Excuse the mess, we are constructing the green vehicle : An argumentative analysis of the party political perception of the green vehicle

Politicians, companies, organizations and people all over the world need to act swiftly to prevent, or at least, mitigate climate change. Sweden has the means and the ambition to be a one of the first green welfare states in the world. According to the Swedish Government Inquiries (SOU 2013:84) Fossil Free on the Way the transport sector is responsible for thirty percent of Sweden’s total emissions, which means that there are a lot of potential in decreasing the emissions from the sector. To provide a context, I have presented a couple of events that might help the understanding of the political debate. I mention the IPCC reports, the Paris Agreement and the Swedish Climate Act (2017:720) which provides guidelines and goals for politicians to follow. I also mention how Dieselgate changed the perspective of the diesel car as a green vehicle and how Tesla’s energy efficient engines as well as the company’s developed batteries helped change the perception of the electric vehicle, and later on, the view of the green vehicle. The aim of this study is to examine how the party political perceptions of what kind of car that should be considered as a a green vehicle has shifted over time. This is done by analyzing how the Green Party and the Moderates have taken a stand and argued for the electric car and the diesel car in 2014 and 2018. To help analyzing the arguments and the positions and to understand how differences between the parties' arguments stem from ideology, the study will be based on Jonas Anshelm’s and Martin Hultman's theoretical frameworks. What the analysis show is that, though, there are some ideological differences, both partiesshared consensus about what a green vehicle is.Umeå universite