HYDRO-CLIMATIC HAZARD, RISK, AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN SWEDEN
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date
Hydro-climatic hazard, risk, and crisis management in Sweden
Why I am interested in the project
Creation of preparedness for climate change has turned out to be an increasingly integral task for
handling by the society. Vulnerability, impacts and adaptation, based on the report recently
launched by IPCC report global climate change as resulted in widespread and adverse impacts
and associated damage and losses to nature as well as people. Extreme weather has been on a
rising frequency. Intense rainfall, heat waves, tropical cyclones and draught are becoming more
common (Teutschbein et al., 2019).
Cities have turned out to be hotspots of such impacts, partly due to the fact that more than 50%
of the global population resides in the cities and partly due to the fact that numerous cities, have
their energy, infrastructure and transport systems being relatively more vulnerable. Cities are
increasingly being affected by the impacts of the extreme weather including flooding, heatwaves,
draught and storms. Still, they are feeling the impacts of the creeping and slow changes among
them rises in the sea levels (Pandey et al., 2021).
Sweden, being one of the member states of the European Union, is considered to be among the
leading frontrunners in environmental policy. One of its aims is becoming the first fossil-free
welfare state in the world. It is however not only for climate mitigation for which it has high
ambitions but as well for climate change. A climate change strategy was as such adopted in 2018
by the government with the objective of coming up with long term and sustainable alongside
robust society actively meeting climate change through a reduction of the vulnerabilities
alongside seizing the existing opportunities (Khatami et al., 2022). The specific climate
adaptation character renders Sweden fundamentally unique from the scale of the needed
mitigation efforts. It is often specific places which are under the effects of cyclones, storms and
flooding. What is affected is as well to a great extent influenced by local planning besides the
local governments capacity of preventing alongside handling the disasters.
My interest in this project has been sparked by the need to take care of the vulnerable elements in
the society from the effects of the hydro-climatic conditions. Should vulnerable elements
including infrastructure, population, environment or property gets its was of the natural events,
such might result in devastating disasters alongside consequences.
A society’s vulnerability in the face of the various natural disasters is anticipated to be on the rise
due to climate change, increase in the human population besides urbanization. Collaboration at
each of the levels, globally and nationally between the actors and sectors working in conjunction
with land use planning, climate adaption, risk management as well as natural disasters is needed
in reducing the underlying risk factors and promoting the ability of a society to cope with the
various natural hazards. Through this project I will be able to establish if there is any national
platform that has been establish by the Swedish government to serve as an arena for cooperation
between the organizations and authorities (Kalantari et al., 2018). Sweden tends to have a
relatively high safety awareness level and as there are socioeconomically advantages for
prevention of natural disasters, the government works in numerous approaches with preventive
actions for instance general risk mapping, research, fire weather prognoses, subsidies for
education, preventive measures alongside information.
The topography, nature and location of the ground in certain areas in Sweden render them quite
susceptible to landslides. Some of the structures have been erected in areas that are landslide
sensitive. This project will involve conducting general stability mapping in regions with existing
building. The maps illustrate the regions susceptible to landslides and the ones that required
comprehensive geotechnical survey for determination of the stability of the ground
How I will complete the research
I will complete this study by conducting both primary and secondary research. Primary research
will integrate collection of data required for meeting the research aims directly from the sources
for instance data on the impacts of hydro-climate changes within select regions in Sweden. This
data will be used in provide first-hand information on the state of climate change impacts in the
country. With regard to secondary research, this will be mainly aimed at collecting data on the
background of climate change impacts in Sweden. This will be ideal in presenting a context to
the study through merging information recorded in the various literacy publications and the
existing conditions currently. To ensure the aims and objectives of this study are effectively
addressed, the research will be organized into various sections and components that will be
completed independently after which they would be merged to make a full and complete report
with a logical sequence. The use of the two approaches of research would go hand in hand in
ensuring that each of the aspects of the research is extensively covered. Qualitative and
quantitative data collection approaches would aid in ensuring that the collected data is both
statistical and in-depth in content and hence successfully achieving the study objectives.
What makes me suitable for the project
The knowledge and experience gained during my years of study geography as my major
especially during my postgraduate studies have presented me with the requisite skills and
understanding in effectively handling this research. Through the studies I have fully
comprehended the paranoia and dynamics linked with the various geographical occurrences in
history. The training received has presented me with enough exposure and background on the
various phenomena which would assist me in coming up with the different research gaps. Still,
having been a resident of Sweden for the last more than two decades during which I lived in
various parts of the country, I have gained elaborate understanding of the terrain and topography
of the country. Having observed the changes that have occurred to the various regions over the
time as a result of hydro-climatic changes, I am adequately informed and equipped with the data
that would be needed in analyzing the trends in such changes. This information coupled with the
data collected from literature would serve to provide solid grounds for meeting the research
objectives.
References
Blauhut, V., Stoelzle, M., Ahopelto, L., Brunner, M.I., Teutschbein, C., Wendt, D.E., Akstinas,
V., Bakke, S.J., Barker, L.J., Bartošová, L. and Briede, A., 2022. Lessons from the 2018–2019
European droughts: a collective need for unifying drought risk management. Natural hazards
and earth system sciences, 22(6), pp.2201-2217
Kalantari, Z., Ferreira, C.S.S., Keesstra, S. and Destouni, G., 2018. Nature-based solutions for
flood-drought risk mitigation in vulnerable urbanizing parts of East-Africa. Current Opinion in
Environmental Science & Health, 5, pp.73-78
Khatami, S., Di Baldassarre, G., Moallemi, E.A. and Erndtson, H., 2022. Unknown knowns: a
missing piece of the uncertainty quadrant in hydrology (No. IAHS2022-659). Copernicus
Meetings
Pandey, V.P., Shrestha, D. and Adhikari, M., 2021. Characterizing natural drivers of waterinduced disasters in a rain-fed watershed: Hydro-climatic extremes in the Extended East Rapti
Watershed, Nepal. Journal of Hydrology, 598, p.126383
Teutschbein, C., Lundkvist, E., Albrecht, F. and Blicharska, M., 2019, January. A culture of
proactive drought management? Unraveling the perception and management of droughts in
Swedish municipalities. In Geophysical Research Abstracts (Vol. 21)