Office for Environmental Programs - Theses
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ItemWhat's the story?: Fairness and equity in Australian climate change policy( 2010)In order to progress action on climate change at both international and national levels it is critical to identify ways of distributing the costs of mitigation and adaptation which are commonly agreed to be fair and equitable. This study uses a discourse analysis approach to investigate how Australian advocacy organisations frame equity issues associated with climate change in the national policy context. Seven central and prominently used `story lines' about equity were identified within submissions to the Garnaut Climate Change Review and Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper by eight national advocacy organisations across the environment, social, international development and business sectors. These story lines represent competing attempts to shape Australia's policy response to climate change by focussing on different concepts of equity, as well as different scales and timeframes over which they can be applied. I found that these story lines are utilised by Three broad `discourse coalitions'. Story lines found to be shared across sectorial boundaries, which focus in particular on the need to provide financial assistance to low income households and industries affected by structural adjustment, indicate approaches to equity that are more likely to shape national climate change policy. I also found little reference to equitable adaptation to climate change within Australia. The limited use of story lines emphasising Australia's responsibility for strong mitigation action by key national stake holders highlights the difficulty of implementing internationally oriented preventative climate change policy at the national level.