Seminar on the IPCC report on climate impacts and adaptation: a Swedish perspective

On 25-29 March, Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met in Yokohama, Japan, to approve the Summary for Policymakers of its report, Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and accept the underlying document – the second part of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report.

Richard J.T. Klein, leader of SEI’s Reducing Climate Risk theme, is coordinating lead author of the new report’s Chapter 16, “Adaptation opportunities, constraints, and limits”, and SEI Associate Lisa Schipper is a lead author of Chapter 21, “Regional context”.



On 31 March, SEI and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) hosted a seminar to provide an overview of the IPCC report and discuss its implications for Sweden. The event was organized in partnership with the SMHI-hosted National Centre for Climate Change Adaptation and the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Although Sweden is not considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change, it is experiencing changes in rainfall, temperatures and winter conditions, among other impacts. Recent SEI work has highlighted flood risks, for example, as well as adaptation needs in Sweden’s forestry sector. Ongoing SEI work is also emphasizing the importance of indirect impacts – how climate change effects in other countries affect Sweden through global trade, supply chains, and other means.

The seminar was held from 10:00 to 12:30 in Stora Hörsalen at Garnisonen, Karlavägen 100, Stockholm. Except for Richard Klein’s presentation (starting at 05:35 in the video below), the entire event was in Swedish.

The programme was as follows:

10:00: Welcome and introduction

10:10: The IPCC report Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability – background and main conclusions, with a focus on adaptation – Richard Klein, SEI and IPCC

10:50: Climate change impacts around the world: How will Sweden be affected?  – Henrik Carlsen, SEI

11:10: Business adaptation to climate change – Maria Sunér Fleming, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

11:30: How is Sweden adapting to the indirect impacts of global climate change? Panel discussion with Henrik Carlsen; Maria Sunér Fleming; Malin Mobjörk, Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI); Pär Holmgren, social commentator and former meteorologist at SVT; Mette Lindahl Olsson, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB); Henrik Lampa, H&M; and Robert Paulsson, Swedish Board of Agriculture

Download Richard Klein’s presentation (PDF, 1.3MB)

Download Henrik Carlsen’s presentation (PDF, 3.5MB)