Väntan och vilande vatten : Om hur normer och praxis om tid påverkar kalkningsverksamheten i Sverige

Sammanfattning

Anthropogenic acidification has long affected Swedish lakes and watercourses through emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides from the combustion of fossil fuels. To counteract the effects of acidification, extensive liming measures have been carried out since the 1970s. The purpose of this study is to examine the encounter between political and ecological temporalities within the Swedish liming programme, and to explore how differences in tempo influence management practices. The study draws on Barbara Adam’s theories of time, tempo, and waiting, as well as political ecology with a focus on power, hegemony, and scale. These theoretical perspectives are used to analyse how norms and practices about time are manifested in liming activities. Four semi-structured interviews with officials from Swedish County Administrative Boards responsible for liming issues were conducted. The material was then analysed using a narrative analytical approach with particular attention to temporality and timeliness. The empirical findings indicate that where political influence is strongest, and where power accumulates, the capacity to handle complex temporalities becomes limited. Temporal exercises of power – such as minimizing waiting – create rigidity that makes complex environmental problems difficult to address. Furthermore, differences between political and ecological time turn divergent perspectives into an arena for power and scale. Within such an arena, resistance emerges in the form of distancing from unfamiliar perspectives.