”Jag känner att jag inte bryr mig lika mycket längre” En kvalitativ studie av ungdomars positionering till klimatförändringar och om denna begränsar eller möjliggör deras agerande för klimatet

Abstract

Climate change must be addressed to avoid further ecological crises and to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations. However, current policies fail to meet global targets, and climate change is primarily discussed within the framework of green growth. By applying a theoretical discursive framework, the study examines how young adults conceptualize and respond to climate change, aiming to identify the environmental discourses that shape or constrain their capacity for climate action. A qualitative content analysis, combined with a theoretical framework based on John Dryzek’s detailed map of environmental discourses, has been used to systematise and analyse empirical data from interviews with young adults aged 20 to 25. The study concludes that the young adults position themselves within several different environmental discourses depending on the issue at hand, thus showing a reflexive capacity. This is further discussed as an opportunity for young adults to act on climate change.