Analysis: Unique judgment for battles throughout the country

The municipality won - the property owners and the three golf clubs lost. It became a yes to build ramparts and walls around the homes on Falsterbonäset. But there is no law that states that municipalities have an obligation to protect individual property owners against sea level rise and climate change. On the contrary, there is a law that says no municipal residents can be treated differently.

The wall and embankments around Falsterbonäset are estimated to cost at least SEK 200 million, and will probably land considerably higher than that. Vellinge Municipality believes that the walls and ramparts should protect municipal infrastructure such as water and wastewater, roads, homes for the elderly, etc. At the same time, it is also said that citizens' lives are in danger.

But even though property owners complain about ruined views, the wall will also protect private houses and property values ​​in the multi-million class.

Many municipalities will study the ruling in the Land and Environmental Court with great interest. MSB has identified 16 areas in Sweden that are at risk of being flooded by the sea. The risk management plans must be ready before the end of the year.

The question is how to protect the sea. Why should a local resident who lives in an apartment inland take part in financing a protection for a property owner who lives with a sea view? That is a big problem, say the researchers SVT talked to. Climate change has already led to sea level elevations that may be one meter before the end of the century before SMHI.

The lawmakers are nowhere to be seen when Sweden is forced to start preparing for sea level rises in the wake of the climate crisis. There are many ambiguities. In a supplement 2018 to the Planning and Building Act of 2008 states that municipalities must give their views on climate-related risks. But it is the county administrative boards that have been commissioned to formulate proposals how municipalities should protect infrastructure and human life, even though county boards cannot control how municipalities manage their land.

There are different ways to solve the financing. One solution would be to allow part of the carbon dioxide tax to go to municipalities that need to build embankments on the sea. Another is that, as in Germany, start to pay for those who use the beaches in, for example, Helsingborg, Ystad and Gothenburg, which belong to the risk areas that have been identified.

The Plan and Building Act of 2008 states that municipalities have an obligation to ensure that houses are not built in unsuitable places. But most of the houses on Falsterbonäset were built before 2008. 95 percent of all properties are at three meters above sea level or lower and would not have been granted building permits today. If extreme weather forces work together, a giant wave can sweep across the nose and threaten 10,000 properties.

The conflicts of interest show in flashlight that Sweden has a problem. There is currently no authority with the ultimate responsibility for equipping Sweden with the ongoing climate change. Today the responsibility lies on authorities such as Boverket, SGU, Sweden's geological surveys and MSB; The authority for social protection and preparedness.

If an authority had a shared responsibility, Sweden could develop a common strategy for how we should adapt, who should pay and how it should go.