Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A new era for water governance? An analysis on water and climate discourse after the 2018 drought in Sweden

Sager, Mollie LU (2023) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20231
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Access to water is taken for granted in water abundant countries like Sweden, but safe water supply is increasingly threatened by droughts. This thesis analyses how the Swedish water sector responded to the unprecedented drought in 2018, by analysing water security discourse through the framework “What’s the problem represented to be?”. It explores implications of the drought on water policy and how actors in southern Sweden work with drought and water shortages. The study found that the drought led to a change in discourse, particularly that water availability cannot longer be taken for granted, and led to inclusion of drought policies in regional water governance. Climate change is increasingly seen as a threat to safe water supply in... (More)
Access to water is taken for granted in water abundant countries like Sweden, but safe water supply is increasingly threatened by droughts. This thesis analyses how the Swedish water sector responded to the unprecedented drought in 2018, by analysing water security discourse through the framework “What’s the problem represented to be?”. It explores implications of the drought on water policy and how actors in southern Sweden work with drought and water shortages. The study found that the drought led to a change in discourse, particularly that water availability cannot longer be taken for granted, and led to inclusion of drought policies in regional water governance. Climate change is increasingly seen as a threat to safe water supply in Sweden, and the sector needs better planning and division of responsibility to ensure water security. The thesis also discusses measures for a more sustainable water governance, including climate adaptation and reducing water use. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
Tillgång till vatten tas ofta för givet i vattenrika länder som Sverige, men säker vattenförsörjning hotas alltmer av torka. Denna uppsats analyserar hur den svenska vattensektorn reagerade på torkan 2018, genom att analysera vatten-diskurs med hjälp av ramverket "Vad är problemet representerat att vara?". Uppsatsen utforskar torkans effekter på vattenpolicy och hur aktörer i södra Sverige arbetar med torka och vattenbrist. Studien kom fram till att torkan ledde till en diskursförändring, specifikt att tillgången på vatten inte längre kan tas för given, och till att torka och vattenbrist har inkluderats i den regionala vattenförvaltningen. Klimatförändringarna ses alltmer som ett hot mot säker vattenförsörjning i Sverige och vattensektorn... (More)
Tillgång till vatten tas ofta för givet i vattenrika länder som Sverige, men säker vattenförsörjning hotas alltmer av torka. Denna uppsats analyserar hur den svenska vattensektorn reagerade på torkan 2018, genom att analysera vatten-diskurs med hjälp av ramverket "Vad är problemet representerat att vara?". Uppsatsen utforskar torkans effekter på vattenpolicy och hur aktörer i södra Sverige arbetar med torka och vattenbrist. Studien kom fram till att torkan ledde till en diskursförändring, specifikt att tillgången på vatten inte längre kan tas för given, och till att torka och vattenbrist har inkluderats i den regionala vattenförvaltningen. Klimatförändringarna ses alltmer som ett hot mot säker vattenförsörjning i Sverige och vattensektorn behöver bättre planering och tydligare ansvarsfördelning för att säkerställa Sveriges vattensäkerhet. Uppsatsen diskuterar också åtgärder för en mer hållbar vattenförvaltning, bland annat inom klimatanpassning och minskad vattenanvändning. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Sager, Mollie LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
water governance, drought, Sweden, political ecology, sustainability science, discourse
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2023:041
language
English
id
9139910
date added to LUP
2023-10-17 10:04:52
date last changed
2023-10-17 10:04:52
@misc{9139910,
  abstract     = {{Access to water is taken for granted in water abundant countries like Sweden, but safe water supply is increasingly threatened by droughts. This thesis analyses how the Swedish water sector responded to the unprecedented drought in 2018, by analysing water security discourse through the framework “What’s the problem represented to be?”. It explores implications of the drought on water policy and how actors in southern Sweden work with drought and water shortages. The study found that the drought led to a change in discourse, particularly that water availability cannot longer be taken for granted, and led to inclusion of drought policies in regional water governance. Climate change is increasingly seen as a threat to safe water supply in Sweden, and the sector needs better planning and division of responsibility to ensure water security. The thesis also discusses measures for a more sustainable water governance, including climate adaptation and reducing water use.}},
  author       = {{Sager, Mollie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{A new era for water governance? An analysis on water and climate discourse after the 2018 drought in Sweden}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}