Thousands expected at Sweden climate demo as election looms

Demonstration draws thousands in capital

Thousands of people took part in a climate demonstration in central Stockholm on Sunday, weeks before Swedes vote in a general election where the issue ranks among voters’ leading concerns. Reports differed on the precise scale of the turnout. France 24 — English, Euronews.com and The Straits Times described around 10,000 or more than 10,000 people marching to protest human-made climate change. Lokmat Times, citing organisers, reported that more than 50,000 people marched and that about 280 organisations participated, including environmental and human rights groups, trade unions, religious organisations, researchers and cultural groups.

Earlier coverage from Bangkok Post and The Manila Times had anticipated around 10,000 participants according to Swedish police and organisers, with more than 200 non-governmental organisations and associations expected to join. Beatrice Rindevall, head of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and a co-organiser, was quoted across multiple outlets saying the climate crisis “is very real, and it is here” and that “it is time to put in place a climate policy that reduces emissions right now.” She also stated that never before had so many organisations taken part in a Swedish climate demonstration.

Among those present was Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Speaking to AFP, as reported by France 24 — English, Euronews.com and The Straits Times, she said: “There is absolutely no party in Sweden who are even proposing politics in line with anything close to what science says will take for us to avoid a climate disaster.” She added that continuing on the current path would lead to collapse and that collapse was already being seen. A 21-year-old student, Kliff Lindberg, told reporters he was relieved by the strong turnout: “We are so many people who are concerned about this problem,” adding that the numbers gave him strength.

Policy backdrop and emissions targets

The demonstration took place against the backdrop of climate measures introduced since Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing government, backed by the Sweden Democrats, took office in 2022. Multiple outlets including Bangkok Post, France 24 — English, Euronews.com, The Manila Times and The Straits Times reported that the government has cut petrol taxes and reduced requirements for petrol suppliers to blend low-carbon alternatives into their fuel mix.

Experts in Sweden and abroad have repeatedly warned that these policies jeopardise the country’s emissions-cutting goals: a 70 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from transport from 2010 levels by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2045. The government rejected recommendations from a commission on meeting the 2030 target that included phasing out fossil fuels through higher taxes on petrol and diesel, according to the same group of sources.

The government has argued that any phase-out of fossil fuels must be gradual in order to preserve and strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness and its companies. Organisers countered that urgent action to cut emissions is required now.

Election context and public opinion

Swedes will elect a new parliament, along with regional and municipal councils, on September 13. The right-wing bloc is trailing in opinion polls. Euronews.com reported that the centre-left opposition holds a 10-point lead over the ruling coalition.

A Verian opinion poll published by public broadcaster SVT found that 37 percent of respondents named the climate as a top priority in the election, though it ranked behind health care, education, crime and elderly care, according to Bangkok Post, France 24 — English, The Manila Times and The Straits Times.

Lokmat Times reported additional polling detail. A SOM Institute survey at the University of Gothenburg found that around 65 percent of people who identify with the political left said they were very concerned about climate change, compared with fewer than 30 percent of those on the right. A separate Novus survey in June ranked climate as the sixth most important political issue among voters, up from ninth in January.

Martin Hultman, a professor of sociology at the University of Gothenburg, told Dagens Nyheter, as cited by Lokmat Times, that Sweden could be seeing a new wave of climate engagement. He said an earlier wave had lost momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic amid fossil-fuel industry lobbying, disinformation and electoral gains by right-wing nationalist forces, and that renewed engagement could partly reflect people experiencing the effects of climate change more directly.

Perspectives

Organisers and participants framed the march as a call for immediate stronger climate action. Rindevall and other groups argued that current policy fails to match the scale of the crisis, pointing to recent extreme weather in Europe. Thunberg criticised the entire political spectrum for falling short of what science requires.

The government position, as reported across outlets, holds that a gradual transition is necessary to safeguard economic competitiveness and Swedish companies while still pursuing emissions reductions over time.