Framing EU Climate Politics: A WPR and Securitization Analysis
Author
Jørgensen, Mie Milling
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-07
Pages
50
Abstract
Climate change has become a defining issue in international politics. This thesis examines how the European Union has represented the climate crisis since 2015 and which security assumptions underpin that representation. Guided by an interpretive-critical design, it applies Carol Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) alongside Copenhagen School securitization theory to analyze official speeches by EU politicians across three policy moments: the Paris Agreement (2015), the European Green Deal (2019), and the Competitiveness Compass (2025). Using WPR as the analytical method and securitization to trace speech acts, claims of existential threat, and performative utterances, the single-case qualitative study explores how shifting narratives link climate policy to broader concerns. The analysis finds a clear reframing over time: in 2015, the EU emphasized urgency arising from inadequate global commitment and transparency in nationally determined contributions (NDCs); by 2019, climate change was treated as a systemic challenge with social and economic security implications; by 2025, the narrative increasingly foregrounded industrial competitiveness, shaping the EU’s approach. Overall, the EU’s framing reflects evolving political priorities, social pressures, and gaps in collective action, with the Union acknowledging its own responsibility for mitigation. The study concludes that EU communication since 2015 has widened the understanding of climate change as a security issue that extends beyond the environment.
Klimaændringer er blevet et nøgleemne i international politik. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan EU siden 2015 har repræsenteret klimakrisen, og hvilke sikkerhedsmæssige antagelser der ligger bag. Med en fortolkende-kritisk tilgang kombineres Carol Bacchis What’s the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) med Københavnerskolens sekuritiseringsteori for at analysere officielle taler fra EU-politikere i tre politiske nedslag: Paris-aftalen (2015), den Europæiske Grønne Pagt (2019) og Competitiveness Compass (2025). WPR anvendes som metode, mens sekuritisering belyser talehandlinger, trusselsfremstillinger og performative udsagn i kommunikationen. Som et kvalitativt enkeltcasestudie undersøger analysen, hvordan EU’s fortælling om klimaet bindes til bredere hensyn. Resultaterne viser et markant skifte: I 2015 blev krisens hastværk knyttet til manglende global forpligtelse og transparens i de nationale bidrag (NDC’er); i 2019 blev klimaforandringerne fremstillet som en systemisk udfordring med sociale og økonomiske sikkerhedskonsekvenser; i 2025 kom fokus i højere grad på industriens konkurrenceevne, hvilket prægede tilgangen. Samlet afspejler EU’s rammesætning skiftende politiske prioriteter, sociale udfordringer og manglende kollektiv handling, og Unionen anerkender et medansvar for afbødning. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at EU’s kommunikation siden 2015 har udvidet forståelsen af klima som et sikkerhedsanliggende, der rækker ud over miljøet.
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