Managing the Energy Transition through Discourse. The Case of Poland

Abstract

Since energy transition has become a necessity, many countries are developing decarbonization plans and looking for ways to reduce CO2 emissions. The process takes different forms, most often being affected by local conditions, which means that it takes place in each country differently, due to the country’s social and economic specifics. One of the countries that has just started its energy transition process is Poland. The case of Poland is extremely interesting, as it is a country whose economy is still heavily dependent on coal and there are very strong traditions related to this particular source of energy. On the other hand, Poland has two very good reasons to move away from coal. The complexity and comprehensiveness of the energy transition results, among other things, from the diversity of actors involved in this issue and the multiplicity of their, often conflicting, interests. Using a critical discourse analysis, this paper attempts to show how those actors attempt to shape the transition through the discourses which they generate. The study covers the media discourse that took place in Poland between September 2020 and May 2021, i.e., a time when the Polish government negotiated with representatives of the miners’ trade unions the terms of Poland’s transition from coal. A critical analysis of the texts that appeared in the media during this time provides a picture of how different groups of social actors perceive the transition and how they try to manage that process.

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