According to the proposals, which have been submitted to Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L), a municipality can, for example, build a flood protection to protect "matters of general public interest" – and charge a fee to property owners.
The type of properties that can be considered to be of general public interest is deliberately broadly formulated, according to the investigator Johan Hjalmarsson. It can be buildings such as municipal houses and schools, but does not have to be.
There must be a municipal connection, but it does not have to be a municipal facility.
The risk must cease
However, there must be a significant risk of damage to the property in the event of a natural disaster for such a measure to be taken, and the risk must cease with the help of the intervention. The property owner must not be required to pay an amount exceeding 10 percent of the property's market value.
Just as we have great respect and strong will to defend property rights in Sweden, property rights do not only bring freedoms but also responsibilities, says Romina Pourmokhtari.
This is an example of the consequences of climate change that are real. Not in the future but today, and that must be taken into account.
The investigation also proposes a new law on national coastal protection, which enables the government to designate coastal protection areas where high national interests exist. The state then takes on the coastal strip from flooding by building physical barriers.
The work is urgent, according to the investigator Johan Hjalmarsson.
We have met many municipalities that see a need for guidance from the state now. We see a need to initiate this process fairly soon.
Maximum temperature indoors
Requirements for maximum temperatures indoors in nursing homes and homes for people with disabilities and chronic diseases are also suggested.
Today's general guidelines from the Public Health Agency are not sufficient since heatwaves with temperatures above 30 are expected to become more common in the wake of climate change. For municipalities and others, it may involve having to purchase air conditioning systems.
Today, heatwaves are a major problem for the elderly in our society. So I think it's very important that these issues come to light and that one discusses what we can do, says Pourmokhtari.
If requirements are the way forward, it's something that will need to be looked at.
