Varieties of decarbonization: Comparing state narratives of Germany, India, and Mexico

Decarbonization is an omnipresent term in academic and policy circles, yet its meaning remains elusive and mostly understood as a technocentric process. While many studies focus on the formal content and underlying political processes of climate and energy policies, they often overlook the narratives that governments present to their constituencies about decarbonization. This matters because these narratives directly contribute to shaping national decarbonization processes in the short- and long-term. This article addresses this gap by examining how national governments narrate the uptake of solar and wind energy in three major CO 2 emitters – Germany, India, and Mexico. Using thematic analysis of national climate and energy policy documents from 2015 to 2023, the study identifies key rationales, enablers, challenges, and actors presented in these documents. The results show that techno-economic and political narratives are comparatively consistent across the countries, while social and environmental narratives vary considerably depending on the context. Overall, the article shows how narrative pluralism on decarbonization reflects varying socio-economic priorities across and within jurisdictions.