Anthropogenic environmental destruction on a global scale continues at an ever-increasing pace, driven by a disconnect between the valuation of short-term economic gains and their ecological impact...Show moreAnthropogenic environmental destruction on a global scale continues at an ever-increasing pace, driven by a disconnect between the valuation of short-term economic gains and their ecological impact. Increasingly, the introduction of indigenous intellectual perspectives to the global stage – many of whom have been custodians of ecologically important land for centuries – is being treated as a potential solution to this conundrum. In this evolving context, this thesis seeks to understand the role of African indigenous knowledge in global environmental protection. To answer this, a review of the practical and philosophical contributions of African indigenous communities to ecology is conducted, followed by a discourse analysis of the 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, to identify how these knowledges are treated in a global context. Analysis of the report and of academic literature shows that African indigenous knowledges, while potentially incredibly valuable as environmental protection, are poorly represented on a global level, both in their content, and in comparison with other regions.Show less
The ratification of the Paris Agreement by the European Union has determined its trajectory and set in motion the green transition of the European economy. Even though the European climate...Show moreThe ratification of the Paris Agreement by the European Union has determined its trajectory and set in motion the green transition of the European economy. Even though the European climate ambitions seem political of nature, the European Central Bank has recently shown its willingness to support the Union’s climate ambitions within its institutional capacity. European policy research organisations put forward new ideas on greening policy instruments, which also touch upon other institutional characteristics of the ECB. However, the monetary authority is de jure independent of exogenous actors in determining its policies and strategy. Recently though, under Lagarde's presidency, the ECB has for the first time opened up to ideas from civil society, think tanks and academia when defining its new long-term "green" strategy. While the new strategy is still on the drawing board, theories from discursive institutionalism assert that ideas resonate the ECB’s communication strategy, through discourse. When juxtaposing and comparing the results from two qualitative research methods, the study concluded that specific, programmatic ideas are not significantly represented in the ECB's discourse. Instead, more a general and normative ideational shift has taken place where a stronger and more decisive change in tone has become visible in the ECB’s discourse on its green strategy that can rather be explained by other exogenous events and factors.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (LUC) (BA/BSc)
closed access
In recent years, a debate has emerged around the potential of plastic pollution to direct attention away from other, arguably more urgent environmental issues, such as climate change. Little...Show moreIn recent years, a debate has emerged around the potential of plastic pollution to direct attention away from other, arguably more urgent environmental issues, such as climate change. Little research has examined pro-environmental behavior (PEB) spillover from engaging in action against plastic pollution (plastic PEB) to supporting climate change policy. In this study, 81 undergraduate students at a university in the Netherlands completed a plastic cleanup activity as part of a sustainability-focused course. Subsequently, these students, as well as 80 students in a control condition, completed an online survey assessing frequency of engagement in plastic PEB, climate change concern, environmental self-identity, and support for a campus climate change fund. Results showed no spillover from plastic PEB to climate change policy support. However, this study also investigated the potential mediating effect of climate change concern, which revealed that frequency of engagement in plastic PEB had a significant positive effect on climate change concern, but climate change concern had no effect on climate change policy support. These findings suggest that encouraging individuals to engage in plastic PEB can increase awareness and concern about climate change, yet there is a disconnect between climate change concern and climate change policy support. The results of this study have implications for those interested in PEB spillover between different environmental issues, specifically using widespread initiatives, such as plastic cleanup activities and recycling, to increase awareness and policy support for other sustainability efforts.Show less
The objective of this research is to create an overview of the frameworks the EU has in place to protect climate change migrants and to argue why the EU Member States hold a responsibility in...Show moreThe objective of this research is to create an overview of the frameworks the EU has in place to protect climate change migrants and to argue why the EU Member States hold a responsibility in protecting victims of climate change hazards. An overview of different international instruments makes clear what the current protective framework for climate change migrants is within the EU. Furthermore, the research provides legal arguments that add to the importance of improved efforts on climate change mitigation and may provide a positive obligation for EU Member States to grant international protection to climate change migrants. Moral arguments on their turn create an argument to answer why the EU Member States hold a responsibility in protecting victims of climate change. The EU’s responsibility for the protection of climate change migrants as well as its responsibility to improve efforts on climate change mitigation is mainly based on an argument on the disproportionality that can be found within the climate crisis, namely: the overrepresentation of the ‘Global North’ amongst the main contributors and the overrepresentation of the ‘Global South’ amongst the main victims. Current frameworks as the Temporary Protection Directive and the UN Guiding Principles are not able to fulfil the EU’s role as a protector of climate change migrants. The precautionary principle, the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, and the principle of non-refoulement may be a guide to better tools to fulfil this role.Show less
The year 2020 has not evolved as many had expected. The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has put almost all parts of the societies all over the globe on halt. Besides impacting human health, the...Show moreThe year 2020 has not evolved as many had expected. The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has put almost all parts of the societies all over the globe on halt. Besides impacting human health, the fastest and the most severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been on the economic and financial sectors. The global health crisis has occurred at the time when the world is already in a major crisis, the climate crisis or green crisis. In spite of all the austere consequences of green crisis, the actions taken to lessen the green crisis are nowhere near the efforts required to meet the Paris agreement goal of keeping the global temperature well below 2°C and preferably 1.5 °C. Many started viewing the already existing green crisis and the newly emerged Covid-19 crisis as part of the same battle and they envisioned an opportunity in response to Covid-19 crisis to address the green crisis as well and they strived to attach green conditions to the Covid-19 recovery until they reached the green recovery agreement which not only helps in the recovery from the ramifications of the Covid-19 crisis but also addresses the green crisis. This research has sought to find out how a devastating crisis has opened up the window of opportunity for another destructive crisis. A small-N, Within-Case analysis approach is used to study the intervening variables on causal path from the Covid-19 crisis to the opening up of the window of opportunity for green crisis recovery. Moreover, theory-testing process tracing was applied on the case of EU to find out whether Advocacy Coalition Framework helps to comprehend the puzzle and answer the research question. The result of the research revealed that actors in coalitions made extensive use of frames and changed the policy image as well as used expertise to dominate the decisions, resulting in the Covid-19 recovery plan with green strings attached to it to also address the green crisis.Show less
As the effects of climate change are increasingly appearing around the globe, the general public’s concern about the issue has also grown. As the need for action is becoming more important than...Show moreAs the effects of climate change are increasingly appearing around the globe, the general public’s concern about the issue has also grown. As the need for action is becoming more important than ever, we need to understand what factors can help increase implementation and reduce infringements of environmental policies. There is particular lack of research on the potential relationship between public concern about climate change and the infringements of European Union environmental rules in Europe. As respect of common rules is key to maintain the stability of the European Union, infringements represent a certain risk of conflict. Therefore, this research also helps fill the literature gap in the conflict and climate nexus about climate conflict in Europe. For these purposes, this research paper explores how public concern for climate change might impact the number of infringements member states commit regarding environmental policies of the European Union. Through a OLS regression analysis, the research finds that public concern does not seem to have a significant impact on the number of infringements member states commit. This apparent absence of influence of public opinion raises serious concerns as to the people’s power to make their governments listen to them and their calls for environmental protection.Show less
Burkina Faso may face severe consequences of climate change. Extreme climate events are predicted to happen more often in the coming years due to global warming, which may affect issues such as...Show moreBurkina Faso may face severe consequences of climate change. Extreme climate events are predicted to happen more often in the coming years due to global warming, which may affect issues such as food security. This thesis examines the Mossi population in Burkina Faso, through the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, in order to understand the extent to which culture shapes the vulnerability of Burkinabé rural livelihoods to climate change. Mossi culture is intrinsically related to their resource management. Collectivism is strongly present in the Mossi population in Burkina Faso, expressed in the sharing of vital resources with all members of the household. Ethnographic research has identified the importance of human capital, natural capital and social capital for Mossi livelihoods. Both labour, food, water and land are influenced by social capital which, in turn, is shaped by the culture of collectivism and sharing. Thus, the Mossi are more focused on the well-being of the entire community than their individual well-being. Yet, within these households, inequality based on age and gender is still present, specifically women will be more vulnerable to climate change due to the power relations embedded in the culture, as their adaptive capacity to climate change is more negatively affected.Show less
The effects of global climate change are causing new patterns of human migration, which arises questions about decision-making in climate migration. This thesis analyses the influence of distance...Show moreThe effects of global climate change are causing new patterns of human migration, which arises questions about decision-making in climate migration. This thesis analyses the influence of distance to the host country in migration decision-making through the perceptions of Marshallese and I-Kiribati. In 32 surveys and 12 in-depth interviews among these Pacific islanders, this study finds that the reason for migration – more climate security – shapes migration motivations significantly. It therefore argues that climate change should be included as a factor in research on migration distances. In addition, it uncovers that that distance is not perceived solely geographical, but that the islanders also discern sociocultural, economic, climatic and political distance. This research therefore suggests that the definition of distance will be expanded to fit it into this multi-dimensional character.Show less
This research paper addresses climate change rhetoric as framed by far-right wing parties. Institutional designs play a part in shaping political party agendas, which are in turn influenced by the...Show moreThis research paper addresses climate change rhetoric as framed by far-right wing parties. Institutional designs play a part in shaping political party agendas, which are in turn influenced by the specific wants of individuals. Party behaviour therefore impacts voters and wider societal reflexivity. Currently, environmental awareness and far-right wing parties are both on the rise. This paper investigates how far-right parties frame climate-change rhetoric. The hypothesis developed is empirically evaluated across two case-studies. Indeed, this analysis establishes a categorisation for far-right environmental rhetoric and applies it. The empirical evidence supports that far-right parties, in direct democracies, are less likely to address climate change from a government intervention perspective. Instead, far-right parties in direct democracies are likely to use social responsibility rhetoric to address environmental matters. The conclusion reached is that far-right climate-change behaviour differs depending on the democratic model, and is of concern for societal reflexivity, as climate challenges increase.Show less
Climate-conflict literature has been growing intensively in the last decade. With a focus on African and Middle Eastern countries, various types of climate variables try to explain divergent...Show moreClimate-conflict literature has been growing intensively in the last decade. With a focus on African and Middle Eastern countries, various types of climate variables try to explain divergent natures of conflict. Many different mechanisms were shown as linking the two together. This study aimed to contribute to the literature by investigating the role of economic dependence on the agricultural sector in the relationship between social unrest and changing patterns of temperature and precipitation. It was asked, thus, to what extent does the economic structure of a country mediate the link between climate and social unrest, in the African continent? The large-N statistical analysis was conducted, including all the African countries, with a population of at least a million. Specifically, a negative binomial regression was run for the years from 1990 to 2007. The key finding suggested that the bigger the percentage of agricultural production in GDP is, the more the country is likely to suffer from temperature rise induced social unrest. This suggests that, because of climate change, economic reliance on the agricultural sector is dangerous for the political stability and even security in Africa. It calls for the importance of using planned adaptation techniques and educating the society on climate change and its effects.Show less
The present environmental crisis has put the public war between current right-wing authoritarian governs and whoever in the world is concerned about the environment in the international spotlight....Show moreThe present environmental crisis has put the public war between current right-wing authoritarian governs and whoever in the world is concerned about the environment in the international spotlight. Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, on June 1, 2017 and the recent refusal of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro to stop the exploitation of Amazon illustrate the emergence of a situation in which the notions of territory and nation-state no longer sustain the reality of our shared planet. The more climate change, global warming and the environmental degradation haunt the Earth’s inhabitants, the more it seems that we break apart the world as if boundaries of exclusion could prevent what is inside from perishing. In this thesis, I argue that, in the core of this issue, dwell precisely our ‘notions’ and ‘concepts’—enclosed in the huge monolith of Western modern thinking. To confront the planetary crisis, one needs a new strategy to access these problems—that would not consist in simply applying a dialectical method of discussion, but instead deploying a multidimensional approach, capable of penetrating that Western bloc from all sides. By taking on the notion of networks—whether informatic, political and biological—I critically analyse this concept and introduce the framework of the ‘swarm’ that I used in my own artistic practice as a way to allow a multiplicity of viewpoints. The art project Game of Swarms, which explores mainly the fact that the individuals of swarms work together without a locus of control, provokes the audience to rethink our current political structures and use the narrative of the game to imagine new forms of making politics and a new way to think our relation to the world. The biological self-organised model of swarms comes as a tool to create new narratives to face today’s planetary crisis and foster a more sustainable way of thinking.Show less
Climate change is a scientific discipline that received extensive attention from both specialists and general public. This puts additional pressure on scientific writers in this domain to use...Show moreClimate change is a scientific discipline that received extensive attention from both specialists and general public. This puts additional pressure on scientific writers in this domain to use language means successfully to render their ideas to such a wide readership. Manty studies have researched the use of rhetorical moves and metaphors in scientific writing, but never in climate change writing and never in interrelation. This thesis, therefore, aims at bridging this gap and studies rhetorical moves, metaphors and the ways they may be interrelated in abstracts of climate change research articles in high-impact journals Science Advances and Nature Climate Change. It has been found that many abstracts in the data favor the Introduction-Purpose-Product-Conclusion structure, and overall the Product move is obligatory for all abstracts. However, Science data showed more variation both in the use of moves and in the usage of metaphors. The results of this study could be a starting point for a more in-depth research in the area, as well as of use to those studying scientific discourse for academic or practical reasons.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis analyzed a corpus of speeches of world leaders held at the COP conferences to the UNFCCC in the years 2013 until 2017, using a combination of the tool presented by Steen et al. (2010)...Show moreThis thesis analyzed a corpus of speeches of world leaders held at the COP conferences to the UNFCCC in the years 2013 until 2017, using a combination of the tool presented by Steen et al. (2010) for linguistic metaphor analysis, the MIPVU, and qualitative thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). The metaphors and themes found reflect a dichotomous discourse: from their speeches emerges either a scenario of great danger and threat or a scenario of a harmonious transition, allowing for the continuation of existing norms. Neither seem to incite a good incentive for action. This impacted/non-impacted dichotomy fit in a target approach of the climate change problem, with the two-degree line being the concrete realization of this target. The danger lies on the other side of this line, where climate change becomes a threat. Removing this threat will allow the world to return to a stable and balanced norm, which will be achieved through a quiet transition to a clean energy economy and sustainable development.Show less
The 2008 US presidential election was notable for many reasons. Concerning environmental issues, both candidates, Barack Obama for the Democrats, and John McCain for the Republicans, took distance...Show moreThe 2008 US presidential election was notable for many reasons. Concerning environmental issues, both candidates, Barack Obama for the Democrats, and John McCain for the Republicans, took distance from the Bush administration. Obama’s victory more than ever brought a sparkle of hope for change. Environmentalists both in the United States and worldwide were pleased from his first actions as president, that looked up to what he campaigned the months before. This thesis analyses Obama’s rhetoric and practice on energy and climate change from his first presidential campaign trail in 2008 until the end of his second mandate in 2016, in order to assess whether he ‘walked the talk’ on environmental matters. Moreover, it considers Obama’s position as an environmentalist, by looking at the energy security discourse and at its implications for climate change and global security.Show less
Fossil fuel industry giants in the United States like ExxonMobil sponsor contrarian science to distort the public image of the (virtually non-existing) debate on whether anthropogenic global...Show moreFossil fuel industry giants in the United States like ExxonMobil sponsor contrarian science to distort the public image of the (virtually non-existing) debate on whether anthropogenic global warming exists. The efforts of this so-called ―Denial Machine‖ seem to bear fruit: despite scientific consensus, Americans remain divided on the issue of anthropogenic climate change. Liberal Democrats are more likely to follow the consensus view (79% believes the planet is warming mostly due to human activity), whereas only 15% of the Conservative Republicans supposes this to be the case. Dunlap and McCright argue that conservative media outlets function as an echo chamber for the contrarian voices of this Denial Machine. Liisa Antilla argues that the conservative media is not the only side responsible for this echoing—in their quest for ―journalistic balance,‖ mainstream and progressive news outlets (including the New York Times) have also presented contrarian voices as ―experts‖ in the past. With these insights in mind, this study maps the climate change discourses and source-use of two opposing poles in the U.S. media landscape in the months prior to Trump‘s election: the New York Times on the Liberal Democrat side; news weblog Breitbart on the Conservative Republican side. The results show that these opposing poles conduct their climate change reporting on completely different levels: while the conservative Breitbart seems stuck in denial, hence condemned to the debate-level, the liberal Times has passed this level by accepting consensus and focusing its reporting on the consequences of climate change. In addition, this study also concludes that the Times no longer functions as an echo chamber for contrarian voices for the sake of journalistic balance, while Breitbart, by giving pseudo scientists space to directly publish on their platform regularly, not only functions as echo chamber, but also as the vocal cords of contrarian voices.Show less
Literary analysis of Liu Cixin's Remembrance of the Earth's Past series. The thesis comprises summaries of all three books in the series, and a literary analysis of what the author believes to be...Show moreLiterary analysis of Liu Cixin's Remembrance of the Earth's Past series. The thesis comprises summaries of all three books in the series, and a literary analysis of what the author believes to be the political message in those books. This is further supported by a literature review on the field of science fiction studies and textual proof of said claims.Show less
