Europe's Renewable Energy Transition? How the notion of Sustainable Development has shaped the European Union's stance on renewable energy
Georgiou, Nicholas (2015)
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Georgiou, Nicholas
2015
Kansainvälinen politiikka - International Relations
Johtamiskorkeakoulu - School of Management
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2015-04-08
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201504201312
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201504201312
Tiivistelmä
In International Relations in recent years, the environment or 'environmental matters' have become a very important issue both within internal domestic politics and within international treaties and organisations such as the EU. Conflicts over natural resources or damage caused to one state's resources as a result of pollution from a neighbouring state can lead to potential conflicts and even wars between states. Climate change has a huge potential to adversely affect every country in the world and has steadily gained importance as an influential factor in international relations. Thus, the way in which environmental issues are viewed, classified and framed is extremely important as they in turn affect the decisions policymakers and politicians then make as to how to face environmental problems.
Renewable energy has increased in popularity over the last two decades or so amidst increasing speculation on certain phenomena such as global warming and/or man-made climate change being linked to the burning of fossil fuels. This together with increased awareness of energy security, the increasing price of energy and of the possibility of fossil fuels even running out in the not so distant future have all contributed to the renewable energy debate in the EU. This thesis considers how these factors have affected the way the EU views renewable energy as a potential but up until recent times, expensive option. In particular I examine how the notion of Sustainable Development, popularised out of the 1987 Brundtland Report has shaped this debate on renewable energy within the EU.
Discourse and Critical Discourse Analysis are used to evaluate EU Directives, Green Papers, Communications and speeches by prominent EU officials to get a real feel for how the ideas of 'sustainability' and 'Sustainable Development' have shaped the EU's stance on renewable energy over the last 20 years. Both of these terms have been used repeatedly in order to endorse a far more positive and in recent years a relatively stringent attitude towards renewable forms of energy; culminating in recent EU legislation to enforce the increased usage of renewable forms of energy amongst EU states up to 2020 and beyond.
Renewable energy has increased in popularity over the last two decades or so amidst increasing speculation on certain phenomena such as global warming and/or man-made climate change being linked to the burning of fossil fuels. This together with increased awareness of energy security, the increasing price of energy and of the possibility of fossil fuels even running out in the not so distant future have all contributed to the renewable energy debate in the EU. This thesis considers how these factors have affected the way the EU views renewable energy as a potential but up until recent times, expensive option. In particular I examine how the notion of Sustainable Development, popularised out of the 1987 Brundtland Report has shaped this debate on renewable energy within the EU.
Discourse and Critical Discourse Analysis are used to evaluate EU Directives, Green Papers, Communications and speeches by prominent EU officials to get a real feel for how the ideas of 'sustainability' and 'Sustainable Development' have shaped the EU's stance on renewable energy over the last 20 years. Both of these terms have been used repeatedly in order to endorse a far more positive and in recent years a relatively stringent attitude towards renewable forms of energy; culminating in recent EU legislation to enforce the increased usage of renewable forms of energy amongst EU states up to 2020 and beyond.