Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
“Shades of Green”:
Environmental discourses
Media, Politics and the Environment
Miklos Sukosd
March 28, 2012
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Discourses – what are they?
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Large worldviews, concepts, ideologies,
including frames, agendas and metaphors in
political and media language
The need for reflection of the language we use
in environmental journalism and
communication
“What kind of environmental discourse?”
“Shades of green”
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Dryzek’s logic

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Making sense of Earth's politics: a discourse approach
Looming tragedy: survivalism (tragedy of the commons)
Growth forever: the Promethean response
Leave it to the experts: administrative rationalism
Leave it to the people: democratic pragmatism
Leave it to the market: economic rationalism
vs
1.
2.
3.
4.

Environmentally benign growth: sustainable development
Industrial society and beyond: ecological modernization
Changing people: green consciousness
Changing society: green politics
Ecological democracy
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
1. Sustainable development

SD never an accomplished fact, except in small huntergatherer and agricultural societies with low level of
economic and technological development

Origins: Report by Brundtland Commission (World
Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

UN report to reconcile environmental and development
issues (environmental damage, population, peace and
security, social justice both within and across
generations) that had been competitive or antagonistic
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong

SD: “Humanity has the ability to make development
sustainable -- to ensure that it meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” (1987:8).

In essence, SD is a process of change in which “exploitation
of resources, the direction of investment, the orientation of
technological development, and industrial change are all in
harmony and enhance both current and future potential to
meet human needs and aspirations” (1987:46).
Deeper history: resource management concept in maximum
sustainable yield (fishery, forest, game animals that can be
sustained indefinitely)

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Intelligent operation of natural systems and human systems
in combination
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Sustainable development-discourse

Discourse: no limits to growth, capitalist
economy (competition de-emphasized
though), anthropocentric, „think globally,
act locally”, self-conscious improvement,
open-ended learning of humankind (like
lifetime learning), progress in the
environmental era
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Criticisms of sustainable
development
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Contestation over essence of SD
Actors: many agents at many levels, international (IGO + global
civil society) and sub-national (NGO)
Elasticity of concept: different meanings and interpretations
Environmentalist critique: intrinsic notions of nature are missing
Developing countries: stress on global redistribution
Western countries: developing countries cannot follow same path
of industrialization
Business: sustained economic growth + „green-painting”
Real life results? Miniscule compared to liberalization of global
trade and capital
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
2. Ecological modernization (or
green capitalism)

Central concept in environmental discourses like SD +
bandwagon

Common interest of public policy makers, businesses, and
citizen-consumers
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong

Most successful environmental policy performances:
“clean and green five” (Germany, Japan, Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden)
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High energy efficiency of national income

Low per capita emissions of pollutants

Low per capita generation of household garbage and
solid waste

Rate of change of going green also leading

Origins: precautionary principle (Germany and EU),
dependence on imported energy (imported oil, Japan)
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
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Corporatist policymaking, including green NGOs
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Conscious and coordinated efforts
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Pollution prevention pays
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Much sharper focus than SD on what to be done,
especially within the nation state

Green capitalism as “Practical” SD
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong

Discourse: economic development and environmental
protection can go hand in hand and reinforce each other,
systems approach (production, consumption, resource
depletion, pollution interrelated), limits ignored, partnership of
government, business, reformist NGOs and scientists,
capitalist restructuring of political economy, anthropocentric,
focus on human desires and calculations, nature as waste
treatment plant, Oikos (household): economics and ecology,
social progress, reassurance, optimism.

Technological vs. radical ecological (democratic, risk societyUlrich Beck) modernization

Critical point: green business aspects not emphasized
enough
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
3. Green consciousness

Change not institutions, but human
sensitivities, empathy, insight, experiences
vs. reason

Romanticism?
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Change starts with ourselves
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Deep ecology
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Ecological sensibility, self-realization and biocentric
equality
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Deep consciousness and awareness of organic unity
between humans, flora, fauna and the Earth
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Biocentric equality: no species, including the human
species, is regarded as more valuable in any sense than
other species vs. “anthropocentric arrogance”
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Diversity is intrinsic value irrespective of human interests
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
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Human population should be reduced „in the interests of
the non-human community”
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Misanthropist extremes welcome famine and disease:
humankind as a cancer of the Earth

What to do? Wilderness: preserve and protect it
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Lack of policy visions

Discourse: people should change first, not institutions,
realm of culture and society, Earth First! how to convince
others, and change institutions?
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Eco-feminism
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Not anthropocentrism, but androcentrism is the problem

Patriarchy, male domination subjugating both nature and
women
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Nature and women, nature in women: fertility—give birth
and nurture children
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Male rationality took the world to the edge of destruction
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"Feel it” (“feel nature”)
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Bioregionalism
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Sense of place emphasized
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Ecosystem boundaries (watershed,
vegetation) vs. political or ethnic boundaries
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Economic autarchy (self-sustaining regions)
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Lifestyle greens
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Green consumerism (prefers cosmetics
without animal testing, local food,
biodegradable cleaning products, recycled
paper, Fair Trade, etc.)

Vegetarianism on environmental grounds
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Eco-theology
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Spiritual roots of environmental problems: “be more humble”
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Environmental degradation: failure of Enlightenment project
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Christian: man as shepherd of the Earth, Book of Genesis
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Buddhist: karma, dependent origination, emptiness
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Hindu (Hare Krishna): karma, vegetarianism on religious
grounds
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Conclusions
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Discourses are larger, more general units of
thought than frames
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Identification of different environmental
discourses in media and communication
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Comparisons between environment. discourses
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SWOT analysis of environmental discourses
(strengths and weaknesses)
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