Abstract
To what extent do our worldviews, political and religious beliefs and our values influence the way we perceive the climate emergency and the commitment to combat it in France? Through this question we pursue two clear objectives: firstly, to study the social dimensions of climate change and secondly to shed light on the vectors of engagement in the fight against climate change. Based on a perception survey we conducted in the Hauts-de-France region in 2017, we highlight how an approach that takes into account worldview, values and beliefs help us to understand the different attitudes towards CC perception and the fight against it. We show that the opposition between those who are convinced and those who are skeptical about CC refers to ideological differences that are deeply-rooted in the right-left political divide, but also in different beliefs and values. In addition, among the main vectors of climate engagement, our analyses highlight the importance of a worldview based on the finiteness of natural resources, values related to associative engagement and trust.
Highlights
The reality of global warming is today the subject of a broad consensus within the scientific community
Based on a perception survey we conducted in the Hauts-de-France region in 2017, we highlight how an approach that takes into account worldview, values and beliefs help us to understand the different attitudes towards climate change (CC) perception and the fight against it
We show that the opposition between those who are convinced and those who are skeptical about CC refers to ideological differences that are deeply-rooted in the right-left political divide, and in different beliefs and values
Summary
The reality of global warming is today the subject of a broad consensus within the scientific community. Limiting warming to 1.5°C and not 2°C would minimise the serious consequences on the health and well-being of populations and ecosystems To achieve this goal, the pace of implementation of adaptation strategies must be accelerated, in order to initiate large-scale transitions in several areas (energy, transport, agriculture, land use planning). CC appears as simultaneously a reality, an agenda, a problem, a context, a narrative and a discourse (Geoghegan & Leyson, 2012) From this point of view, analysing and understanding the social dimensions of CC is indispensable today as they are at the heart of the success or failure of public adaptation policies advocated by scientists and politicians. The main question is: to what extent does the worldview, the political orientation and the values of the society or social groups that compose it make it possible to identify and characterise the perceptions of and commitment to adaptation in the face of CC?
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