The Politics and Governance of Decarbonization: The Interplay between State and Non-State Actors in Sweden

This book examines how, and under what conditions, states – in collaboration with non-state actors – can govern a societal transformation toward large-scale decarbonization in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It advances an innovative analytical framework on how the state governs through collaborative climate governance to foster cooperation, deliberation, and consensus between state and non-state actors. The book focuses on Sweden, which aims to become a fossil-free state. The chapters analyze Sweden's progress toward net-zero emissions, its role in international climate governance, and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected climate networks. Providing valuable policy insights for other countries endeavoring to decarbonize, this book is a useful reference for graduate students and researchers in climate governance, political science, and international relations. It is one of a series of publications associated with the Earth System Governance Project. For more publications, see www.cambridge.org/earth-system-governance. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Karin Bäckstrand is a Professor in Environmental Social Science in the Department of Political Science at Stockholm University and the Institute for Future Studies in Stockholm. She is a former member of the Swedish Climate Policy Council. Her research revolves around global environmental politics, the democratic legitimacy of global governance and the role of non-state actors in climate change governance.

Jens Marquardt is a postdoctoral researcher and Athene Young Investigator at the Technical University of Darmstadt, where he leads a junior research group on politicization. Trained in political science and science and technology studies, his research revolves around climate and environmental politics, and related societal conflicts and contestation.

Naghmeh Nasiritousi is Associate Professor in Political Science, based at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Uppsala University. Her research focuses on climate change politics, issues of effectiveness and legitimacy in global climate and energy governance, as well as the roles of non-state actors in environmental governance.

Oscar Widerberg is Associate Professor in Environmental Politics and Policy at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). His research focuses on networks and institutional complexity in global governance for sustainability and climate change.