Symbolic wins as stepping stones toward material gains

Lessons from Sweden’s fossil fuel production ban

Bibliographic Data

ID16929477
AuthorsLukas Slothuus (0000-0002-6773-2244, University of Sussex, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume27
Pages101929
Publication date2026-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Extractive Industries and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2214-790X • E-ISSN: 2214-7918
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.exis.2026.101929
OpenAlexW7151764089
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited22

Sweden successfully implemented a ban on fossil fuel exploration and extraction. • The ban was driven by a combination of symbolic, material, and international motivations. • Proponents conceived of the ban as a stepping stone on the path to more ambitious climate and energy policy. How and why do some countries without ongoing fossil fuel exploration and extraction decide to unilaterally ban such activities? As part of a global momentum toward focusing on the supply-side of fossil fuels, Sweden implemented a fossil fuel production ban in 2022 despite being a non-producing state. Utilising a fossil fuel systems power analysis framework and drawing on data from 17 elite interviews with key stakeholders, I analyse the political dynamics of Sweden’s ban. I focus on the how and why , showing that the ban succeeded due to the efforts of a key pro-climate driver expending significant political capital, the lack of organised pro-fossil fuel incumbent resistance, and a pre-established path to prohibition from a prior uranium mining ban. Although disagreeing on the merits of each, the proponents and opponents agreed on the three key terrains of debate: the ban’s direct symbolic value, indirect material consequences, and global implications. I argue that the Swedish ban constitutes a stepping stone toward more ambitious climate and energy policy and combines both symbolic, material, and international dimensions. To be successful, proponents of fossil fuel production bans in other countries should therefore develop strategies to bolster the strength and counter the opposition along all three of these dimensions

Climate change · Elite · Energy policy · Environmental impact of the energy industry · Fossil fuel · Opposition (politics · Politics · Production (economics · Resource curse · Mining and Resource Management · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

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