(Re)politicization of climate change mitigating projects: environmental forms and motives of the Seine Nord Europe canal

Abstract Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies are gaining visibility support. Decision-makers defending the extension of large infrastructures that low greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, as a way to act quickly massively without calling into question existing economic models. This situation depoliticizes these projects, masking their other ecological consequences such impacts on biodiversity. article examines how promoters projects depoliticized its socio-technical futures while actors re-politicized them. Using example Seine Nord Europe Canal project, we show politicization territorial future depoliticization environmental future. is based techno-optimist discourse promoting large-scale only possible solution global climate crisis. It uses selective framing environment makes some elements visible others invisible. We conducted semi-structured interviews with biodiversity stakeholders in territories would be impacted by canal. Based concepts forms motives, reconstructed ontologies ignored dominant assembled them three alternative scenarios. present method investigation identification motives discuss likelihood constructed scenarios participating re-politicization reactions various actors.