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(Regional) jobs vs. the climate. A Critical Discourse Analysis of the German coal phase-out debate.

Hülsmann, Luise LU (2022) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20222
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
To reach its climate goals, in 2020, Germany decided to phase out coal as a particularly emissions-intensive source of energy. Although environmental associations demanded a much earlier date for the phase-out, the final coal phase-out law set the phase-out date to 2038. One factor responsible for delayed climate action are discourses that highlight the downsides of climate policies, including the negative social consequences such as the loss of industry jobs. I examine how the argument of job losses was used in the political debate in the time preceding the coal phase-out law. The analysis reveals that these arguments were less focused on the social injustices experienced at the level of the individual workers but were scaled up to the... (More)
To reach its climate goals, in 2020, Germany decided to phase out coal as a particularly emissions-intensive source of energy. Although environmental associations demanded a much earlier date for the phase-out, the final coal phase-out law set the phase-out date to 2038. One factor responsible for delayed climate action are discourses that highlight the downsides of climate policies, including the negative social consequences such as the loss of industry jobs. I examine how the argument of job losses was used in the political debate in the time preceding the coal phase-out law. The analysis reveals that these arguments were less focused on the social injustices experienced at the level of the individual workers but were scaled up to the affected regions that already experienced disruptive structural change in the past. The political effort not to overburden these regions served to justify a delayed coal phase-out. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hülsmann, Luise LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20222
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
sustainability science, just transition, coal regions, structural change, climate delay
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2022:058
language
English
id
9102109
date added to LUP
2022-10-25 13:19:37
date last changed
2022-10-25 13:19:37
@misc{9102109,
  abstract     = {{To reach its climate goals, in 2020, Germany decided to phase out coal as a particularly emissions-intensive source of energy. Although environmental associations demanded a much earlier date for the phase-out, the final coal phase-out law set the phase-out date to 2038. One factor responsible for delayed climate action are discourses that highlight the downsides of climate policies, including the negative social consequences such as the loss of industry jobs. I examine how the argument of job losses was used in the political debate in the time preceding the coal phase-out law. The analysis reveals that these arguments were less focused on the social injustices experienced at the level of the individual workers but were scaled up to the affected regions that already experienced disruptive structural change in the past. The political effort not to overburden these regions served to justify a delayed coal phase-out.}},
  author       = {{Hülsmann, Luise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{(Regional) jobs vs. the climate. A Critical Discourse Analysis of the German coal phase-out debate.}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}