Leiden University Student Repository

Sijbrandij, Minke (2017)

Media Coverage of Climate Change in India: A Case Study of the COP21 and the Paris Agreement

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

Climate change is a controversial concept. While in the US the debate is ongoing to whether it is caused by humans, in India anthropogenic climate change is largely endorsed. Here, the dispute concerns the question of responsibility; they are engaged in a debate dealing with the issue of historical versus current emissions, and the concept of equity and climate justice. Media coverage of climate change in India has changed largely over the years. Firstly dominated by the concept of carbon colonialism and a nationalist discourse, it gradually shifted towards a co-benefits approach and green growth narrative. Whereas in the early 2000’s media coverage was largely framed along a risk-responsibility and North-South divide, with the Copenhagen summit in 2009 the narrative had become more nuanced and India’s growing emissions were no longer ignored. During the negotiations in Paris, both the risk-responsibility as well as the North-South divide could be observed again and much attention...Show moreClimate change is a controversial concept. While in the US the debate is ongoing to whether it is caused by humans, in India anthropogenic climate change is largely endorsed. Here, the dispute concerns the question of responsibility; they are engaged in a debate dealing with the issue of historical versus current emissions, and the concept of equity and climate justice. Media coverage of climate change in India has changed largely over the years. Firstly dominated by the concept of carbon colonialism and a nationalist discourse, it gradually shifted towards a co-benefits approach and green growth narrative. Whereas in the early 2000’s media coverage was largely framed along a risk-responsibility and North-South divide, with the Copenhagen summit in 2009 the narrative had become more nuanced and India’s growing emissions were no longer ignored. During the negotiations in Paris, both the risk-responsibility as well as the North-South divide could be observed again and much attention was given to India’s vulnerability to climate change.Show less

Paris Agreement

India

Climate Change

Media Coverage

Author

Sijbrandij, Minke

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

South and Southeast Asia

Supervisors

Sengupta, Roshni

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en