Ecological Modernization or Green Radicalism?

Abstract: This study has through the methodology of a content analysis examined how three non-governmental organizations; Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace, describe the subjects economy and consumption. The material of the study is based on publications written by the organizations during the time period 2005 to 2015. The publications have been taken from two different national contexts in an ambition to achieve a broader understanding of how these subjects are described. These are the national contexts of Sweden and the United Kingdom. The theoretical framework for this study has been based on two different environmental perspectives: ecological modernization and green radicalism. Ecological modernization is understood to be the dominating direction of thought and green radicalism thereby represents a more challenged understanding of the environmental issues. The conclusions of this study indicate that the type of organization may influence how economy and consumption are described. The national context does not seem to affect the description to the same extent.