BALTIC
The project will compare the actors, their networks, and obstruction tactics against green transitions at multiple levels in the three Baltic countries.
Main content
Europe will need to fundamentally transform its energy production systems to build a prosperous climate neutral and sustainable economy and society and to become the first climate neutral continent. The three Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—are the last EU member states with electricity networks still synchronized with Russia and Belarus. While desynchronizing from the Soviet-era system is crucial to achieve European Green Deal, the green transition has political implications that could fuel backlashes by multiple actors and institutions at the national and local levels. By employing a novel methodological approach, using topic modeling and network analyses on a range of related documents (e.g., newspapers, reports, policy documents, parlimentary minutes, and interviews), the BALTIC project will compare the actors, their networks, and obstruction tactics against green transitions at multiple levels – national to local - in the three Baltic countries.
Multi-level understanding of backlash
Backlashes against clean energy infrastructures are increasingly recognized as complex and escalating forms of negative feedback or contentious political dynamics that significantly influence policy outcomes. Although these backlashes are still in their early stages and remain fragmented, emerging empirical evidence from the Global North suggests that political opposition to clean energy actions is on the rise. These oppositions are often manifested in two primary ways: social groups demanding procedural justice in decision-making, particularly regarding wind energy projects, and populist movements utilizing discursive tactics and institutional strategies to hinder decarbonization policies.
For instance, populist parties across the political spectrum have employed various discursive tactics, such as media campaigns and anti-clean energy protests, to shape climate policy and influence the energy transition. A notable example is the anti-offshore wind group Green Oceans, a citizen organization based in Rhode Island, USA. This group employs misinformation tactics, including the use of fake experts, conspiracy theories, and climate denialism, to obstruct offshore wind investment decisions and delay the implementation of related actions—a method commonly referred to as 'obstruction.'
The BALTIC project aims to systematically identify the multifaceted dimensions of such backlashes. It will analyze and compare the actors, their networks, and the obstruction tactics they deploy against green transitions at various levels—from national to local—across the three Baltic countries. Through this comprehensive approach, the project seeks to better understand the evolving nature of political opposition to clean energy and to inform more effective strategies for advancing green transitions in the face of such challenges.
