Using Narrative Workshops to socialise the climate debate: Lessons from two case studies – centre-right audiences and the Scottish public

Abstract

Climate Outreach works at the interface of research and practice. This paper explains how Climate Outreach have used a Narrative Workshop methodology to test and develop narratives around energy transitions and climate policy with a diverse range of UK citizens. The paper begins by providing the rationale for a more participatory politics of climate change, and why narratives are central to that political process. This is followed with an outline of recent forms of participatory climate change initiatives within the UK. The next section presents a more detailed account of the methodology through an analysis of two recent research projects where the Narrative Workshop methodology has been used. The first case study uses examples from a number of workshops held with centre-right public audiences to demonstrate how the methodology has been applied to identify climate change narratives and vocabulary which reflect conservative values. The second case study illustrates how the methodology was used to create a template for a national climate change conversation in Scotland. The paper concludes with a reflection on the strengths and limits of using the Narrative Workshop methodology to build a broader social consensus on the need for ambitious climate change policies.