Presentation short abstract

The paper demonstrates how green narratives use the concern for the environment to justify political strategies serving primarily other goals. Our analysis uses the example of the Great Green Wall initiative to highlight the role of persuasion and performativity.

Presentation long abstract

The paper examines how green narratives are constructed and used in political programmes for environmental restoration. It contributes to critical debates about green growth, green transformation, and greenwashing (Infante-Amate et al., 2025). We interpret green narratives as discursive practices that exploit environmental concerns to justify policies primarily serving economic and political goals (Aram 2026). Using the design and implementation of the Great Green Wall (GGW) programme in Africa as an empirical example, we start by proposing that the GGW is motivated by an ‘imaginary’ that promises a ‘technical green fix’ for a complex set of interrelated political, societal, and environmental problems. We argue that this imaginary exercises its persuasive power through its ability to forge consensus among the parties involved and coordinate action. The GGW is typically presented as a comprehensive solution to the multiple problems of the Sahelian zone – a win-win strategy that balances the needs and interests of all stakeholders. However, our study views this performative strategy rather as a ‘technical green fix’, i.e., a programme that reduces the complex setting to just one key aspect: the environment.

Aram, A. (2026): Green Narratives. Media and Environment in a Changing World. Routledge.

Infante-Amate, J., Travieso, E. & Aguilera, E. Green growth in the mirror of history. Nature Communications 16, 3766 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58777-4