A Call for Justice: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Justice at the COP26

Abstract: This master thesis examines the representation of climate justice discourses at the by various parties at the COP26 in Glasgow, 2021 and how these are manifested in the subsequent policy outcome, the Glasgow Pact. To coherently categorize the wide interpretations of climate justice, this study adopts a theoretical framework proposed by Schapper (2018), where climate justice is differentiated through international, intra-societal and intergenerational dimensions. Through the lens of critical discourse analysis, statements made at the higher-level segment of the event are analyzed according to their storylines to identify which climate justice discourses are exercised by varying actors. The sample consists of 17 statements of various countries categorized by different coalitions. In comparison, the findings indicate that the Glasgow Pact recognizes most discourses in some form, but that it sides with developed nations on account of knowledge claims, non-binding policy language and an absence of any discourse on historical responsibility or the right to use fossil fuels. Consequently, the mismatch of what is said and done reveals power imbalances at the negotiations, and therefore threaten the credibility of the COP as a fair and inclusive arena for climate negotiations.