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The life we live here
Conversations about climate change and the green transition
This study builds on more than 200 doorstep interviews in structurally challenged rural communities in Sweden. It provides a unique illustration of peo- ple’s views on climate change and the green transition.
People lack opportunities to adapt their lives to the demands of rapid climate transition, not least since the communities in which they live struggle with structural challenges such as demographic decline, the withdrawal of commercial and social services, and lack of investment in infrastructure.
Our interviews confirm findings in oth- er studies that there is a lack of spaces for dialogue on how the climate transi- tion should take place at the local level. People want to be part of conversa- tions about the future. This involves makingroomforuncomfortablestories of grief and loss, as well as creating space for dreams about the future and faith in people’s ability to reshape their lives. In this way, climate policy can gain support from the grassroots level.
This report translates and summarises the findings of the study Livet som pågår här by Marika Palmer River and Lisa Pelling (Atlas 2024). The study was carried out by the progressive think tank Arena Idé with support from the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO.
The report was produced by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Nordic Office) and was inspired by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s work in Germany on similar topics, not least the study The Disregarded: Structurally Weak but Rich in Experience by Florian Ranft, Paulina Fröhlich, & Johanna Siebert from 2021.