Tillväxt och EU:s klimatstrategi; En kritisk diskursanalys av tillväxt i EU:s klimatstrategi och dess motsättningar till nedväxtteorin

Abstract

Through a critical discourse analysis, this paper aims to acknowledge how growth is described within the European union's climate strategy, and what contradictions it has to the degrowth perspective. It addresses how growth is part of the capitalist system and emphasizes how the economy is prioritized within climate strategies. The research showed that growth is presented as a tool for climate transition which is managed with market-based solutions. Consequently, the EU’s climate strategy is contradictory to the theory of degrowth. The policy documents are permeated by a green growth perspective and highlight innovation, technological development, production and consumption as prerequisites for managing climate change. Furthermore, these are highlighted as sustainable and reproduce a sustainable development discourse.