Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Climate Change as a Security Threat: An Analysis of the Swedish Government’s Framing of Climate Change in Current Climate and Security Policy

Andersson, Evelina LU and Wiklund, Elvira LU (2025) STVK12 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Climate change is increasingly prominent as a security threat within the security discourse. The long-term consequences of climate change contribute to its complexity, and how this issue is represented in national policy affects both public perception and policy response. Sweden, positioning itself as a frontrunner in tackling climate change while experiencing one of the highest increases in temperature globally, presents a compelling case for study. Considering the limited research on how governments frame climate change within the security discourse, it is particularly interesting to research this matter. This study investigates how climate change is framed in Swedish climate and security policy using a qualitative
approach, adopting... (More)
Climate change is increasingly prominent as a security threat within the security discourse. The long-term consequences of climate change contribute to its complexity, and how this issue is represented in national policy affects both public perception and policy response. Sweden, positioning itself as a frontrunner in tackling climate change while experiencing one of the highest increases in temperature globally, presents a compelling case for study. Considering the limited research on how governments frame climate change within the security discourse, it is particularly interesting to research this matter. This study investigates how climate change is framed in Swedish climate and security policy using a qualitative
approach, adopting the What’s the Problem Represented to be? framework. Together with the Framing theory, Securitization Theory, and Climate Security discourse, which differentiates threats to national security, human security, international security, and ecological security, four official Swedish policy documents were analysed. The findings show that climate change is consistently framed as a security issue, with people and the nation state being the most prominent referent objects. However, the analysis suggests that
the Swedish government largely avoids alarmist language, seldom using the term “climate
crisis” to express its current consequences. Instead, climate change is framed as an emerging
existential threat with long-term consequences, contributing to the conclusion that while
acknowledging it as a significant risk, the Swedish government has not yet securitized
climate change. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Andersson, Evelina LU and Wiklund, Elvira LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
climate security, climate change, framing discourse, securitization, security policy.
language
English
id
9189488
date added to LUP
2025-08-07 16:27:29
date last changed
2025-08-07 16:27:29
@misc{9189488,
  abstract     = {{Climate change is increasingly prominent as a security threat within the security discourse. The long-term consequences of climate change contribute to its complexity, and how this issue is represented in national policy affects both public perception and policy response. Sweden, positioning itself as a frontrunner in tackling climate change while experiencing one of the highest increases in temperature globally, presents a compelling case for study. Considering the limited research on how governments frame climate change within the security discourse, it is particularly interesting to research this matter. This study investigates how climate change is framed in Swedish climate and security policy using a qualitative
approach, adopting the What’s the Problem Represented to be? framework. Together with the Framing theory, Securitization Theory, and Climate Security discourse, which differentiates threats to national security, human security, international security, and ecological security, four official Swedish policy documents were analysed. The findings show that climate change is consistently framed as a security issue, with people and the nation state being the most prominent referent objects. However, the analysis suggests that
the Swedish government largely avoids alarmist language, seldom using the term “climate
crisis” to express its current consequences. Instead, climate change is framed as an emerging
existential threat with long-term consequences, contributing to the conclusion that while
acknowledging it as a significant risk, the Swedish government has not yet securitized
climate change.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Evelina and Wiklund, Elvira}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Climate Change as a Security Threat: An Analysis of the Swedish Government’s Framing of Climate Change in Current Climate and Security Policy}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}