Framing environmental change and adaptation governance : the case of Sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean

Abstract

This research looks through the lens of framing theory to apprehend how Sargassum has been understood and furthermore analyze if framing of the Sargassum phenomenon is aligned with adaptation actions. This thesis embarks on a comparative case-study between three Caribbean countries: the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago. The methods are based on analysis of communicated online news articles for the three years that the Sargassum influx has been the most aggressive in the region along with the contents of adaptation documents of the case studies. The main conclusions for this study highlight the importance of contextual characteristics i.e., (i) key economic industries and stakeholders, (ii) availability of financial funds, (iii) and communities most affected, as indicative for principal actions taken towards what is understood as adaptive actions. Furthermore, analysis of framing of Sargassum has shown that the large degree of uncertainty around the phenomenon e.g., its continuity and causation, have functioned as barriers to innovation and out-of-the-box thinking in the case-studies. The study findings contribute to the literature on framing theory concerning the complicated topic of environmental change in highly vulnerable countries.