The Environmental Turn in Postwar Sweden

'David Larsson Heidenblad uses a fine-tuned academic method to create a vivid story that stands firmly on his scientific platform ... a masterpiece and a brilliant narrative for a broad general audience.'
Bo Landin, science writer and documentary filmmaker

‘The environmental turn in postwar Sweden presents a novel understanding of the greening of the welfare state in a country which is often seen as a model. Previous research on the breakthrough years often focused on single issues: acid rain, industrial pollution or toxic substances in birds and fish. In this book, young historian David Larsson Heidenblad convincingly shows how the change was much more sweeping, profound and engaged society and citizens at all levels. Above all, he follows the circulation of environmental knowledge – not just the knowledge of scientific elites but its practical application among popular movements, media, public agencies and, not least, in politics. The book is a key contribution to the emerging understanding of the ongoing and expanding environmental revolution that under ever new names – sustainability, Anthropocene, resilience, climate change – transforms the human-earth relationship and sets new social and policy agendas for the twenty first century.’
Sverker Sörlin, Professor of Environmental History, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm