EN ANNAN RETORIK? Nationalistiska partiers användning av nationalistisk miljö- och klimatpolitik

Abstract

Climate change is a phenomenon that know no boundaries. While focus on environment and climate change has become highly prioritized, nationalism has spread across Europe. Nationalism is by many considered to refuse action to combat climate change although some argue that nationalism could combat global climate change. Previous research on how nationalism is implemented in environment and climate politics has mainly focused on single parties. The thesis therefore aims to give a broad approach and compare how nationalism is used in environment and climate politics by analyzing 4 European parties with either ethnic or civic nationalism and different roles in their party system. With a qualitative content analysis on party programs and election manifestos the findings imply that parties use nationalism in the climate and environment discourse in a variety of ways. Nationalism is used to deny responsibility to tackle climate change and keep politics national, but the findings also imply that nationalism is used to combat environmental degradation and climate change both national and internationally. Since nationalism is context-driven future research could focus on poorly developed countries or newly democratized countries in eastern Europe where the limits and opportunities to form a nationalist environment and climate policy might differ.