The way in which we communicate in regards to the environmental tasks carried out on French territory since 1980 says so much in regards to the creativeness of the transition. In a learn about printed by means of the Company for Ecological Transition, Ademe, in 2025, we display, with the toughen of linguistics, how sure narratives can turn out to be actual levers for concrete motion.
The problem of reports and the narratives they mobilize is an increasing number of found in discussions about social-ecological transition. And that, once in a while to “narrative washing”, which quantities to protecting inaction with the assistance of a wonderful tale. A learn about I coordinated for Adème, printed in October 2025, alternatively, displays that tales play a key position in ecological transition tasks in France.
The pastime in tales isn’t new at the aspect of Adem, who has already supported a number of works at the matter, particularly at the query of the creativeness of the ecological transition.
What’s new, alternatively, is that those tales were studied from a linguistic viewpoint. Thus, we constituted a corpus of texts, then studied its lexicometrics (ie quantitative learn about of the lexicon). In the end, we carried out a discourse research.
In particular, because of this we’ve accumulated texts associated with ecological transition tasks and studied them statistically (collection of occurrences, which means of phrases, and so on.), as a way to establish the primary subject matters working thru them. This way was once carried out to a textual corpus (how actors discuss themselves, how their companions discuss them, how the media and electorate unfold them, and so on.) protecting 559 tasks carried out between 1980 and 2020 around the nation, together with in a foreign country. In fact, France had many extra tasks throughout that duration, however a diffusion needed to be made to permit research.
The result’s a list of environmental tales which have been put into movement on this manner, which makes it imaginable to know the way the discourses of every birthday celebration have appropriated the problems of ecological transition and which key dimensions are mobilized by means of probably the most emblematic tasks.
The place are probably the most emblematic tales anchored?
The result of the learn about display a perfect number of tasks, with actual variations relying at the accompanying criminal bureaucracy (enterprises, associations, communities, and so on.), the sphere of job, but additionally the territory.
On this context, we have been within the so-called “emblematic” tales. Through this we imply: simplest tales that maintain concrete movements, embodied by means of key actors and creators of imaginations in a position to reworking the representations that flow into in society. The tales studied are subsequently no longer imaginary and obscure narratives indifferent from any socio-economic fact.
Hexagonal map of France in response to the collection of emblematic tales known. Ademe, 2025, Supplied by means of the writer
In continental France, the territories that deliver in combination probably the most vital tasks are the next:
both a territory with huge, strongly devoted towns (Rennes, Nantes or Toulouse, as an example),
territories that experience skilled serious socio-economic crises (reminiscent of Nord and Pas-de-Calais),
and even territories with robust linguistic and cultural ties (Basque, Corsica or Brittany). We additionally to find this specificity in different out of the country territories, reminiscent of Mayotte, Reunion or Guyana.
Main cross-cutting subject matters
Inside the 559 studied tasks, 11 subject matters go beyond territories and socio-professional fields of job. They’re mobilized in tales to inform other ways of dedication to the ecological transition in France. We known them the usage of Iramutek device.
Textual content Corpus Tale Networks. The nearer the ideas are at the chart, the extra the tales they’re in shall be hooked up and refer to one another. Ademe, 2025, Supplied by means of the writer
Reuse (orange colour, backside left), a very powerful matter, turns out just a little indifferent from the others. It’s in regards to the ancient orientation of this style, associated with the social and unity economic system sector, in addition to the mixing style that it promotes. 2d-hand control is maximum incessantly performed by means of associations that toughen people who find themselves some distance from employment (eg Emmaus).
This displays that the reuse style obeys its personal good judgment, which is older and indirectly associated with the newer consciousness of the desire for ecological transition. In different phrases, the reuse sector first had a social vocation, prior to it extra obviously emphasised its ecological orientation, therefore its isolation at the graph. Subsequently, connecting audiences in scenarios of exclusion with the remedy of items which can be themselves excluded from the marketplace calls into query the creativeness that runs in the course of the style of reuse and uncertainty typically. Actually, this double exclusion would possibly give an explanation for the relative incoherence with different subject matters of the tale, extra explicitly targeted at the ecological transition than at the social measurement.
Within the higher left nook, the size of usability, human interplay (darkish blue colour) and gear (gray) are connected. This marker illustrates the wish to to find the good judgment of “good times”. This hyperlinks the intake of fine meals merchandise with the wish to be in combination in a hedonistic good judgment. The tasks offered in those tales function in an event-driven rhythm and are in response to the wish to create time for alternate, sharing and social lifestyles.
At the proper aspect, we spotlight the desire for territorial registration (crimson colour), the problem of fine agriculture (pink-purple), financing and effort problems (purple), and in spite of everything the learning measurement (mild blue-green). Those subjects constitute such a lot of tactics to concretely mobilize the transition with a territorial measurement: the industrial style, native registration connected to neighborhood tasks, public consciousness, power and agricultural manufacturing fashions that wish to be reinvented, and so on.
Within the middle of the diagram, in spite of everything, we discover the important thing parts from which the entire subject matters of the tales are articulated: integration and employment. This displays that tales about ecological transition aren’t essentially utopian: the industrial and social realism of socio-ecological fashions is the most important for developing financial dynamism and employment.
The ambivalent position of the center
In regards to the job house of the studied tasks, we understand a slight dominance of social innovation, which particularly comprises 3rd puts and colleges, and extra typically areas that attempt to reinvent financial and social modalities. In 2nd position we discover the round economic system and reuse, then agricultural and meals actions and in spite of everything the dedication of native public actors and communities.
Distribution of reports by means of job house. Ademe, 2025, Supplied by means of the writer
Strangely, we notice that professions particularly associated with the surroundings and biodiversity (as sectors of financial job) are within the minority some of the 559 tasks. Alternatively, the chart beneath displays that that is the primary matter to be mobilized by means of tales of emblematic tasks.
Distribution of tale subjects. Ademe, 2025, Supplied by means of the writer
Thus, if the surroundings isn’t all the time supportive when at the leading edge of tasks, it’s systematically related to tasks as a component of toughen or reinforcement.
Tales that rely at the sector but additionally the territory
To permit probably the most detailed research of the corpus, a number of parameters are outlined within the research device that constitute the ordinary data that constitutes the real “variables” of the tales. That is the date of introduction of the initiative, its area, its division, form of territory, criminal shape, primary occupation, matter(s) of job, title of job, and so on.
Through appearing simplest those primary classes of variables, the graph offers new effects. As an example, we notice that the tale of conviviality appears to be prevalent within the Brittany area and in particular issues 3rd puts.
Tale networks, by means of variables. Come on, 2025
Allow us to title a few of these 3rd puts, visual at the graph: Manufacture des Capucins in Eure, Maison Glaz in Morbihan or Maison du Colonel in Amiens. This doesn’t imply that conviviality is the one narrative carried by means of the studied tasks, however that those 3rd puts constitute, within the sense of the narrative, nationwide drivers of connecting the measurement of conviviality with the measurement of ecological transition.
This presentation of the consequences highlights different native tasks, such because the Alsatian municipality of Muttersholtz for the power transition, the Reutiliz affiliation for the round economic system or the CERDD, the Useful resource Heart for Sustainable Construction within the Hauts-de-France to enroll in the territory.
3 pillars of ecological transition
Subsequently, some of the primary classes of this learn about, we notice that the tales of ecological transition in France are in response to 3 pillars:
3 dimensions of the tale of the ecological transition in France. Ademe, 2025, Supplied by means of the writer
attachment to the territory and its native realities,
the desire for social connections to create a pleasant and fascinating engagement across the transition,
and inspiring actual cultural transformation of life and behaviours.
Those tales are precious for encouraging optimism in those occasions of environmental backlash. However this learn about leaves one query unanswered: Are the narratives underlying the ecological transition similar in other places on this planet? Adopting a comparative way between other international locations would make it imaginable to spot commonplace levers that are meant to be relied upon as a question of precedence.
