Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Framing the Future - The European Commission’s Strategic Narratives and Depoliticisation of Climate Adaptation

Gäfvert, Klara LU (2025) STVM23 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
As the impacts and consequences of climate change intensify and accelerate, climate adaptation is becoming increasingly central to and visible in European Union (EU) policy and governance. Yet, climate adaptation has historically been given less political and academic attention than climate mitigation. This thesis explores how the European Commission formulates and projects strategic narratives about climate adaptation during the 2019-2024 mandate period. Policy documents and communications from the Commission are analysed through a qualitative content analysis, with a theoretical framework combined of Strategic Narratives and the concept of Depoliticisation. Through this, the analysis identifies dominant and commonly occurring narratives... (More)
As the impacts and consequences of climate change intensify and accelerate, climate adaptation is becoming increasingly central to and visible in European Union (EU) policy and governance. Yet, climate adaptation has historically been given less political and academic attention than climate mitigation. This thesis explores how the European Commission formulates and projects strategic narratives about climate adaptation during the 2019-2024 mandate period. Policy documents and communications from the Commission are analysed through a qualitative content analysis, with a theoretical framework combined of Strategic Narratives and the concept of Depoliticisation. Through this, the analysis identifies dominant and commonly occurring narratives of urgency, ‘unavoidability’, technical expertise and EU leadership. The findings show that climate adaptation is frequently projected and framed as a technical challenge and non-negotiable and necessary response to climate change, contributing to depoliticisation. This may, in turn, limit political contestation and democratic legitimacy. Mentions of the EU’s historical responsibility and colonial legacy are strategically absent, effectively projecting the EU as a global climate leader, moral actor and responsible partner. These narratives serve to legitimise the Commission’s agenda but raise questions of democratic legitimacy and historical responsibility in EU climate and adaptation governance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Gäfvert, Klara LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Climate Adaptation, Strategic Narratives, Depoliticisation, European Union, Climate Change
language
English
id
9189768
date added to LUP
2025-08-08 11:38:08
date last changed
2025-08-08 11:38:08
@misc{9189768,
  abstract     = {{As the impacts and consequences of climate change intensify and accelerate, climate adaptation is becoming increasingly central to and visible in European Union (EU) policy and governance. Yet, climate adaptation has historically been given less political and academic attention than climate mitigation. This thesis explores how the European Commission formulates and projects strategic narratives about climate adaptation during the 2019-2024 mandate period. Policy documents and communications from the Commission are analysed through a qualitative content analysis, with a theoretical framework combined of Strategic Narratives and the concept of Depoliticisation. Through this, the analysis identifies dominant and commonly occurring narratives of urgency, ‘unavoidability’, technical expertise and EU leadership. The findings show that climate adaptation is frequently projected and framed as a technical challenge and non-negotiable and necessary response to climate change, contributing to depoliticisation. This may, in turn, limit political contestation and democratic legitimacy. Mentions of the EU’s historical responsibility and colonial legacy are strategically absent, effectively projecting the EU as a global climate leader, moral actor and responsible partner. These narratives serve to legitimise the Commission’s agenda but raise questions of democratic legitimacy and historical responsibility in EU climate and adaptation governance.}},
  author       = {{Gäfvert, Klara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Framing the Future - The European Commission’s Strategic Narratives and Depoliticisation of Climate Adaptation}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}