Climate Crisis, Hungary and the EU: is There a Unique Conservative Approach to Climate Change? A Case Study on the Media Discourse Involving Climate Change and Energy Policy

Abstract

This study investigates the dominant discourses concerning the climate crisis and climate and energy policy as they are interpreted in the context of the European Union within Hungarian news media from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Applying content and discourse analysis methodologies, we identified and interpreted key discourses emphasizing Hungary’s positioning within both EU and global contexts. Our findings show that climate change is not associated with a distinctive and autonomous discursive framework. Instead, it is predominantly embedded within dominant narratives reflecting the current government’s stance, specifically its criticism of the European Union. This critique often alleges the process of diminishing the role of nation-states and favoring a federalistic EU approach within EU decision-making processes. These findings align with prior research indicating that climate change discourses in Hungary exhibit parallels with global narratives but are primarily reframed within pre-existing dominant discourses.