Perceptions of climate change as a security issue in the case of Greece: an application of Q-methodology in security studies

Abstract

This study establishes the stakeholders’ perceptions of environmental and energy security through the application of Q methodology in the case of Greece. It explains in detail the essentiality of including individual viewpoints and the opinions of actors such as the policy-makers, energy-industry leaders, members of NGOs and the public in the security field. More precisely, it presents the usefulness of applying Q methodology in the study of climate change as a security issue in a vulnerable country like Greece, which represents a range of countries with many interrelated economic, societal and political problems. In this study, Q methodology systematically reveals the traditional and non-traditional security approaches and theories and compares the academic and public perceptions. This thesis highlights Q methodology’s research design and the difficulties involved in conceiving a methodological pattern of similar security research studies. This thesis applies Q methodology as a part of proposing a discussion on climate change as a security issue in the case of Greece in the period from August 2007-2016 prior to the Paris Climate Agreement. Q methodology is appropriate because it provides a systematic means of investigating human subjectivity. It has not been used to investigate climate change and security issues in general and in the case of Greece in particular. This research study, through this systematic analysis of the stakeholders’ perceptions in Greece, has established three different discourses; Factor 1: Environmental and Energy Security-Policy Seekers, Factor 2: Green Growth, Oil Extraction and Sustainable Energy-Policy Supporters and Factor 3: Anthropogenic Climate Change and Environmental and Energy Security Believers, Anti-Climate Change Scepticism. These factors shift the discussion from traditional security and climate change scepticism to ecological security and protection, while these also contribute to the knowledge both regarding the case study and the literature.