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Scientific Article details

Title The "Greening" of Empire: The European Green Deal as the EU first agenda
ID_Doc 62907
Authors Almeida, DV; Kolinjivadi, V; Ferrando, T; Roy, B; Herrera, H; Gonçalves, MV; Van Hecken, G
Title The "Greening" of Empire: The European Green Deal as the EU first agenda
Year 2023
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102925
Abstract The recent past has seen the proposal of multiple 'Green New Deals' across geographies as a means to fight against the climate crisis and ecological breakdown. Of these, the European Green Deal- EGD represents the world's first public commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Because the EGD plans to "transform the EU," in this paper we examine how it fits within a historical continuum of colonial and neo-colonial relations. We argue that the EGD is the latest discursive strategy for the 'greening' of empire through four registers: (1) turning ecological crises into profitable opportunities; (2) portraying the EU as a 'moral' intervener; (3) building on a 'green' "will to improve"; and (4) securitizing and consolidating the empire. We find how the EU acts in key policy arenas of diplomacy, trade and investment leading to the 'greening' of the empire that ensures its continued economic and political leadership while fundamentally maintaining a status quo. We conclude with some reflections on the role of the EU to cede place to other possibilities of building anti-colonial ecologies.
Author Keywords European green deal; Green transition; Climate change; Europe; Climate neutrality
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
EID WOS:001037291900001
WoS Category Geography; Political Science
Research Area Geography; Government & Law
PDF https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102925
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