Vägtrafik skapar flera negativa konsekvenser för miljön men även för människors hälsa. Kommuner ansvarar för lokal infrastruktur och är därför en betydande del i arbetet med hållbar stadsutveckling. Studien undersökte hur politiker och tjänstemän i Sveriges medelstora kommuner arbetar för att bilen ska bli mindre attraktiv och för att öka hållbar mobilitet. Undersökningen utgick från Sveriges miljömål samt den strategi som innefattar nya etappmål för hållbar stadsutveckling. Frågeställningen besvarades genom att använda semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra politiker och fyra tjänstemän från medelstora kommuner i Sverige. Resultat som framkom var att kommunerna arbetar med hållbar mobilitet i olika utsträckning utifrån olika förutsättningar och behov, men att lönsamhet och invånarnas åsikter begränsar arbetet. De slutsatser som drogs var att effektiva strategier krävs för att uppnå hållbar mobilitet vilket inkluderar ökade möjligheter för hållbart resande samt motstånd för bilanvändning. Att ha ett fungerande samarbete mellan politiker och tjänstemän samt ha en sakkunnig person på plats ansågs även vara viktiga prioriteringar och åtgärder. Eftersom att kommunerna värderar ekonomisk lönsamhet och invånarnas åsikter högre än miljön krävs dessutom prioritering på att öka nationell styrning och att regeringen måste sätta hårdare krav på kommuner. / Road traffic creates several negative consequences for the environment but also for human health. Municipalities are responsible for local infrastructure and are therefore a significant part of the work with sustainable urban development. The study examined how politicians and civil servants in Sweden's medium-sized municipalities work to make the car less attractive and to increase sustainable mobility. The study was based on Sweden's environmental goals and the strategy that includes new milestones targets for sustainable urban development. The method consisted of semi-structured interviews with four politicians and four civil servants from medium-sized municipalities in Sweden. The results showed that municipalities work with sustainable mobility to different extents based on different conditions and needs, but that profit and residents opinion limit the work. The conclusions were that effective strategies are required to achieve sustainable mobility which includes increased opportunities for sustainable travel and resistance to car use. Having a functioning collaboration between politicians and civil servants and having an expert on site were also considered important priorities and measures. Since economic profit and residents' opinion is valued higher than the environment by the municipalities, it is necessary to prioritize the implementation of national governance and that the government must set demands on municipalities.

I den här uppsatsen görs en jämförelse mellan två aktörer på den klimatpolitiska arenan, den svenska staten och miljörörelsen. Syftet är att jämföra och analysera aktörernas syn på klimatfrågan med särskilt fokus på säkerhetisering och klimaträttvisa i ljuset av ekologisk modernisering som dominerande diskurs i det klimatpolitiska samtalet. Genom en diskursanalys av Sveriges första klimatpolitiska handlingsplan samt textmaterial från Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen och Extinction Rebellion visar denna studie på hur frågor om säkerhet och rättvisa nedprioriteras i statens sätt att prata om klimatfrågan. Detta förstås utifrån att ekologisk modernisering alltmer blivit den dominerande diskursen i svensk klimatpolitik. Det är i jämförelsen med miljörörelsens sätt att prata om klimatfrågan som detta blir som tydligast. / In this thesis, a comparison is made between two actors in the climate policy arena, the Swedish state and the environmental movement. The purpose is to compare and analyze the actors’ perspectives on the climate issue, with a particular focus on securitization and climate justice in the context of ecological modernization as the dominant discourse in the climate policy conversation. Through a discourse analysis of Sweden’s first climate policy action plan, as well as textual material from two different environmental groups in Sweden, Naturskyddsföreningen and Extinction Rebellion, this study demonstrates how issues of security and justice are deprioritized in the state’s discourse of climate issue. This finding is understood in the light of ecological modernization as the dominant discourse in Swedish climate policy. It is in the comparison with the environmental movement’s way of talking about the climate issue that this becomes most evident.

<p><p><strong>Level:                           </strong>Master thesis in Business administration with concentration towards Ecological economics</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Title:             </strong>Combating climate change – a case study of Statoil’s climate strategy<strong></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Problem:       </strong>The world is facing an environmental situation where we no longer can ignore problems like climate change, losses of species and an overall environmental degradation. Many actors have to take their responsibility and do as much as they can for a sustainable development. One crucial actor is the business world. Often, they both have the knowledge and financial power to make a difference. Higher environmental regulations and pressure from stakeholders, such as the Swedish government or the EU, forces companies to consider the environment while doing business. This requires a strategy.<strong></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Purpose:       </strong>The purpose with the essay is to identify and study Statoil’s climate strategy.  We also want to identify the most important internal and external factors that are affecting the strategy.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Method:       </strong>The thesis is based on a qualitative method made up by two parts, interviews and literature studies. We made one informant interview and two respondent interviews with two environmental executives from Statoil AB.<strong></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Results:        </strong>Statoil has a mainly pro-active strategy and are very ambiguous in the climate question, although their strategy is highly affected by the surrounding. Developing new technologies, cooperation and profiling are the main parts of their strategy. They are affected by the dominating discourse ecological modernization, as well as by the organizational field. They are in turn affecting the field by their offensive strategy. The customers and the legal framework are the most important external factors of impact. Whereas the corporate group StatoilHydro and financial resources are the most important internal factors. <strong></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Keywords:    </strong>Climate strategy, environmental strategy, responsible company, greening, ecological modernization</p><p> </p></p><p> </p>

I denna avhandling studeras en ny teknik för att hantera växthuseffekten. Den nya tekniken heter koldioxidavskiljning och lagring (CCS) och granskades av FN:s klimatpanel 2005 och tillskrevs då möjligheterna att stå för 15-55% av alla CO2-reducering fram till 2100 och detta till en 30% lägre kostnad än vad som annars vore möjligt. EU är en framträdande pådrivare av CCS och för fram att växthuseffekten inte kan hanteras utan att CCS implementeras skyndsamt. CCS beskrivs i dessa sammanhang som en hållbar teknik. CCS är emellertid förbunden med långtidslagring, en betydande teknisk komplexitet och tillämpas främst på kolkraftverk. Storskaliga satsningar på CCS kan medföra att kolanvändningen ökar. Syftet med avhandlingen är att analysera de vetenskapliga och politiska ansträngningarna att visa att CCS är en eftersträvansvärd teknik för att hantera växthuseffekten. Utifrån perspektivet ekologisk modernisering och genom granskning av studier av vetenskapliga rapporter, artiklar i massmedia, politiska dokument och intervjuer genomförs studien. Scenerier och prognoser har en central funktion för att kunna påvisa att CCS är en eftersträvansvärd teknik. I flera av dessa scenarier framställs en närmast linjär teknikutveckling och flera betydelsefulla problem och hinder bortses från. CCS framstår som en teknik med stor teknisk och ekonomisk potential och i massmedia beskrivs CCS ofta som oumbärlig. En mer nyanserad bild framträder vid intervjuer med CCS-experter då fler osäkerheter och hinder lyfts fram. Förståelsen för varför denna teknik för stöd av många starka aktörer blir även tydligare. Den dominerande beskrivningen av CCS egenskaper och inverkan på energisystemen ligger i linje med det som är utmärkande för den ekologiska modernisering och således även för det dominerande sättet att bedriva energi- och klimatpolitik idag. / In this dissertation an emerging technology to manage climate change is studied. The technology is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) and was reviewed by the IPCC in 2005. IPCC claims that CCS could contribute 15–55% to the cumulative mitigation effort worldwide until 2100 and reduce the costs of stabilizing CO2 concentrations by 30%. The EU promotes CCS and believes that climate change cannot be managed unless CCS is promptly implemented. In this context CCS is labelled as a sustainable technology. However CCS deals with long-term waste disposal, a significant technological complexity and is meant to be installed mainly in coal-fired power plants. Large scale implementation of CCS might lead to a rise in coal usage and concerns are raised this will impede the development of renewable energy. The aim of this dissertation is to analyze the scientific and political efforts to show that CCS is a rational and viable solution to the climate change problems. The study is conducted from the perspective of ecological modernization and is undertaken through a review of scientific reports, mass media articles, political documents and interviews. Scenarios and prognoses have a central position in making a future of large-scale CCS implementation plausible: through the scenarios, a linear development trend is visualized in which technological and scientific problems are assumed to be solved as CCS is implemented. CCS is described as a technology with substantial potential and is in the mass media often pictured as indispensable. A more nuanced picture appears when analyzing interviews with CCS-experts. The understanding of why this technology is supported by several influential actors is deepened. The dominating description of CCS and impact on the energy systems is compatible to the characteristics of ecological modernization and thus also to the predominating way of practising energy and climate politics today.

Between the local and the global: climate, local governments, networks The notion of an ongoing global warming is shared by a large number of researchers and decision-makers around the world. Through the act of signing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change a majority of the world's naitons have accepted the idea of human induced climate change, and to develop national climate change mitigation programmes. The Kyoto protocol later quantified the commitments made by the nations. The issue of climate change has become a political issue of its own. In the European Union as well as in Sweden and other nations, climate mitigation goals, programmes and strategies are developed. This is also the situation on the local level, for example in Swedish municipalities, which is the context of this study. Local goverment is an important actor in climate mitigation, both as a political organization in its own right and as an arena involving actors from different sectors in society. Climate change mitigation measures conducted by local governments re partly shaped by national grant programmes. The study shows, however, that the local context - the palce - with its natural prerequisites, economic structures and composition of actors, is just as decisive for how the local climate policies are developed and implemented. It also shows that although responsibility for the environment is an important driving force in local climate mitigation there are at least two other dirving forces; local and regional development and the symbolic valute of being in the forefront of climate change mitigation. Another arena where actors in climate change mitigation meet is the network. Together wiht actors from different sectors and levels many municipalities participate in various networks, with local to global extension. The fact that the netsorks like climate change in inself transcends political and administrative borders, is alsö addressed theoretically in the study, focusing upon the concepts of re-scaling, multilevel governance and network governance, which constitute the theoretichal fram of the thesis.

Level:                           Master thesis in Business administration with concentration towards Ecological economics   Title:             Combating climate change – a case study of Statoil’s climate strategy   Problem:       The world is facing an environmental situation where we no longer can ignore problems like climate change, losses of species and an overall environmental degradation. Many actors have to take their responsibility and do as much as they can for a sustainable development. One crucial actor is the business world. Often, they both have the knowledge and financial power to make a difference. Higher environmental regulations and pressure from stakeholders, such as the Swedish government or the EU, forces companies to consider the environment while doing business. This requires a strategy.   Purpose:       The purpose with the essay is to identify and study Statoil’s climate strategy.  We also want to identify the most important internal and external factors that are affecting the strategy.   Method:       The thesis is based on a qualitative method made up by two parts, interviews and literature studies. We made one informant interview and two respondent interviews with two environmental executives from Statoil AB.   Results:        Statoil has a mainly pro-active strategy and are very ambiguous in the climate question, although their strategy is highly affected by the surrounding. Developing new technologies, cooperation and profiling are the main parts of their strategy. They are affected by the dominating discourse ecological modernization, as well as by the organizational field. They are in turn affecting the field by their offensive strategy. The customers and the legal framework are the most important external factors of impact. Whereas the corporate group StatoilHydro and financial resources are the most important internal factors.   Keywords:    Climate strategy, environmental strategy, responsible company, greening, ecological modernization

To curb greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change is one of the biggest challenges human society face today. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has accumulated rapidly in the atmosphere as a consequence of burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The aim of this study is to explore two methods to store carbon dioxide in geological formations and biological sinks. The aim is also to discuss the two mitigation options from a sustainable perspective and whether it can lead to a better environment and benefits for local and global societies. The research questions are: Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, is the most effective? Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, has the greatest potential to promote sustainable development for local communities? The method used is a comparative case study and presents four case studies that explore the potential for CO2 storage offshore in Norway and Brazil; and in tropical forests in Mexico and Brazil. The mitigation options are discussed from two different theoretical perspectives. The principle of the theory of ecological modernisation is that innovation and environmentally friendly technology can solve the environmental problems human societies face today, whereas the theory of common pool resources promotes local communities to govern limited resources in order to manage them sustainably. The findings suggest that ecological modernisation legitimize environmental destruction as carbon dioxide storage in geological formations (CCS) use the technology as a mean to extract more oil and gas; which results in a rebound-effect. Therefore, carbon dioxide capture in geological formations is not a realistic method unless it can prevent further emissions. Protected forest resources can be seen as biological insurance, which safeguard ecosystem services, biodiversity, and the forest potential to hold carbon. Carbon sequestration in tropical forest has the potential to store carbon dioxide given that the forests are protected and local communities have tenure rights, knowledge, and the means to protect the forest and manage them sustainably.

No description available.

The exploitation of land in Northern Sweden has caused a significant depletion of grazing grounds for semi-domesticated reindeer. This is a threat to the indigenous Sami reindeer herders of Sweden, who rely on the grazing ground in order to sustainably feed their herds. In the last decade, a significant amount of grazing land has been lost due to the construction of wind power parks (WPP) in important grazing regions. This thesis examines the discourse surrounding a WPP built in Härjedalen for IKEA. The WPP was built on Glötesvålen, a unique highland used for grazing by Mittådalen, a local herding community. Through a dissection of electronic sources and semi-structured interviews, the author conducts a discourse analysis to identify the most prevalent narratives surrounding the construction of IKEA’s WPP on Glötesvålen. An inductive approach is used to identify underlying ideologies present in the discourse through a relevant theoretical framework. The results show a pervasive enthusiasm for the WPP as a pivot towards renewable energy which mirrors the ideology of ecological modernization. The results also find a critical narrative which lifts the uneven power dynamic experienced by reindeer herders. This narrative is understood through the lens of Spivak’s (2010) “Can the Subaltern Speak?”. An additional discourse found is the symbolic issue between industrial ecological transitioning and the right to reindeer husbandry as a cultural heritage. / Exploateringen av mark i norra Sverige har orsakat en betydande förlust av betesmarker för renskötare. Detta hotar den svensk-samiska rennäringen, som förlitar sig på betesmarken för att hållbart mata sina hjordar. Under det senaste decenniet har en betydande mängd betesmark gått förlorad på grund av den ökande mängden vindkraftsparker (WPP) på, eller intillrenbetesmarker. Denna avhandling undersöker diskursen kring en WPP byggd i Härjedalen för IKEA. WPP byggdes på Glötesvålen, ett låg-fjäll som tidigare haft strategiskt viktiga betesmarker för samebyn Mittådalen. Genom en dissektion av elektroniska källor och halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomför författaren en diskursanalys för att identifiera de vanligaste narrativen om IKEAs vindkraftpark på Glötesvålen. En induktiv metod används för att identifiera underliggande ideologier som finns i diskursen genom ett relevant teoretisk ramverk. Resultaten visar en genomgripande entusiasm för vindkraft som ett steg mot förnybar energi. Detta narrativ speglar ideologin för ekologisk modernisering. Resultaten hittar också ett kritisk narrativ som lyfter den ojämna maktdynamiken som renskötarna upplever. Detta förstås genom Spivaks (2010) "Kan den underordnade tala?". Ytterligare en diskurs som upptäcks är symbolfrågan mellan industriell ekologisk omställning och bevarandet av renskötseln som kulturarv.

This dissertation studies the development of the environmental issue from a discursive perspective. Through an analysis of views on nature and the environment in several NGOs and main political organs, the dissertation tries to explain how a certain view became hegemonic. The analysis pertains to the period between the publication of Silent Spring in 1962 and the introduction of the concept sustainable development by the UN in 1987. From a realistic starting point and with critical discourse analysis (CDA) as its method, the dissertation aims to identify causal powers and mechanisms that have generated and institutionalized the environmental discourse. An analytical model is developed and applied on three levels; a sociolinguistic, institutional, and macrosocial level; which also reflect the methodological progression of the study from description to explanation. The result shows that the discursive practice was hegemonized by a Western view promoting economic growth. This discourse gradually gained ground at the expense of an anti-systemic discourse which posited structural societal changes as the answer to environmental problems. Mechanisms such as the exclusion of some views and actors from common discursive practices were crucial for the process of homogenizing the discourse and developing consensus. Through incorporating that part of the environmental movement which did not fight the dominant economic and political system, the UN turned it into support for its own project, which is part of the process of hegemony. At the same time the environmental objectives of the hegemonic discourse were established in the institutional spheres. The institutionalization of the environmental issue changed the focus from social critique to a question of development and technology, something which helped displace the original critical and partially anti-systemic character of environmental discourse. Through turning the critical and negative account of the situation into a more harmonious and hopeful vision, for instance in terms of sustainable development, a foundation was laid for the later development of ecological modernization. When the hegemonic discourse invested the concept of sustainable development with emphases on progress and economic growth, it encapsulated the environmental issue within the framework of the prevailing social system. / <p>With summary in English and Spanish/Con resumen en inglés y en español</p>