The EU energy and climate package: a showcase for European environmental leadership?

Abstract

Climate change is one of the main contemporary challenges, and it has been argued that there is a need for strong environmental leadership to achieve global climate deals. Few studies, however, have questioned how 'environmental leadership' is demonstrated in political and media discourse. To fi ll this gap, this paper adopts a critical discourse analytical (CDA) perspective to explore how the EU and newspapers in six European countries discursively construct environmental leadership in relation to the EU climate package that was introduced and ratifi ed in 2008. The fi ndings suggest that environmental leadership is a struggle for meaning that shifts over time, from fi rst, aiming at emissions reduction targets that are higher than others' versus targets that would be stringent enough to effectively fi ght climate change to second, the means used to reach the reduction targets versus the ends that are reached. This shift over the period of year 2008 seems largely due to signifi cant changes in the social context.

Progress of the V4 Countries towards the EU’s Energy and Climate Targets in the Context of Energy Security Improvement

“…At the same time, solutions influencing the EU energy security in many aspects have been sought (Marquina, 2008). This was the context of the preparation of the energy and climate package, not only in this strategic and political aspect, but also in an economic, ecological and infrastructural one, a fact which is also pointed out in the studies by Skjaerseth (2013), Helm, (2014) and also Christa Uusi-Rauva (2010).…”

Why administrative leaders take pro‐environmental leadership actions: Evidence from an eco‐compensation programme in China

“…The goal‐driven approach (Portugal & Yukl, 1994) views environmental leadership as a dynamic process in social change that requires leaders to influence, build consensus, and form collaborations with stakeholders to bring positive changes and achieve environmental goals. In China, change‐seeking actions are primarily reflected in leadership efforts to overcome the traditional mentality that stresses economic growth at the expense of the environment, while in the West, they are more displayed in conflict resolution and partnership development (Uusi‐Rauva, 2010; Bruyere, 2015).…”