Deus ex machina: A critical discourse analysis of Singapore's low-carbon transition in The Straits Times

Sammanfattning

Fossil fuel companies have shifted from outright climate denial to subtler strategies of delay. These include low-carbon solutions — carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen — which legitimise and extend fossil fuel dependency. This study examines how low-carbon discourses operate through the media in Singapore, a major refining and petrochemical hub with an authoritarian state-aligned media system. Using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis and carbon lock-in, I analyse 72 online articles (2019-2026) from The Straits Times (ST) to investigate how they shape a particular understanding of low-carbon solutions that privileges certain actors and technologies in Singapore's energy transition while delegitimising others. I find that ST employed strategic ambiguity and techno-optimism to advance the interests of the Singaporean state and fossil fuel companies, especially Shell and ExxonMobil. These discursive practices reinforce infrastructural and technological lock-in and institutional lock-in in Singapore, implying lock-in risks for other countries adopting low-carbon solutions.