and has the smallest environmental impact.Therefore environmental politics must relate to the environment in a broader and social context, where justice and security are key issues. The report gives 11 recommendations with the aim to more deeply understand what the long term needs are for progress within the environmental politics field.

The authors are Henrik Smith, Lund University, Christian Azar, Chalmers, Göran Finnveden, KTH, Kerstin Johannesson, University of Gothenburg, Olof Johansson-Stenman, School of Business, Economics and Law/Gothenburg, Anna Ledin, KTH, John Munthe, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, Annika E. Nilsson, Stockholm Environmental Institute, Annika Nordin, SLU, Johan Rockström, Stockholm University, Sverker Sörlin, KTH, Marie Vahter, Karolinska institutet.