Neoliberal global networks and climate change obstruction: a case study on Atlas think tanks in Latin America
Sprache des Vortragstitels:
Englisch
Original Tagungtitel:
Pandaemonium: Interrogating the Apocalyptic Imaginaries of our Time
Sprache des Tagungstitel:
Englisch
Original Kurzfassung:
Climate change obstruction and denialism in Latin America still seem to be less expressive in public and in politics when compared to North America, for example. Climate policy also does not seem to be a main battlefield for neoliberal think tanks. However, in a global context of entangled socio-political and environmental crisis, the upsurge of networks between right-wing politicians, neoliberal think tanks and extractivist industries in the region make this underresearched subject increasingly relevant. Against this backdrop, in this paper we present a first content and network analysis of member think tanks of the Atlas Network in Latin America and their relation to actors, discourses and activities in the field of climate change obstruction. The research is focused on a) think tank interlocks between Latin America, Europe and the United States; b) interlocks between think tank personnel and energy, agribusiness and mining corporations and other companies as well as universities and c) discourses, programs and practices involving environmental policies. This first exploratory study will shed light on the diversity of discourses, strategies and network activities of Latin American Atlas think tanks in this field. Hence, we will advance our understanding of how manifold actors are engaged in shaping and circulating political practices that contest the mitigation of the environmental crisis.