CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Szabo, John |
|---|---|
| Title | Climate Change's Role in Shaping the European Union's Natural Gas Markets |
| Summary | This dissertation examines the interaction of the European Commission’s climate strategies and natural gas policies between 1992–2018. The Commission responded to the threat of climate change by introducing increasingly ambitious measures. The effect of these has varied from source fuel to source fuel. Many presumed that natural gas and the established interests of the sector would benefit from the transition. They posited that the fuel’s low emissions upon combustion would lead consumers to shift towards it, allowing it to play the role of a transition fuel. The Commission’s energy policy also adhered to a narrative of decarbonisation in which switching to natural gas on the path to a renewable-dominated energy system is permissible. This changed during the 2010s, when it began to withdraw support for respective infrastructure projects and then questioned whether it was indeed the transition fuel. To theorise findings, this thesis introduces a Greening Institutionalism analytical framework, which proposes how political institutions change over time in response to climate-driven policy. The framework, broadly speaking, draws on institutionalism and energy transition theories. It shows how discourse plays an essential role in shifting the actions of political institutions, such as the Commission. Moreover, it builds on neo-Gramscian green transition theory that underscores the politics of transitions and the resistance of various actors to change through their use of material, organisation, and discursive power. They use this to influence EU governance, shaping the actions and policies of the Commission. As the political momentum to decarbonise unfolded and the Commission’s policies became more effective, the dominance of established interests withered, forcing them to adapt and find an alternative role to play in the EU’s low carbon economy. With these measures, the Commission moved to becoming a post-carbon institution, but it still remained confined to a number of pre-existing practices. As the effect of the Commission’s climate policies increased, natural gas sectoral actors adopted a relatively unified position in suggesting that they could provide low carbon gases to meet energy demand. From a technical and economic standpoint this is necessary to decarbonise the EU, while enabling for the re-utilisation of natural gas infrastructure and allowing respective interests to continue to play a role in the EU’s energy system as the energy transition unfolds. The case underscores that political institutions change gradually and even though discourse-driven critical junctures lead to larger ruptures in historical continuities, the power actors wield through governance combined with political and socio-technical lock-ins allows for them to shape governance regimes to maintain their relevance. |
| Supervisor | LaBelle, Michael Carnegie |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/szabo_john.pdf |
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