Antagandet och förkastandet av en klimatanpassningspolicy

Sammanfattning: Adapting to climate change is a growing policy area and today more municipalities see a future need of protecting themselves against rising sea levels, floods and higher temperatures. In 2012 the city of Malmö took a significant step when adopting a strategy plan where actions where pointed out and prioritized. But the plan was three years later neither pursued nor prolonged. By using the advocacy coalition framework I here examine why this policy change did occur. I also aim to try the importance of focusing events when developing adaptation policies. Two coalitions, an ecological and an economical approach, have been identified, but I argue that the policy processes initiated by the strategy plan entailed policy-oriented learning and a change in beliefs among actors. Thereby leading to the formation of a third coalition, a pragmatic approach. Important material when analyzing have been interviews with key actors of the policy subsystem. I also argue, although debatable, that the policy change is minor since adaptation policies in the last year have been carried out through other plans. Considering this alleged progress, Birkland’s theory on focusing events also gets supported.