ABSTRACT
Climate institutions, such as government agencies, are important sites for climate change action. However, the type of action available to any institution will relate to the historical experiences of the institution and those embedded within it. Thus, institutions may exhibit path-dependency, based on previous experiences, such as gender-blindness. This may make the inclusion of gender and other climate-relevant social factors appear less appropriate in comparison to technical and economic solutions. This has direct consequences for the types of climate action undertaken and how climate change is framed, thus often as a scientific, technical problem rather than a societal problem with intersectional dimensions. This chapter focuses upon two climate institutions: the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Transport Administration. Based on the interview data, it explores how civil servants frame possibilities for institutional action and changes in climate policy-making. It highlights that respondents would alternatively see change resulting from government direction and as something that motivated civil servants could lead on. Respondents often asserted that civil servants should aspire to remain apolitical and serve the will of the democratically elected government. Drawing on an intersectionality-inspired feminist institutionalism and organisational studies literature, we suggest several ways for civil servants to take action without damaging their institutional legitimacy. This will increase the possibility of further intersectional understanding and recognition of climate-relevant social differences in climate policy-making.
