From green to geopolitics: the evolution of EU climate discourses and identity constructions 2015–2022

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of the European Union’s climate discourses between 2015-2022, a period marked by the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, and crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Through a model combining Interpretive Discourse Analysis and Discourse Historical Analysis, the article focuses on 283 sources from the European Commission and Council to trace continuities and discontinuities in narratives and discursive themes on climate change and action, and their associated identity constructions. The study reveals a significant shift. While from 2015-2019, climate issues were peripheral, framed within economic and trade discourses, since 2019, under the von der Leyen Commission, they became central, increasingly infused with geopolitical and security dimensions. The 2022 Ukraine war accelerated this trend, introducing confrontational and exclusionary elements, positioning the EU as a value-based geopolitical leader. By linking climate narratives to identity formation, the paper illuminates how discourses shape policy priorities and legitimise action, offering theoretical insights into the interplay of ideas, identity, and governance in EU climate policy. It contributes to EU studies by highlighting how non-material factors – discourses and identities – redefine the EU’s global role amid polycrisis, with implications for policy-making and political dynamics.