Climes@Almedalsveckan 2026
About
Extreme climate events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and flooding are becoming more frequent and intense in Sweden. These developments are already driving significant societal impacts, from infrastructure damage to pressures on public health systems and local economies.
At the same time, key uncertainties remain. While long-term climate trends are well understood, the impacts of rare but high-impact extreme events—and how they interact with societal systems—are less clear. This creates challenges for decision-making, preparedness, and responsibility-sharing across sectors.
Climes contributes to Almedalen Week 2026 with two connected seminars addressing these challenges from complementary perspectives:
one focusing on economic impacts, responsibility, and adaptation, and one on health systems and resilience in a context of compound risks and polycrises.
Together, the seminars explore how societies can better understand, govern, and respond to increasing climate risks.
The seminars are part of Uppsala University’s Climate Days during Almedalen Week.
🔗 More information: https://almedalsveckan.info/rg/almedalsveckan/officiellt-program/program-2026?search=climes
Seminar 1 (in Swedish)
When costs escalate: who bears responsibility in a climate of increasing extremes?
This seminar focuses on the growing economic consequences of climate extremes and the question of responsibility. As adaptation costs rise, current systems—such as insurance and public funding—are increasingly challenged.
The discussion addresses how responsibilities and costs can be distributed across actors, what governance gaps exist, and how societies can enable effective and equitable climate adaptation.
Seminar 2 (in Swedish)
When the world changes: how do we build a resilient health system?
This seminar examines how climate extremes affect public health and interact with other societal risks. Extreme events can combine with geopolitical, economic, and infrastructural stresses, creating compound crises.
The discussion focuses on how health systems can prepare for increasing pressure, how knowledge gaps between climate science and implementation can be addressed, and what is required to build robust and flexible systems.
Key Topics
- Future climate extremes in Sweden: risks and uncertainties
- Economic impacts and responsibility for adaptation costs
- Governance challenges in a changing risk landscape
- Climate impacts on public health and health system resilience
- Compound risks and polycrises
- Data, tools, and decision-making under uncertainty
Participants
- Gabriele Messori, Professor, Uppsala University
- Mikael Karlsson, Associate Professor, Uppsala University
- Johan von Schreeb, Professor in Global Disaster Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
- Robert Egnell, Vice-Chancellor, Swedish Defence University