Automobility and Oil Vulnerability

Horta, Ana · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3167/nc.2020.150202

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Summary

This paper investigates the intersection of automobility, oil vulnerability, and energy justice, arguing that the perception of unfairness is a critical barrier to public support for sustainable energy transitions. The research is motivated by the European Union’s ambitious climate policies, such as the European Green Deal, which aim to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. However, these policies require "exnovation"—the active discarding of established energy practices—which is difficult because automobility is a deeply embedded sociotechnical system. The author posits that changes in automobility patterns may increase the oil vulnerability of citizens dependent on cars, potentially aggravating social inequities and undermining the legitimacy of climate policies. To explore how rising fuel costs are socially perceived, the study employs a content analysis of television news framing in Portugal, a country with high car dependence and significant investment in road infrastructure. The empirical data consists of 493 news items broadcast by three major Portuguese prime-time news bulletins (RTP1, SIC, and TVI) between January and June 2006, a period marked by skyrocketing oil prices and government decisions to increase fuel taxes. The analysis focuses on how media discourses framed these price rises, specifically examining whether they resonated with broader sociocultural meanings. The findings reveal a dominant media frame that attributed blame for fuel price increases primarily to the government and oil companies, rather than global market factors. News coverage emphasized the disparity between Portuguese fuel prices and those in neighboring Spain, highlighting the high tax burden on consumers. This framing portrayed the situation as unjust, resonating with widespread sociocultural sentiments of distrust toward political leaders and feelings of economic hardship. The media amplified these perceptions by featuring interviews with consumers who expressed a sense of injustice and a lack of alternatives to car use, reinforcing the narrative that the state and corporations were exploiting vulnerable populations. The significance of these results lies in their implications for energy policy and the concept of a "just transition." The paper concludes that if climate policies are perceived as insensitive to the structural dependence on cars and the resulting economic vulnerability, they may trigger strong feelings of unfairness. This perception can compromise public support for sustainability measures and exacerbate social inequalities. Consequently, the author argues that policymakers must carefully design transition strategies to balance costs between the population and major economic players, ensure transparency, and consider regional contexts to avoid perceptions of injustice. Addressing oil vulnerability and the social perception of fairness is essential for maintaining public engagement in the shift toward sustainable energy systems.

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