Meta-Narratives as Barriers to Policy Implementation: A Case Study of Wildfire Prevention in Sweden

The severe wildfires of 2014 and 2018 in Sweden drew attention to the growing need not only for improved preparedness but also for adaptive measures to address a warmer and drier climate. Despite the estimated effectiveness of adaptive measures, such as more deciduous trees and alternative forestry practices, in reducing wildfire risks in Swedish forests as well as its potential benefits also for other societal and environmental goals, no policy changes have been implemented to specifically address this issue. The resistance from the forest industry to changes in forestry practices and the forests’ vital role in Sweden’s economy may be one explanation to the challenges. But the almost non-existent attention to the issue is somewhat surprising due to Swedes strong identification as outdoor enthusiasts and supporters of environmental regulations. The aim of this paper is to explore normative barriers to implementing a wildfire prevention perspective in Swedish forest policy, using the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). By applying the NPF, it becomes possible to identify dominant storylines that we expect exist on a societal level in Sweden that inhibit, and are used to prevent, policy change. Furthermore, the analysis of macro level narratives will contribute an example on how to operationalize metanarratives – an area that has not been sufficiently elaborated within the NPF (Schlaufer et al. 2022). Policy documents related to forests and climate adaptation will be analysed through process tracing, beginning with the introduction of climate adaptation policies in Sweden and continuing to the present. This approach will help capture potential attempts at change and reactions, for example following the major wildfire events of 2014 and 2018, in order to understand how metanarratives are used to resist policy change.