Geopolitical or generational responsibility? : A framing analysis of the Fridays for Future movement in Indian newspapers

Abstract: The Fridays for Future movement offers a perspective on environmental responsibility that collideswith the traditional accountability perspective of many emerging economies. Fridays for Futuresuggests that socio-political elites of any one country, and especially those of elder generations, areresponsible for environmental degradation, whereas emerging economies maintain that only thedeveloped world is accountable for climate change. Given this background, the purpose of thisstudy is to illuminate how the Fridays for Future movement is received in India. As the movement isstrongly associated with its leader, Greta Thunberg, the study also explores the reception ofThunberg. Through a framing analysis of opinion pieces published in Indian English-languagenewspapers, the study found a substantial division within the Indian society concerning the issue ofenvironmental responsibility. Many authors highlight the Fridays for Future movement and itsfounder as western, elitist, and ineffective; but others frame it as a possibility of convergence andchange in international climate negotiations. These findings suggest that the traditional perspectiveon environmental responsibility is not incessant, as it has found a serious challenge in the FridaysFor Future model of accountability. Optimistically, this could further indicate that a more acceptingview of environmental accountability is under way, which might increase the incentives to actagainst climate change.