Beyond the city limits : analysing consumption-based emissions and spillover effects in the Swedish urban context

Sammanfattning

Global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and operate within Planetary Boundaries require comprehensive strategies that account for non-territorial impacts, particularly negative spillover effects driven by consumption in wealthy nations. This highlights a critical disconnect in climate mitigation in high-consumption economies like Sweden mainly focuses on territorial emissions, creating a significant oversight in addressing the true global environmental impact driven by urban consumption patterns.This thesis evaluates Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö urban strategies and identifies different policy instruments including policy instruments from the Nordic Cooperation report’s longlist to pinpoint local policy needs. The analysis revealed a significant implementation gap: municipal strategies remain largely based on territorial accounting, resulting in insufficient integration of policies that effectively address consumption-related emissions and international spillover effects. This thesis concludes with a set of recommendations for local policies aimed at minimizing the impact of Swedish cities on the global climate and promoting positive global effects.