Forest conservation through markets? A discourse network analysis of the debate on funding mechanisms for REDD+ in Brazil
Abstract
One of the most contentious issues surrounding the forest conservation program REDD+ is the question whether it should be funded via international carbon markets. The controversy between market supporters and opponents has been especially marked in the public debate in Brazil, one of the main potential beneficiaries of REDD+ payments. In a remarkable shift of policy, the Brazilian Federal Government gave up its long-standing opposition to market-based funding in the run-up to the COP15, following several years of competition between two main discourse coalitions and their preferred story lines. These were analyzed here with discourse network analytical techniques. Brazil’s policy change may in part be explained by the failure of market opponents to employ positive arguments about alternative funding mechanisms, such as a public fund model; and by the increasing discursive dominance of a third emerging discourse coalition, which adopted major arguments of both sides in the debate. The research presented here thus provides more general insights on the dynamics of public debates, discourse coalitions, and the impacts of discursive strategies on policy-making, as well as on the value of discourse network analysis as a research method.
Citation
Schulz , C 2020 , ' Forest conservation through markets? A discourse network analysis of the debate on funding mechanisms for REDD+ in Brazil ' , Environmental Communication , vol. 14 , no. 2 , pp. 202-218 . https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2019.1631869
Publication
Environmental Communication
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1752-4032Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2019.1631869
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