“I was surprised at how strongly politicised the issue was. The transport issue has been debated, but I didn’t think there was that much of a gridlock,” says Aneta Kulanovic, author of the thesis at the Department of Management and Engineering at Linköping University.
No willingness to compromise
She has studied how the political landscape shapes the conditions for a more sustainable transport system. In particular, she has looked at how this affects investments in more sustainable aviation technology, such as electric aircraft, drones and biofuels. She has held workshops and interviews with innovators and established companies in the aviation industry, as well as with representatives of government, political parties and other organisations. In addition, she has studied policy documents and media coverage of the debate.
Marcus Pettersson
Aneta Kulanovic identifies three dominant political approaches. One, supported by parties on the right, tends to support aviation over rail and believes in the market’s ability to come up with solutions to environmental problems caused by aviation. Another, supported by the Social Democrats, wants more government involvement and regulation through legislation, subsidies and taxes. And a third, represented by the Green Party and the Left Party, is critical of aviation as a means of transport and wants to prioritise rail traffic.
Whether in workshops, interviews or media debates, neither side shows any willingness to compromise, according to Aneta Kulanovic. Instead, the discussion ends up being about planes or trains, and rarely about how both can coexist in a sustainable future transport system.
Stop-start policy and uncertain conditions
One of Aneta Kulanovic’s conclusions is that the obstacle to a more sustainable transport system that includes also aviation is not a lack of technical ideas. Instead, it is about the fact that trains and planes have been pitched against each other in the political debate. The result is stop-start policymaking and uncertain conditions for both.
Investors do not dare to invest in innovations in aeronautics because the political conditions can suddenly change. Large investments in rail can be reduced from one term of office to another with the stroke of a pen. What is lacking is a long-term, comprehensive approach to the transport system, as aviation is linked to one political party and rail to another. In order to move forward, a better dialogue is needed, according to Aneta Kulanovic.
“What I’m highlighting is that you need a new perspective, where instead of being so tied to political ideas, you can look at whether you can use both aviation and rail, without pitching them against each other.
Sweden’s goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. As Sweden is a country of long distances, there may be reason to, for example, explore new technologies for more sustainable air travel for regional policy reasons. In other parts of the country, rail is perhaps the most sustainable alternative, according to Aneta Kulanovic.
“All sides have points that are relevant, rational and important,” she says.
