ABSTRACT
Climate change has a unique meaning for the Netherlands. A cursory examination of this nation, where 25 percent of the land is below sea level and 60 percent of the population lives in this area, reveals that a predicted sea level rise seriously threatens the Dutch. Intuitively, the global leadership of the Netherlands in climate change policies seems driven by self-interest stemming from its vulnerability. However, this prima facie observation is insufficient. The Dutch have continually expressed the need to promote sustainable development domestically and internationally, and contribute a vast amount of money to foreign aid, with little direct benefit perceived. For example, the Netherlands was ranked again in 2006 as the leader in “Quality” aid to the developing world (Lobe 2006). Accordingly, the Dutch are perceived, and proudly internalize the self-conception of themselves, as global leaders, agenda setters and models in the climate change arena (Pettenger 2000; Liefferink 1997; Johnson 1995). Recently, this image has been tarnished by domestic unrest (assassinations, economic stagnation and ineffective governments), limited success in reducing CO
emissions and the perceived failure of the Kyoto Protocol. This chapter addresses the process of issue framing surrounding climate change
in the Netherlands. The primary purpose is to identify and discuss the norms that constitute the climate change meanings held by the Dutch. This chapter asks two broad questions. What norms have influenced the Dutch definition of, and response to, climate change? Recursively, how have the Dutch redefined and promoted these norms domestically and internationally? Specifically, this study seeks to uncover the processes of norm definition, adoption, and diffusion employed by the principal norm entrepreneurs who frame the social construction of climate change in the Netherlands.
