Browsing by Subject "systeemimuutos"

The climate political passivity of recent history, dire consequences predicted by climate scientific scenarios, and urgent climate reports emphasize the existential threat posed by the climate crisis. With a lack of consensus on widely accepted solutions, humanity faces increasingly uncertain futures. The shadow of a bleak climate dystopia has led to the interpretation that utopias are missing from climate policy and discourse. This reflects society's challenges in imagining and constructing alternative, functional future perspectives in the context of the climate issue. In my thesis, I examine the extent to which two actors of the new generation climate movement, Elokapina and Operaatio Arktis articulate utopias and dystopias to promote goals and discussions on systemic change and the adoption of climate repair technologies. The material for my thesis consists mainly of content produced by Elokapina and Operaatio Arktis, primarily published on social media platforms and public speeches. Since language is a crucial tool in creating imaginaries, I employ rhetorical discourse analysis to answer my research questions. The rhetorical emphasis in discourse analysis particularly supports my effort to answer the question of how utopias and dystopias are articulated. I extend my interpretation to the performativity, materiality, and prefigurativeness of imaginaries to provide a comprehensive perspective on presenting utopias and dystopias. The most significant findings of my thesis are summarized in three key observations. First, although based on my material Elokapina and Operaatio Arktis shared a common concern about the seriousness of the climate crisis and used partly similar rhetoric, the actors significantly differed in describing the current dystopia and, especially, in presenting utopias. Second, the use of dystopias in Extinction Rebellion's rhetoric did not mean a suppression of utopian expression. Utopias were a significant tool for Elokapina, serving as critical counter-images to the present and being performed in the principles, values, and practices of Extinction Rebellion quite extensively. Additionally, utopias materialized as practical proposals. In this way, Elokapina directed systemic change towards a more sustainable and just direction. Therefore, I interpreted Elokapina regarding utopias as prefigurative, i.e., an actor whose actions practically live out utopias. Third, Operaatio Arktis's rhetoric lacked utopias entirely, with dystopias serving as a significant tool as the actor framed the risks associated with the adoption of climate correction technologies. Operaatio Arktis did not accept catastrophic consequences pointing to a future dystopia that would be avoidable with the current range of methods and through the use of climate repair technologies. Examining utopias and dystopias in the rhetoric of Elokapina and Operaatio Arktis helped to highlight how imaginaries can act as powerful and versatile tools in the actions of the new generation climate movement. They motivated action, raised awareness, and enabled discussions about significant themes related to the root causes and solutions of the climate crisis. Therefore, the results of my thesis are quite intriguing.